The Singapore Ministry of Law (MinLaw) has published a draft guide for public consultation on the safe, ethical, and effective use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) in the legal sector. Released on 1 September 2025, the guide aims to ensure that lawyers can benefit from digital transformation while maintaining professional standards. Feedback on the draft will be collected until 30 September 2025.
What Underpins This Transformation?
This initiative by MinLaw is part of the ongoing digitalisation and technological transformation of the legal sector. Previous projects such as the LIFT (Legal Innovation and Future-Readiness Transformation) pilot programme and PSG-Legal (Productivity Solutions Grant for the Legal Sector) supported law firms in adapting to technology. The current focus is on integrating generative AI into legal processes in a safe, ethical, and effective manner.
Key Principles of the Guide
The draft guide highlights three fundamental principles that legal professionals must observe when using GenAI:
- Professional Ethics – Lawyers remain ultimately responsible for all legal services delivered. Every piece of legal advice must be grounded in adequate knowledge, skills, and experience.
- Confidentiality – Reasonable and technically reliable measures must be taken to protect client data.
- Transparency – Clients must be informed when GenAI tools are used in the process, and any factors that may affect their interests should be disclosed.
These principles are directly aligned with Singapore’s Legal Profession Act 1966 and Professional Conduct Rules 2015.
Implementation Roadmap
The guide provides a step-by-step roadmap for adopting GenAI tools safely and effectively:
- Establishing an Adoption Framework – Defining the scope, principles, and limits of AI use within the firm.
- Needs Analysis – Identifying areas where efficiency gains can be achieved and where risks may arise.
- Tool Selection and Evaluation – Reviewing available GenAI tools for security, confidentiality, and professional compliance.
- Implementation and Training – Deploying selected tools while providing teams with technical and ethical training.
- Ongoing Review – Monitoring outcomes, addressing gaps, and improving processes continuously.
Consultation Process and Call for Participation
Before finalising the guide, MinLaw aims to gather feedback from all stakeholders in the legal ecosystem.
- Consultation period: 1 – 30 September 2025
- Submission method: Feedback can be sent via email or post.
- Focus areas: Clarity and practicality of the guide, feasibility of the measures, gaps or ambiguities, and sharing of best practices.
This consultation is an important opportunity to co-shape the digital transformation of the legal sector and to establish shared standards for the use of AI in legal practice.
Full details available at this link
