The criminal bench
For arrests, charges, pleas, trials and sentencing.
Singapore criminal and family cases
Seven advisors. One case. A verdict you can take to a lawyer.
SG Bench Room puts your situation in front of a council drawn from the roles of Singapore's courts. They argue it out from every side, then one of them delivers the council's verdict in plain English.
The criminal bench, in session
What it is
A rehearsal room for the hardest conversations in law
When you face a charge, a divorce or a family dispute, the first questions are often the hardest to ask. Should I plead guilty? Should we settle first? What will the other side say?
SG Bench Room lets you hear those questions argued before you sit across from a lawyer. A judge, a prosecutor, defence counsel, an investigating officer and others each look at your case from their own seat in the system. They disagree, change their minds for good reasons, and vote.
You leave with a clear verdict, the risks the council saw, and a short list of things to check with a qualified Singapore lawyer.
How a council works
From your question to the council's verdict in about a minute
- Step 1
Put your case
Choose criminal or family. Describe what happened and ask one question. Leave out names and anything that identifies anyone.
- Step 2
Opening positions
Each of the seven advisors takes a position: proceed, amend or hold, with a confidence score from 1 to 10.
- Step 3
The debate
Advisors answer each other's points directly. Positions move only when the argument earns it, and every vote is recorded.
- Step 4
One voice for the council
The council chooses a spokesperson from the majority, who drafts and delivers the verdict on everyone's behalf. Any dissent is noted.
Afterwards you can read the reasons, replay the whole council, or download the verdict as a PDF to bring to your lawyer.
Who sits on the council
Two benches, each built from real roles in the courts
Every advisor is a fictional character standing for a role, not a real person. Each argues from the public principles that role works by.
The family bench
For divorce, children, maintenance, assets and protection from family violence.
How it stays honest
Grounded in Singapore law, open about what it does not know
Singapore law and practice
The council reasons from the statutes and court processes of Singapore, including the State Courts and the Family Justice Courts.
No invented authorities
Advisors are told never to make up case names, section numbers, penalties or statistics. When a point needs checking, the verdict says so.
No real people
No advisor names, quotes or imitates any real judge, lawyer, prosecutor or police officer.
Penal Code 1871Criminal Procedure Code 2010Women's Charter 1961Family Justice Act 2014
Use it well
What SG Bench Room is for, and what it is not
Good for
- Preparing your questions before you meet a lawyer.
- Understanding what happens at each stage, such as a first court mention or a divorce on the simplified track.
- Seeing a decision from the other side's point of view.
- Students and members of the public learning how the courts think.
Not
- Legal advice. A verdict here creates no lawyer and client relationship.
- A prediction of what a real court or prosecutor will do.
- A replacement for a qualified Singapore lawyer, especially when a deadline or court date is close.
- The place for emergencies. If you are in danger, call the police on 999.
Your information
What happens to what you type
- Council cases are sent to Anthropic's Claude model to run the debate and are not stored by us. Your browser keeps your last council on your own device.
- Enquiries you send through "Need a lawyer? Contact us" are kept so our team can reply to you.
- Details are in our privacy notice.
Facing a real case?
Run a council to get your thoughts in order, then talk to someone who can act for you.
- Public Defender's Office criminal defence aid for those with limited means
- Legal Aid Bureau and other help civil and family matters
- Singapore Courts: charged with a crime
- Singapore Courts: divorce