About Decretum · Est. 2017
Independent Research for the Singapore Legal Market
We are a small, purpose-built bureau. Our work is limited to one sector and one question: what can structured research tell legal industry professionals that they cannot easily find elsewhere?
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How Decretum Came to Be
Decretum was established in 2017 by a small group of researchers and former legal operations professionals who noticed a gap in the information available to law firm management and in-house legal teams across Singapore. Strategic decisions were being made about staffing, technology and operational structure without much in the way of local, sector-specific data to draw on.
The founding premise was straightforward: if research on the legal industry in Singapore was produced carefully — with a clear methodology, consistent format and no commercial interest in the conclusions — it would be useful to the people working in and around that industry. The bureau was set up on that basis and has operated that way since.
Over the years the publication programme has grown to cover a wider range of topics, the subscriber base has expanded to include law firms of various sizes, corporate legal departments and industry associations, and the custom research offering has taken on more complex and multi-market questions. The founding principle has not changed.
Our Principles
What We Stand Behind
Editorial Independence
Decretum does not take sponsored research commissions that require a particular conclusion. Bulletin findings are determined by data, not by the preferences of any subscriber or funder.
Methodology First
Every bulletin carries a methodology note explaining the data collection approach, sample characteristics and any material limitations. Readers are expected to apply their own judgment.
Sector Depth Over Breadth
We cover one sector. That narrow focus allows the research team to build and maintain the relationships, data sets and contextual knowledge that make the bulletins worth reading.
Respondent Confidentiality
Primary data is always aggregated before publication. No organisation or individual is identified without explicit permission. This commitment underpins our access to candid responses.
Research Team
The Bureau's People
A small, experienced team focused entirely on the Singapore legal market.
Rachel Ng
Director of Research
Twelve years in legal industry research across Singapore and Hong Kong. Leads the bureau's publication programme and oversees all methodology design.
Suresh Balakrishnan
Senior Research Analyst
Background in quantitative research and legal operations consulting. Manages primary data collection and leads analysis on technology and operations bulletins.
Lim Tze Wei
Research Associate
Joined the bureau in 2022 following a postgraduate research programme at NUS. Focuses on people and talent market bulletins and survey design.
Bureau Standards
How We Maintain Research Quality
Structured Research Design
Each bulletin begins with a written research design document, reviewed internally before fieldwork starts. Scope, sample targets and analysis approach are agreed before any data is collected.
Data Privacy Standards
The bureau operates in accordance with the Personal Data Protection Act (Singapore). Survey participants are informed of how their data is used before contributing. Raw responses are not retained after analysis is complete.
Editorial Review Process
Every bulletin passes through a two-stage editorial review: once for analytical accuracy and once for factual claims against source material. Significant findings are sense-checked with at least one practitioner before publication.
Source Transparency
All secondary sources are cited. Where primary data is drawn from our own surveys or interviews, the methodology note describes the collection instrument and participant selection criteria.
Consistency Across Bulletins
We maintain internal coding guides so that comparable topics are measured the same way across different bulletin editions, supporting year-on-year analysis by subscribers who follow specific areas.
Subscriber Data Security
Subscriber and payment data is held on encrypted infrastructure. Bulletin files are distributed through access-controlled channels. Licences are monitored but not used for commercial data harvesting of any kind.
Bureau Context
Research on the Singapore Legal Industry
Singapore's legal market occupies a distinctive position in Asia. As both a regional headquarters location for multinational corporations and a centre for international dispute resolution and transactional work, the market draws on practitioners from across the region and sets compensation and operational benchmarks that influence decisions well beyond the city-state.
Despite that significance, the data available to those managing legal operations in Singapore has historically been patchy. Salary surveys from global providers have tended to aggregate Asia Pacific figures in ways that obscure local signals. Academic research on the legal market is infrequent. Anecdotal intelligence from networks is available but difficult to evaluate.
Decretum was founded to address that gap. The bureau focuses on collecting, structuring and publishing information that is specific to Singapore, methodologically transparent and formatted to be useful to working professionals rather than academic readers. The research programme covers the operational and economic dimensions of the market — staffing composition, fee structures, technology investment, training spend — where good data is scarce and decisions carry material consequences.
The subscriber community spans managing partners at international firms operating in Singapore, general counsel and legal operations directors at regional corporate headquarters, HR and talent acquisition leads with responsibility for legal functions, and industry associations tracking market conditions for their membership.
Next Step
Ready to Review the Research Programme?
Browse available bulletins or reach out to discuss a custom engagement. We respond to all enquiries within two business days.