The Community Law Centre @ Tian De Temple brings Pro Bono SG's free legal services to the heart of Hougang. Pro Bono SG — the charity arm of the Law Society of Singapore — has pursued its vision of Justice For All since 2007, helping more than 150,000 people with legal awareness, guidance and representation. At this centre, that mission becomes personal: volunteers and staff help residents understand their rights and talk through legal problems without worrying about the cost. Support spans three broad areas — legal awareness through free resources and events, legal guidance through clinics held in person or virtually, and legal representation for certain criminal charges and civil cases, including family justice matters. Help extends well beyond the general public, with dedicated pathways for migrant workers, non-profit organisations and transnational families, and the LawGoWhere portal as a first-stop guide in a legal crisis. Everything is delivered with the support of more than 1,000 registered volunteers, backed by a charity recognised for transparency and community partnership.
When a legal problem lands on your doorstep — a letter you don't understand, a dispute you can't resolve, a court date you never expected — the cost of good advice is often the biggest barrier of all. The Community Law Centre @ Tian De Temple at 109 Hougang Ave 5 exists to remove that barrier. It is one of the community venues through which Pro Bono SG delivers free legal help, right in the heart of Hougang.
Pro Bono SG is the charity arm of the Law Society of Singapore: a registered charity with Institution of a Public Character status, and since 2022 the name under which Law Society Pro Bono Services carries its mission forward. Its vision is "Justice For All", and its mission is enabling access to justice for the vulnerable and disadvantaged through legal awareness, advice and advocacy. Since 2007 the organisation has helped more than 150,000 people with legal awareness, guidance and representation. In FY 24/25 alone it supported over 16,000 individuals and community organisations, drawing on a volunteer base of more than 1,000 registered volunteers.
The idea took shape in 2006, when the Law Society's Legal Aid Review Committee recommended a central office to administer pro bono work. In 2007 the Pro Bono Services Office was established, coordinating the Criminal Legal Aid Scheme, matching law firms to non-profits through Project Law Help, and launching the Community Legal Clinics that remain at the heart of the work today. In 2009 came the Ad Hoc Pro Bono Referral Scheme — now the Ad Hoc Pro Bono Scheme — for people who qualify for no other national legal aid scheme but are in exceptional need, along with the first of many publications, "Know the Law Now!".
Nearly two decades later, that office has grown into Pro Bono SG, renamed in 2022 to reflect the commitment of everyone in Singapore to doing good in the community.
There are three broad ways in. **Legal Awareness** comes first: free resources and events that help you understand the law and your rights before a problem grows, including the annual Law Awareness Weeks @ CDCs run with Singapore's five Community Development Councils.
**Legal Guidance** is the second door: legal consultation at clinics, held virtually or in person at venues like this Hougang centre. Help is not limited to any one group — clinics serve the general public, the migrant worker community through the Migrant Workers' Law Centre @ MWC, non-profit organisations, and transnational families.
**Legal Representation** is the third: being represented in court by Pro Bono SG's lawyers for certain criminal charges and civil cases, including family justice matters, subject to eligibility. And for anyone facing a legal crisis who needs basic information fast, the LawGoWhere portal is a first stop that points people towards holistic help.
Legal trouble is lonely, and beneficiaries often describe the same turning point: meeting a lawyer who listens. "I don't know whether I would win or lose the lawsuit, so I was very worried about it," recalled Su Su Mar, an Ad Hoc Pro Bono Scheme beneficiary. "When I met the lawyers, I was reassured and they gave me a lot of strength... I could trust and rely on them." A calm hour with someone who knows the law is precisely what these clinics are designed to provide.
The work has not gone unnoticed. Pro Bono SG received the Charity Transparency Award in 2022 and 2023, plus the Special Commendation Award for Risk Management in 2023. The People's Association has honoured it with Community Spirit Awards — including the Community Partnership Excellence Award in 2023 — for broadening residents' access to the law, and it has also received the MSF Community Cares Award and a Plaque of Appreciation from Hope Initiative Alliance for its migrant worker outreach.
Through the PBSG Academy, volunteer lawyers keep training too, from criminal defence skills in the CLAS Training Programme to community law topics such as family violence, adoption and guardianship, while courses for non-profits help community organisations navigate the law.
If you cannot afford a lawyer and are facing a legal problem, help in Hougang is closer than you think. And if you would like to help others, Pro Bono SG welcomes both donations and volunteers.