Singapore Academy of Law Launches Legal Leadership Playbook, Endorsed by the Human Capital Leadership Institute

Singapore, 27 April 2026 — The Singapore Academy of Law (“SAL”) today announced the launch of its Legal Leadership Playbook (the “Playbook”), a practical guide designed to strengthen leadership capabilities across Singapore’s legal profession. The Playbook has been endorsed by the Human Capital Leadership Institute (“HCLI”), Asia’s leading centre of excellence for leadership development.

As the legal sector navigates increasing complexity — from evolving client expectations to technological disruption and cross-border challenges — effective leadership has become critical to enabling legal professionals to lead teams, drive innovation, and deliver strategic value. The Playbook aims to equip legal professionals with practical leadership frameworks, resources and tools that can be applied across a range of roles and career stages.

The Playbook, developed in consultation with legal and leadership practitioners, supports professionals from first-time managers to seasoned executives. It draws on a curated body of leadership principles and practitioner frameworks, including SAL’s flagship leadership programmes, the SAL-INSEAD Legal Leadership Programme, and leadership courses led by Professor Patrick Gibbons, Visiting Professor at Nanyang Business School.

Mr. Yeong Zee Kin, Chief Executive of the Singapore Academy of Law said, “SAL is pleased to launch the Legal Leadership Playbook, a practical companion for lawyers at all stages of their leadership journey. It provides information about leadership practices that meet global standards while addressing the specific needs of the legal profession. The Playbook is relevant to aspiring leaders and lawyers stepping into leadership roles for the first time; even experienced leaders may find something helpful.

The Playbook is the product of a collaboration with HCLI, Asia’s leading centre of
excellence for leadership development. We look forward to deepening our collaboration to ensure the Playbook remains responsive to the evolving needs of the legal profession.”

Mr. Kevyn Yong, Chief Executive Officer of the Human Capital Leadership Institute added, “We are pleased to endorse the Legal Leadership Playbook, which reflects the kind of rigorous, practitioner-grounded approach to leadership development that HCLI champions. The legal profession is transforming rapidly, and this Playbook equips legal professionals with exactly the frameworks they need to lead with confidence and strategic clarity.”

The Playbook is released as a living document and SAL invites contributions from across the legal ecosystem, including individuals and industry bodies such as the Law Society of Singapore and the Singapore Corporate Counsel Association, to enrich future editions with real-world insights and case studies.

Alongside this, SAL is committed to improving access to professional development by lowering financial barriers. Since 2025, most SAL training courses have been supported by funding from SkillsFuture Singapore, enabling legal professionals to pay only 50% to 70% of course fees. The introduction of a pilot LexLearn pass (see Annex A for more details) is SAL’s latest effort in the same direction.

Together, these efforts reflect SAL’s focus on ensuring that high-quality leadership development is not only relevant and practitioner-informed, but also accessible to the wider legal community.

-END-

Annex A: Supporting the Legal Learning Journey – SAL Professional Development Initiatives

LIFTED (Legal Industry Framework for Training and Education)

LIFTED is SAL’s competency skills framework built for the legal profession to guide legal professionals through structured and purposeful learning pathways:

• LIFTED Training Roadmap: An online portal curating programmes from leading providers such as NUS Law Academy, SMU Law Academy, and the Law Society of Singapore.
• LIFTED Competency Development Guide: A resource to help professionals align training opportunities with their career goals and competency development needs.
• LIFTED Competencies: The framework covers skills and competencies relevant to all career stages including technical competencies (e.g., advocacy, contract drafting, digital fluency), business competencies (e.g., business acumen) and leadership competencies (e.g., developing people, influence)

LexLearn Pass

The LexLearn Pass is a new subscription-based initiative aimed at encouraging sustained participation in structured legal training.

• Complimentary access for eligible participants from 1 May 2026 to 31 March 2027
• Unlimited access to SAL’s structured training programmes
• Includes signature offerings such as:
  • Junior Lawyers Professional Certification Programme
• • Singapore Mediation Centre’s mediation courses
• • A wide range of SAL professional development programmes

Lexplorer: The SAL Career Navigator

Lexplorer supports career development through a suite of tools and coaching resources:

• LX Career Planner – helps individuals map and plan their career trajectory
• LIFTED Skills Audit Tool – enables lawyers to identify competency gaps and development priorities
• Group coaching workshop led by professional career coaches who were formerly senior lawyers.

In-House Counsel Certification Programme (IHC Programme)

The IHC Programme is designed to support lawyers transitioning from private practice to in-house roles by addressing the distinct competencies required for these career pathways.

The programme covers areas such as legal operations, stakeholder and conflict management, contract drafting, business acumen, and the leadership of high-performing legal teams.

For media queries, please contact:

The Singapore Academy of Law (the “SAL”) is a statutory body representing a legal community of over 14,000 members, including judges, practitioners, Legal Service officers, in-house counsel, and academics. Established by an Act of Parliament, SAL brings together the Bench, Bar, Legal Service, and academia to
support the development of Singapore’s legal profession.

SAL supports legal professionals through continuing education, accreditation, and leadership development, and recognises excellence through its Senior Counsel and specialist accreditation schemes. It also advocates workplace sustainability within the legal sector and advances legal technology through LawNet, its legal research platform.

SAL also undertakes statutory functions such as the Wills Registry, stakeholding services and appointment of Senior Counsel, Commissioners for Oaths and Notaries Public. For more information, please visit www.sal.org.sg.

The SAL Group comprises the Singapore Mediation Centre, the Asian Business Law Institute, and LawNet Technology Services.

About Human Capital Leadership Institute

The Human Capital Leadership Institute (the “HCLI”) is Asia’s leading centre of excellence for leadership development and strategic human capital management.

More than just an academic university, HCLI is a lively and progressive leadership institute dedicated to developing leaders and leadership in Asia and the world.

A network of networks, it consists of four leaders networks: Singapore Leaders Network (SGLN), Human Resource Leaders Network (HRLN), Next Gen Leaders Network (NXLN) and ASEAN+3 Leaders Network (A3LN).