Can you conduct a Civil claim on your own without a lawyer?

by | Feb 4, 2024 | Media

Can you conduct a Civil Litigation Case without a lawyer in Singapore?

A litigant in the Civil case (except for Small Claim Tribunal proceedings) can appoint a lawyer to represent him or conduct his own case, i.e. act in person.

However, a company can only start or defend the Civil case through a lawyer. In Small Claims Tribunal proceedings, lawyers are not allowed to represent the parties. A company should send an employee as a representative to attend the proceedings.

It is important to know that litigants in person expected to comply with the Court’s rules and procedures according to the same standard of preparation and conduct required of lawyers. They must follow all relevant laws and procedures in the conduct of the case. This is probably why you should engage a lawyer to represent you if you don’t feel that you’ll be able to understand and comply with all the Court’s rules and procedures. If you are a litigant and cannot afford to appoint a lawyer, you should approach the Legal Aid Bureau to find out if you can qualify for assistance.

So there you have it, some basic information on conducting a Civil claim on your own without a lawyer.

Need to engage an experienced litigation lawyer in Singapore? Claim your free 30-minute consultation with The Singapore Lawyer today. Alternatively, we provide legal advice via WhatsApp. Call us at +65 8886 0278 and we’ll contact you to discuss your case.

About the author

About the author

Jonathan Wong

Jonathan is the Founder and Managing Director of Tembusu Law. He is also the founder of LawGuide Singapore, a prominent legaltech startup which successfully created and launched Singapore’s first legal chatbot in 2017.