Socio-Legal Functions of the Legal Profession of the Republic of Singapore: Institutional Foundations and Mechanisms for the Implementation of Free Legal Aid

The article comprehensively analyzes the socio-legal functions of the Singapore Bar in the context of the public law nature of the institution and its transformation in the context of the digital revolution. The study examines the evolution of the institutional model from traditional forms of free legal aid to a hybrid, multi-level system combining government agencies (the Bureau of Legal Aid, the Office of Public Defenders, the Singapore Supreme Court Program – LASCO) and non-governmental institutions (Pro Bono SG). Special attention is paid to the constitutional foundations, the regulatory framework, the mechanism of implementation through the system of income criteria and the validity of claims (Means/Merits Test), as well as the strategic implementation of artificial intelligence technologies in the system of free legal aid with the participation of lawyers. The article analyzes the legal foundations of the integration of artificial intelligence into the system of free legal aid, its impact on the accessibility of justice and the preservation of the human factor in advocacy. The study reveals that the Singapore model, despite the lack of a constitutional guarantee of free legal aid, is a rational, highly structured system based on the principle of subsidiarity and providing a balanced approach to optimizing justice without compromising the quality of legal services for socially vulnerable groups.