More AI training to help legal professionals plug competency gaps
Singapore is investing in practical AI upskilling for the legal sector. The Singapore Academy of Law (SAL) will roll out an AI-powered career coach app to help lawyers spot skills gaps and plan targeted professional development.
SAL will also partner the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) to guide practitioners on using AI effectively and responsibly. As Singapore marks 200 years of its legal system, Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon cautioned that unmanaged AI use could erode core legal skills - a clear signal to pair adoption with discipline.
What's changing
- AI career coach app: identify personal competency gaps, set development goals, and track progress over time.
- Guidance with IMDA: practical support to use AI responsibly, with attention to ethics, confidentiality, and accuracy.
- New training roadmaps: structured upskilling for legal officers to keep pace with evolving practice needs.
Why it matters
- AI can speed up research, summarisation, and drafting, but it can also dull judgment if used carelessly.
- Clients expect efficiency and quality - both require clear policies, trained teams, and strong fundamentals.
- The profession's edge remains human: issue spotting, precise writing, advocacy, and ethical judgment.
Practical steps for your practice
- Run a quick audit: list routine tasks where AI can assist (case law retrieval, review summaries, first-pass drafting). Keep human review mandatory.
- Set guardrails: confidentiality rules, client consent where needed, citation standards, and a "no unsourced claims" policy.
- Upskill on the essentials: prompts, verification, bias awareness, and privacy. Short, applied training beats long theory.
- Appoint an AI lead: one person to coordinate training, maintain tool checklists, and track outcomes.
- Pilot the SAL app on release: use the skills assessment to shape CPD plans for fee-earners and legal ops.
Core skills to protect
- Issue spotting and legal analysis
- Fact checking and source validation
- Clear, persuasive drafting
- Ethics and professional responsibility
Timeline and next steps
Expect more details as SAL and IMDA roll out programmes and guidance. Start preparing now: align internal policies, pick two or three priority use cases, and schedule team training for Q1-Q2.
Resources
- Singapore Academy of Law
- Infocomm Media Development Authority
- AI courses by job role - build role-specific learning paths for legal teams.
- ChatGPT courses - practical modules on prompts, validation, and safe use in client matters.
Bottom line
AI won't replace sound legal judgment, but lawyers who pair clear guardrails with focused upskilling will outpace those who wait. Use the coming SAL tools and guidance to close gaps fast - and keep the craft sharp.
Your membership also unlocks:
