The Big Read: Burnt out and disillusioned, young lawyers head for the exit — and the industry is worried

In his speech, Mr Tan highlighted that a record 538 lawyers left the profession last year, most of whom were in the junior category of lawyers who had practised for less than five years.

David, 28, who left legal practice recently and felt that prior to the pandemic, the camaraderie of being in the trenches together with colleagues made the experience more bearable.For many, working from home, as a result of Covid-19 regulations, provided them with an opportunity to reflect on their circumstances.

David, who was a trainee at that point of time, stressed that he was not ill-treated, but felt that his superiors just did not know how to support their employees during the pandemic.David eventually left the legal sector to work in investments in mid-2020. For instance, she was perpetually performing “office house-work” such as planning parties and hosting events.

When asked why she did not remain in practice by moving on to another law firm that had a bigger female representation, Jane said some had a reputation for being equally toxic. Speaking to TODAY, Mr Muk said that he could accept young lawyers leaving because of a mismatch in career expectations.Raj Nadarajan/TODAY

In response to TODAY's queries, a Ministry of Law spokesperson said that it encourages law firms to adopt and use technology more widely to improve their effectiveness and productivity. “The time saved can be used on more substantive legal work, allowing lawyers to do more in less time,” said the spokesperson.Mr Tan noted that lawyers recognise the fact that"practice management systems and other tools can streamline processes, and automate tasks".

They are now cramming more work within the same amount of hours, which consequently leads to a build-up of stress.Lim Li Ting/TODAY “Today, you try to put the young lawyers to a 13-hour day, based on this kind of intensity, I don't think it's really sustainable,” he said. “There is a bit of a survivorship bias,” he said. “My first two years of practice were extremely difficult. At that time I was told it was difficult for me because it had been equally difficult for my predecessors.”

To tackle abuse or exploitation, lawyer Michelle Yeo offered three suggestions in a recent LinkedIn post about the matter.

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