Sanctions for Legal Ethical Breaches – Determining the Appropriate Sanction for Lawyer Misconduct

Overview

As members of an honourable profession, lawyers must conduct themselves in accordance with the highest legal ethical standards. Where lawyers fall short of such standards, the sanctions prescribed in the Legal Profession Act may be imposed, the most severe of which is striking off from the roll of advocates and solicitors.

This seminar focuses on the topic of sanctions, i.e. the punishment which an errant lawyer may face owing to breaches of the relevant legal ethical norms.

The aim of the seminar is two-fold: First, to provide a general introduction to the topic of sanctions. Second, to explore in detail the court’s approach in determining the appropriate sanction for a legal ethical breach and to offer guidance in this regard based on the existing case law.

Accordingly, the seminar will first introduce the topic of sanctions. It then progresses to:

1. an in-depth discussion of various sanctions frameworks (in particular, that which the court will apply in determining whether to order the striking off of a lawyer);
2. a survey of other sentencing norms as can be discerned from the case law; and
3. more broadly, a discussion of the considerations which will influence the sanction to be meted out to the errant lawyer.

Apart from the obvious practical importance of the topic of sanctions, the seminar aims also to provide attendees with a more complete grasp of the field of legal ethics by providing attendees with insights into this aspect of the field. 

Seminar Information

2 Public CPD Points

Practice Area: Mandatory Ethics Component

Training Level: General

Course Fee: $98.10

Registration Deadline: 1 October 2026

Event ID: CETW027-260001

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Programme

Speakers

Associate Professor Alvin Cheng (SUSS)

Alvin teaches and researches on legal ethics and professional conduct, as well as litigation and dispute resolution (including mediation and other alternative dispute resolution).

He has been in private practice for over 30 years, and his main area of practice is in civil and commercial litigation. He was called to the Bar of England and Wales as a Barrister-at-Law in 1993 and was admitted to the Singapore Bar as an Advocate and Solicitor in 1995. He holds a Bachelor and Master of Laws from the University of London.

Alvin is a member of the Inquiry Panel (under Section 84 of the Legal Profession Act), an accredited mediator with the Singapore Mediation Centre and Regent’s University (School of Psychology) London, and a member of the Law Society of Singapore’s Advocacy Committee. He is also a member of the Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn, the Asia Pacific Institute of Experts, and a founding member of the Society of Mediation Professionals (Singapore).

Mr Yeo Chuan Tat  (SUSS)

Chuan Tat is Head (Law Programmes) and Senior Lecturer at the Singapore University of Social Sciences, School of Law (the Law School) where, amongst other things, he teaches and researches on legal ethics. Chuan Tat is also Counsel at Breakpoint LLC, where he specialises in international dispute resolution.

The Law School places significant emphasis on inculcating in our students the core values of the legal profession and developing their ethical consciousness in this early phase of their legal journey. This includes conducting a dedicated freshman legal ethics course as part of the Law School’s curriculum.

Chuan Tat is intimately involved in the Law School’s efforts in legal ethics education. He was previously the course convenor for the aforementioned legal ethics course. Chuan Tat is also a member of the core team assisting the Dean in overseeing the Law School’s implementation of the Ethics and Professional Standards Committee’s recommendations, which has as their objective the reaffirmation of the moral core and values of the profession.

Apart from the Law School’s initiatives, Chuan Tat serves (or has served) in various other ethics-related roles. He is a member of the Professional Standards & Ethics Working Group of the Professional Affairs Committee, Singapore Academy of Law. Previously, he was involved in the legal disciplinary process in his role as a Council Member of the Law Society of Singapore.

Chuan Tat is admitted to practise law in Singapore, England & Wales, and the State of New York. He obtained his LL.B. from the National University of Singapore and a LL.M. from Columbia Law School.

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