The National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) will expand the scope of its Legal Assistance Panel (LAP) from 1 January 2026 to offer union members access to a broader range of legal support at exclusive rates. The enhanced LAP initiative will include new service areas, such as enforcement of judgments and orders; general advisory and general litigation matters (such as tortious claims, contractual claims; personal injury claims, defamation); and protection from harassment.
LAP was launched in early 2023 with panels covering complex employment matters, wills, estates, and probate matters; matrimonial and criminal matters; and general corporate and commercial matters. Since then, NTUC has observed increasing requests from our union leaders and members for legal support in areas beyond the original scope. Their requests for a wider range of personal legal needs reflect evolving lifestyles, work arrangements and family circumstances. In response, NTUC is broadening the initiative to ensure it is even more relevant and effective to meet the evolving needs of union members.
NTUC Assistant Secretary-General Patrick Tay said, “NTUC’s experience through LAP since early 2023 shows clearly that union members are turning to us for a wider spectrum of legal support as their needs and expectations evolve. We have also seen more than 700 union members utilise the LAP thus far. Notably, many are PMEs aged between 46 and 63, who are navigating complex issues both at work and at home. Looking forward, we are committed to helping union members with increasingly diverse needs and ensuring that they can access trusted, affordable legal guidance when they require it.”
Following our union leaders and members’ requests and feedback, NTUC will enhance the current scope of LAP to include three significant new service areas. These are Enforcement of Judgments and Orders, General Advisory and General Litigation, and Protection from Harassment. The expansion of LAP’s service areas would support union members across eight broad categories of legal issues over a wider and more complex range of matters.
For example, a key enhancement under LAP is the introduction of dedicated support for the enforcement of judgments and orders. This will benefit union members who need to enforce their orders from the Small Claims Tribunal or the Employment Claims Tribunal. The new General Advisory and General Litigation service area also widens the scope of general litigation matters considerably, covering matters that members would face, such as receiving a letter of demand or sending a letter of demand for their personal legal matters. Meanwhile, the new Protection from Harassment service area provides access to advice and representation for harassment-related issues.
Additionally, the existing LAP service areas have also been expanded. For example, for Criminal and Private Prosecution matters, the initiative now supports the filing of a Magistrate’s Complaint, offering union members a formal avenue to address grievances that may amount to criminal wrongdoing. Family matters have been expanded to include Maintenance Summons proceedings and enforcement of existing divorce and maintenance orders. Employment support has been updated in anticipation of the upcoming Workplace Fairness Act coming into effect in 2027. NTUC has actively supported this legislation to provide stronger worker protections, ensuring the LAP remains aligned with the latest legal and regulatory developments.
From 1 January 2026, union members can apply for the additional LAP service online via the NTUC website https://www.ntuc.org.sg/uportal/programmes/legal-assistance-panel, NTUC's affiliated unions and associations or NTUC Membership Services. Visit https://www.ntuc.org.sg/uportal/memberships/ntuc-membership for more information on NTUC Membership.
Annex A
