Pre-1867 Between the grant of the Second Charter of Justice in 1826 and the formation of the
Crown colony of the
Straits Settlements in 1867, the function of legal adviser to the government in Singapore was vested in various offices. From 1826 to 1855, it was the Recorder of the Prince of Wales Island, Malacca and Singapore; from 1855 to 1864, the Recorder of Singapore; and from 1864 to 1867, the Crown Counsel, Singapore.
1867–1942: Attorney-General of the Straits Settlements The office of Attorney-General was created on 1 April 1867, when
Sir Thomas Braddell was appointed as the first attorney-general of the Straits Settlements. He was based in Singapore while his solicitor-general, Daniel Logan, was based in Penang. presumably on 27 May 1942 when the civilian courts were re-opened by proclamation.
1945–1946: British Military Administration Following the
formal surrender of Japanese forces in Southeast Asia on 12 September 1945, the responsibility of rendering legal advice to the
British Military Administration of Malaya lay with its Chief Legal Officer. In 2026, during the Ministry of Law’s Committee of Supply debate, Workers’ Party MP Sylvia Lim described the constitutional process for appointing the Attorney-General as “thin” and called for greater transparency about how candidates are selected for the role. Law Minister Edwin Tong rebutted those claims, stating that the appointment process is neither thin nor perfunctory and involves consultation with the Chief Justice, the chairman of the Public Service Commission, and the Council of Presidential Advisers before the Prime Minister advises the President, and arguing that making such deliberations public could politicise the office. Prior to his appointment, Wong had been the personal lawyer of Prime Minister
Lee Hsien Loong; in that capacity, he advised Lee on issues relating to the will of his father
Lee Kuan Yew. ==List of officeholders (1867–1965)==