SINGAPORE: Two prominent lawyers who led separate groups of candidates in a keenly contested Law Society of Singapore (LawSoc) election won seats on its council on Thursday (Oct 22), after a troubled year for the professional body.
Senior Counsel Jimmy Yim, chairman of Drew & Napier, secured more than 1,000 votes to return to the council after about 20 years, while former LawSoc vice-president Samuel Chacko was re-elected.
The election, which saw nearly half of the council's 15 elected seats contested, followed months of controversy over allegations of workplace bullying, concerns about LawSoc's work culture and a dispute over its presidency.
Neither group of candidates secured a clean sweep, with Mr Yim's two running mates losing their bids while only one of the four other candidates backed by Mr Chacko was elected.
This year’s election campaign was unusual in how two main groups of candidates vied for votes.
Mr Yim and his two running mates said they visited more than 100 law firms and launched a dedicated website soliciting support for their campaign.
Mr Chacko, who unsuccessfully contested the LawSoc presidency last year, sought votes alongside four other lawyers, including Dentons Rodyk senior partner Debby Lim, who was also elected.
Mr Yim, Mr Chacko and Ms Lim secured three of the four senior-category seats, with RCLT Law’s Remy Choo Cheng Xi taking the fourth, according to results released by LawSoc on Thursday night.
The council is the highest body within LawSoc responsible for managing the affairs of the society, which is the statutory representative body and bar association for all lawyers in Singapore.
Now that the members of the council have been elected, they will have to select a president, two vice-presidents and a treasurer from among themselves by Jan 1, 2027.
Mr Yim’s win comes after he submitted a petition to LawSoc in August that was signed by over 100 members.
The petition called for a full report of LawSoc's probe into allegations of workplace bullying and poor work culture to be made available to the society's members.
The full report was later withheld at the request of the police, after a police report was made alleging that certain matters disclosed in the report by LawSoc's audit committee may disclose possible offences.
Mr Chacko, meanwhile, had unsuccessfully contested the LawSoc presidency last year in an election that subsequently sparked concerns among some lawyers about the independence of the Bar.
Seven spots on the council were up for contest this year, following the completion of two-year terms.
Nine candidates vied for four seats in the senior category, while three candidates gunned for one spot in the middle category and four candidates contested two spots in the junior category.
The senior category is for lawyers with more than 15 years of practice, while the middle category is for those with between five and 15 years, and the junior category is for lawyers who have been practising for less than five years.
Mr Thaddaeus Aaron Tan won the single seat in the middle category, with Mr Foo Hsien Weng and Ms Siddartha Bodi clinching the seats in the junior category.
Mr Chacko, Mr Choo, Mr Tan are current council members, while Mr Yim, Ms Lim, Mr Foo and Ms Bodi are new additions to the council.
Mr Yim and his fellow candidates, Mr Mohamed Ibrahim Mohamed Yakub, founder of Achievers law firm, and Ms Kay Pang, founder of Kay Pang Law Practice, had set up a website canvassing for votes. They were all candidates in the senior category.
The site, lawsoccouncil2027.com, contained videos, a manifesto, leaflets and a slogan: "A Time to Step Forward".
It read: "We are a slate of practising lawyers who believe the Law Society can — and must — do better. Better for members, better for the profession, better for Singapore."
Mr Chacko wrote in a post on LinkedIn on Oct 12 to seek votes for himself and four other lawyers.
They are: Ms Lim of Dentons Rodyk in the senior category, director at Nair, Jen & Tan Bryan Tan in the middle category and Mr Sylvester Gabriel Tan from Bayfront Law and Sherwyn Lee from Tito Isaac & Co in the junior category.
In his LinkedIn post, Mr Chacko said he had focused on three things in 2024 when he was elected: Training for practitioners, fair recovery of the cost of providing legal services and the independence of the Bar.
He said these three priorities now sit within the LawSoc's Joint Charter, and asked to be re-elected.
Throwing his hat in the ring individually in the senior category was RCLT Law's Mr Choo, who was contesting in that category for the first time.
Mr Chacko had run against Mr Dinesh Singh Dhillon in the internal council election for the 2026 presidency but lost.
Mr Dhillon's election as LawSoc president in November 2025 sparked concerns among some lawyers over the independence of the Bar, as he had been appointed to the council by the Law Minister rather than elected by LawSoc members.
At an extraordinary general meeting in December 2025, members passed a resolution stating that the society's president shall be an elected member of the council.
Mr Dhillon eventually agreed to step aside as LawSoc president in 2026, with Senior Counsel Tan Cheng Han assuming the role instead.
When contacted by CNA earlier on Thursday before the voting closed, Mr Yim declined comment, citing confidentiality.
Mr Chacko did not respond to a request for comment.