Law firms big and small offer pro bono and charity services

Source: Straits Times
Article Date: 31 Oct 2024
Author: K.C. Vijayan

People with dysfunctional circumstances or who cannot afford fees among those helped.

For Regent Law, a five-lawyer firm, pro bono services are offered to individuals such as those coming from the Law Society’s Criminal Legal Aid Scheme (Clas) or referred from an MP’s Meet-the-People Sessions.

The firm, which topped the fields of criminal and family laws in the Best Law Firms 2025 survey, has many clients who struggle with dysfunctional circumstances. Services may be provided without charge, depending on the merits of each case.

This means that clients who are unable to pay legal fees due are treated as pro bono cases, said managing director Mathew Kurian. “We don’t go after the clients, we write off their bad debts as pro bono cases,” he added.

Such moves helped earn the firm a place in the Offering Pro Bono Services law category in the Best Law Firms 2025 survey, which is based on the number of recommendations from respondents.

Lawyer Eugene Thuraisingam, whose law firm Eugene Thuraisingam LLP also made the list, underlined the importance of pro bono advocacy as a core value of the firm.

“As lawyers, we are privileged to have a certain skill set, and it is our duty to make those skills available, especially to those who are not able to afford it,” he said. “It is only then that we can have a just society.”

Adsan Law continued to lead both the categories of Advice to Charities and Not-for-Profit Organisations, and Offering Pro Bono Services, as it has in past years. Other major players in the list include Allen & Gledhill, Rajah & Tann, and Lee & Lee.

Adsan Law’s chief executive officer Susan Leong said: “We are deeply grateful and humbled to receive this recognition, which we share with our dedicated staff, the charities and non-profits we serve, as well as the institutions and individuals we work with. All their support and trust have inspired our work, and this recognition belongs to all of them.”

She added: “In a fast-changing economic landscape riddled with uncertainties, the recognition also serves as a powerful reminder of the enduring value of empathy and collaboration in the legal profession.”

Providing services pro bono is not easy, she said, and often involves extended hours and sacrifices of personal time and space. Beneficiaries of its services include charities and non-profit organisations in healthcare, education, the arts, sustainability, and the social and community sectors.

In 2024, the firm launched its Adsan Cares initiative to reflect its commitment to environmental, social and governance practices. Staff take “gently used, pre-loved” items to the office for sale at several scheduled events, with proceeds donated to a nominated charity.

“This recycling sale allows our colleagues to contribute not only to the community in a meaningful way but also participate in an environment that values sustainability,” Madam Leong said.

Allen & Gledhill’s pro bono work includes representing individuals under Clas, giving advice to charities and non-profit organisations, and participating in legal clinics.

They are usually people who cannot afford access to justice, such as foreign workers or foreign brides facing troubles in their marriages. In one case, lawyers helped a woman bring forward the start of her jail sentence so that she can avoid giving birth in prison. Pro bono services for charities included work done for organisations such as Minds and Hao Ren Hao Shi.

In 2023, lawyers across Allen & Gledhill’s network contributed more than 9,300 hours of pro bono services, an increase of more than 3,500 hours compared with 2022.

“At Allen & Gledhill, we believe that utilising our skills and training to give back to our community is an important part of being a holistic lawyer. Beyond honing legal abilities, pro bono work also helps build professional skills, such as leadership, teamwork and time management, which are essential for a successful legal career,” said Allen & Gledhill’s managing partner Jerry Koh.

For overall best law firm Rajah & Tann, which was the first law firm here to set up a charity foundation, this year’s activities included its inaugural RTA Community Day. Each of its member firms across the region partnered with a local charity to give back to their respective communities.

In Singapore, the Rajah & Tann Foundation, the firm’s corporate social responsibility arm, supported and took part in the Ocean Wonders carnival for more than 200 children with special needs and their families.

Held at Yuhua Community Club on June 29, the carnival was organised by Fei Yue Community Services’ Early Intervention Programme for Infants and Children, which provides therapy and educational support for children aged six and below with developmental needs.