Response Speech by Senior Minister of State Law and Transport Murali Pillai SC at the Committee of Supply Debate 2026
2 Mar 2026 Posted in Parliamentary speeches and responses
Introduction
Mr Chairman,
1. The law cannot generate a single cent in commerce or bring a single idea into market. It powers neither our economy nor our society. It collapses on itself when it stands alone. Yet we will have no peace, no security, no comfort; neither prosperity nor progress – without the law.
2. The law underwrites both the private and the public sectors of our world. Today, I will speak about both, and how they together secure the livelihoods of fellow Singaporeans.
3. MinLaw will steward the next bound of our development in three ways:
a) First, the private – empowering businesses through intellectual property as an engine of growth;
b) Second, public – facilitating resolution of disputes by deepening capabilities and reliability of our dispute resolution pathways; and
c) Third, the people – to grow the capabilities of our legal profession.
Empowering Businesses: Ideas as Engines of Growth
4. First, intangible assets (“IA”) and intellectual property (“IP”) are critical for enterprises to develop – as mentioned by the Honourable Members Mr Jackson Lam and Mr Mark Lee.
5. The most valuable resources of a business are often intangible.
Singapore IP Strategy 2030 and the Next Bound
6. These assets are generated by the ingenuity and creativity of men but they are given specific value by the law. Singapore has been working for decades to harness IP for economic growth.
a) Since 2021, IPOS has stepped up to attract and grow innovative enterprises using IA and IP – guided by the Singapore IP Strategy (“SIPS”) 2030.
b) While the assets may be intangible, the benefits of focusing on IA and IP are tangible.
7. This year, IPOS celebrates 25 years of empowering businesses to turn ideas into tangible assets.
8. In the second tranche of SIPS 2030, we will work harder to uplift enterprises and strengthen Singapore as a global IA and IP hub. This includes –
a) First, supporting businesses, particularly SMEs, in managing their IP and unlocking its value.
i. For example, the Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (“ASME”) and the World Intellectual Property Organisation (“WIPO”) will exchange a MOU in a few days to set up the WIPO IP Business Centre @ ASME - the first in ASEAN.
ii. From there, more SMEs will gain access to initiatives like WIPO’s IP Management Clinic Singapore programme to develop IP strategies and overseas expansion.
b) Second, stepping up work on IA and IP valuation.
i. This includes developing frameworks with financial institutions, public agencies, and industry partners, to help companies realise IA value and commercialise their ideas through licensing and partnerships.
ii. IPOS will support our partners in publishing the IA valuation guidelines this year.
9. To Mr Mark Lee’s queries on research attachments, as well as IP financing –
a) On the former, A\*Star seconds researchers to SMEs. IPI Singapore, a subsidiary under EnterpriseSG, also assists SMEs with technology matching services and advisory support to develop go-to-market strategies.
b) On the latter, IPOS is studying the market gaps in enterprise financing.
An IP Regime that Supports Creativity and Innovation
10. I now move to AI. Human creativity is the lifeblood of innovation and progress. As we harness AI for growth, we are committed to maintaining a balanced and robust IP regime.
11. Ms Goh Hanyan and Mr Jackson Lam spoke about concerns relating to the training and use of GenAI, particularly from the creative sectors.
12. Our approach to developing our IP regime is human-centric. We are working with stakeholders to refine our regime. For example:
a) The Singapore Academy of Law (“SAL”), supported by MinLaw and IPOS, organised industry and expert roundtables.
i. The feedback was broadly supportive of Singapore’s copyright framework which balances AI development with guardrails to protect rights-holders’ interests. It also raised suggestions for further consultation and refinement, which we will study.
b) Last year, IPOS also launched explainers to help the public and businesses understand how copyright laws address key GenAI issues.
13. We are monitoring international developments to remain competitive.
14. To take our work further, MinLaw and IPOS will conduct a public consultation later this year on potential refinements. This aims to engage broader perspectives and co-create our approach to AI-related IP issues.
Supporting Businesses through Effective Dispute Resolution
15. Next, I turn to dispute resolution.
16. Businesses need clear, reliable and impartial pathways to resolution – providing predictability and certainty in their relationships.
17. Singapore has long recognised this, and worked hard to be an international dispute resolution hub – as Honorable Members Mr Christopher de Souza and Mr Vikram Nair said.
18. Over the past decades, our ecosystem has deepened.
a) Our institutions refined their rules and procedures, expanded their international panels, and strengthened their case management capabilities.
b) Signature platforms such as the Singapore Convention Week reinforce our reputation as a global node.
