The Legal Profession Sustainability Study, released on Tuesday, 23 June, examines the issue of lawyer attrition and has drawn attention across the judiciary. The study identified bullying, excessive workloads and public humiliation as key drivers of attrition in private practice, pointing to entrenched cultural and structural issues within the legal sector.

Commenting on the findings on CNA938 Rewind, Joint Managing Partner Stefanie Yuen Thio said attrition cannot be viewed through a single lens. She noted that some lawyers enter the profession due to external pressures, such as prestige or parental influence, rather than a genuine desire to practise. For this group, the demands of legal work can quickly lead to burnout, reflecting a mismatch between expectations and the realities of practice.Beyond Burnout: Stefanie Yuen Thio on the Pressures Facing Young Lawyers

At the same time, she emphasised that the study highlights a separate and more serious set of concerns relating to toxic workplaces, including bullying, disparaging conduct and pejorative comments, even from the Bench. These issues, she stressed, are distinct from questions of career fit and require systemic attention.

Stefanie also pointed to the competitive pressures arising from Singapore’s success as a leading legal and arbitration hub. International firms are drawing from the same talent pool with higher pay and demanding work cultures, raising the overall intensity of practice across the profession.

She said reforms must begin upstream, with universities and training systems better aligning legal education with the skills required in practice. This includes a shift away from knowledge-based lawyering towards roles that prioritise problem-solving, commercial awareness and strategic thinking, a transition likely to accelerate with the growing use of AI.

While workplace culture today may be less overtly harsh than in the past, she noted that expectations remain high and competition has intensified. She added that younger lawyers are increasingly unwilling to tolerate unhealthy work environments, signalling a broader shift that could drive change across the profession.