SINGAPORE – President-elect of the Law Society of Singapore Dinesh Singh Dhillon has agreed to step aside after a meeting on Dec 17 with members.
Mr Dhillon was
elected by the majority of the 21-member Law Society council in November
as the 30th president of the professional body for lawyers.
He was slated to take over the helm from outgoing president Lisa Sam Hui Min in 2026, but his win at the election had caused some disquiet as he was an unelected member of the council.
A number of members had intended to introduce motions at an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) slated for Dec 22 to seek a vote of no confidence against some members of the 21-member council, among other things.
In a document seen by The Straits Times, the council said Mr Dhillon agreed to step aside as president of the Law Society, in the interest of preserving unity for the Bar and in the light of “legitimate concerns” raised by members.
The council for 2026 was reconstituted with vice-president Tan Cheng Han as president of the organisation.
Professor Tan Cheng Han wears several hats, including senior consultant at Wong Partnership, and chief strategy officer at the NUS Law School.
ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG
Prof Tan wears several hats, including Senior Consultant at Wong Partnership, and Chief Strategy Officer at the NUS Law School.
Mr Dhillon, the co-head of International Arbitration Practice at Allen and Gledhill, will be endorsed and approved by the council as vice-president.
The Law Society is a representative body for all lawyers in Singapore with about 6,400 members. Lawyers vote every October for a seat at the council, the highest body within the society responsible for managing its affairs.
The council typically comprises 15 elected members, three members appointed by the law minister, and another three co-opted by the council.
All council members serve a two-year term.
Under the Legal Profession Act, the law minister can appoint up to three members to sit on the council. Mr Dhillon was one of the three brought in this time.
Internal voting for the four office-bearers – the president, two vice-presidents and treasurer – is held every year among the council members.
On Nov 24, several members, led by former presidents Peter Cuthbert Low and Mr Chandra Mohan Nair, submitted a request to the Law Society to hold an EGM.
They proposed passing a resolution that the president of the body must be an elected member of the council.
On Dec 3, a meeting involving Law Minister Edwin Tong was held with three factions to resolve the unhappiness.
The groups comprised two members of the current council including Ms Sam; the office-bearers of the incoming council including Mr Dhillon; and Mr Low and Mr Nair.
On Dec 9, Mr Low and Mr Nair told the Law Society that they would be holding the EGM because the council decided not to hold one.
The proposed resolution – worded differently from the original – seeks to place on record the view that only an elected council member should become president.
On Dec 10, criminal lawyer Sunil Sudheesan said he intends to seek a vote of no confidence at the EGM against members of the incoming council who had voted for a ministerial appointee to be president.
His intended motion also seeks the resignation of members of the current council who had decided not to call for an EGM.
On Dec 12, a third motion was added. Another lawyer, Mr Manimaran Arumugam, proposed a slight amendment to Mr Low and Mr Nair’s motion.
According to the document, the lawyers have agreed to withdraw their motions for the EGM. The only item on the agenda will be the consent resolution, which will see Mr Dhillon stepping aside and Prof Tan proposed as president.
The council will also circulate to all members proposed eligibility criteria for office bearer positions within two months of taking office.
Members will have at least six weeks to review and provide feedback about the proposal, which will include a minimum service period requirement on the council for office bearers.
The final criteria will be tabled for approval by the members at the annual general meeting in 2026.