19. This contributes to Singapore’s standing as a service centre and signals our openness for commerce.
20. However, the landscape is evolving and we must continue to innovate.
a) Technology is transforming dispute management, from virtual hearings to AI-assisted document review.
b) Our institutions have also deepened offerings in specialist areas.
Giving Power to the Law: Growing the Legal Industry
21. Reinforcing our frameworks and institutions is insufficient without looking at our people.
22. MinLaw is working with industry on three thrusts:
a) First, education and professionalisation – to deepen the strength of our legal industry;
b) Second, adoption of legaltech – to reduce repetitive, low-value tasks; and
c) Third, providing opportunities in emerging areas of work, such as the Environmental, Social, and Governance (“ESG”) sector.
Legal Education and Professionalisation
23. First, on legal education and professionalisation.
24. We have been implementing recommendations of the Reform of Legal Education Working Group since late 2024.
a) These better equip legal professionals for cross-border work with civil law partners.
b) In the professional sphere, SAL has published the national legal sector competency framework for disputes and corporate lawyers, and in-house counsel. By 2027, a framework and training roadmap for allied legal professionals will follow.
Harnessing Technology
25. Second, harnessing technology.
26. Honourable Members Mr Vikram Nair and Ms Cassandra Lee spoke on AI adoption.
27. MinLaw is committed to supporting our legal professionals adopting AI.
a) First, we are addressing the adoption barriers directly. Change management remains a challenge, especially for smaller Singapore Law Practices (“SLPs”), alongside cost.
i. We launched the pilot of the Legal Innovation and Future-Readiness Transformation (“LIFT”) initiative in June 2025 to support these firms to diagnose technology needs and implement tailored legaltech solutions.
ii. To date, seven SLPs have joined the pilot. Their experiences will guide how we will support the broader industry in 2027.
b) Second, we are ensuring responsible GenAI use – a point raised by Mr Nair.
i. We conducted a public consultation in September 2025 on the draft Guide for Using GenAI in the Legal Sector and received over 20 constructive responses.
ii. We will be publishing the Guide in the coming weeks.
c) On Ms Lee’s point about AI skills, we are also partnering IMDA to build AI fluency amongst our lawyers and in-house counsel through upskilling and training initiatives, together with professional bodies including SAL and the Singapore Corporate Counsel Association.
d) Third, we are creating more avenues for lawyers, including in-house counsel, to discover legaltech, through initiatives such as the LegalTech GoWhere, and the Singapore Open Legal Informatics Database (“SOLID”) with our partner, the Singapore Management University (“SMU”).
28. Besides assisting legal professionals, AI can transform the way our society interacts with the law. This has tremendous potential for good – provided it is harnessed responsibly, as Honourable Member Mr Nair mentioned.
a) Users ultimately remain responsible for how they use these tools and the attendant risks – knowing that the algorithms are incapable of weighing consequences or applying ethical reasoning in the way legal professionals do.
29. MinLaw will monitor these developments and raise public awareness on the responsible use of Gen AI tools in legal matters.
Emerging Areas of Legal Demand: ESG
30. My final point is on capturing opportunities in emerging areas of legal demand.
31. One example is ESG, which Ms Gho Sze Kee spoke on.
a) Sustainability is one of the paradoxes of the business world – even as it is one of the most important and consequential factors in business decisions, it is often overlooked or under-considered.
32. Being an emerging area, the Government is taking a targeted approach to build capability across the legal profession:
a) For firms with a dedicated ESG practice, we launched a pilot ESG-Legal Secondment Programme this year.
i. MinLaw co-funds secondments for lawyers into participating corporations, giving secondees exposure to ESG business contexts.
ii. The pilot began in February with a small initial cohort, and we will review its outcomes later this year.
Conclusion
33. Mr Chairman, I have spoken today about the importance of the law in giving value to ideas.
34. I want to end on the need to give power to law. In a world increasingly dominated by might, money and manipulation, it is vital for us to remember that it is the law that enables justice, reason and rightfulness to find strength and standing.
35. There are no shortcuts to give power to the law, but one unvarying path is to remember that law is inextricably tied up with the human condition. Even as I have spoken about the need for technology, I have spoken more about the need for people.
36. We must build and grow a profession with the skills, courage and moral instincts suited for our tumultuous times. The law underwrites both the private and the public sectors, but it is for, and in the people, that the law finds its surest power.
Last updated on 2 March 2026