Rajah & Tann, Dentons Rodyk top annual list of best law firms

But smaller player Regent Law leads categories of family law and criminal law

- K.C. Vijayan

When a law firm slashed its fees for handling uncontested divorces to $990 per case, from the market rate then of between $2,000 and $3,000, other firms cried foul. Undeterred, Regent Law pressed on with its game-changing move to increase access to justice and affordability for man-in-the-street clients.

Its efforts, which were hewn over a decade on word-of-mouth referrals and 24-hour service availability, have not gone unnoticed, with the firm clinching the top spot in the family law and criminal law categories in Singapore's Best Law Firms 2024 list.

The fourth annual survey to find Singapore's best 100 firms in 18 categories of legal practice saw those such as seven-lawyer Regent Law sharing the spotlight with heavyweights like Rajah & Tann and Dentons Rodyk.

Conducted from June 5 to July 31 by The Straits Times and Germanbased international research firm Statista, the survey drew more than 5,900 respondents, comprising lawyers and clients, including in-house counsel.

Topping the rankings overall, as it did last year, was Big Five firm Rajah & Tann, which was listed in 17 of the 18 categories and led eight of them. Dentons Rodyk was the only other firm listed in 17 categories, also a repeat of its performance last year. The 18th category was solely for foreign law firms operating offshore practices here.

Among the 18 categories, arbitration and dispute resolution (ADR) and company and commercial law were the two that drew the most recommendations, with each getting close to 1,400 participants. Rajah & Tann topped both categories.

Next were the categories of family law and criminal law, where Regent Law outdid both large firms and niche practices alike. Family law cases comprise just 30 per cent of its work, said firm director Mathew Kurian. Uncontested divorces make up some 70 per cent of the family law caseload, he added.