Access to Justice Community Co-Lab

Bringing students together to co-create innovative solutions that addresses community needs in legal awareness.

Last updated on 6 October 2026

Introducing the 2026 Law Awareness Weeks theme: Access to Justice Community Co-Lab

What is Access to Justice Community Co-Lab?

The Access to Justice Community Co-Lab (Co-Lab) is a collaborative effort between: the People’s Association / Community Development Councils (CDCs), Pro Bono SG and three local Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) - National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore Management University (SMU) and Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS), to address legal issues through innovative community solutions. This initiative is supported by the Ministry of Law and is one of the key highlights of the SGLaw200 Bicentennial celebrations.

The Co-Lab will engage students from the above IHLs and invited schools/institutions to develop community-based solutions for legal access challenges.

Ready to make the Law accessible for all?

Do you have ideas to raise legal awareness and empower your community? Are you passionate about social good?

Join the Access to Justice Community Co-Lab where your creativity meets real-world impact.

The Mission

Team up and design practical solutions that help vulnerable individuals in Singapore understand and navigate their legal rights.

This is not just a competition; it is a chance to build something that matters.

How it works?

Form a team of at least 4.
Each team will be matched with a legal expert as a resource person.
Design and prototype your idea to raise legal awareness in the community.
Solutions need not be tech-based. Think outside the box: an app, a workshop, a community event, a visual guide, if it solves a real problem, we want to see it.

The problem you will solve

Justice starts with awareness. Many in our community face legal issues but do not know where to turn due to:

Awareness Gap: Vulnerable users often do not know where to start, or do not see their issue as legal.
Accessibility Gap: Systems assume literacy, digital access, and confidence in institutions, which vulnerable users may lack.
Eligibility Gap: Income thresholds or criteria for aid may exclude those just above the line but still unable to afford legal services.
Support Gap: Vulnerable users need more wraparound social and legal support than general users.

View examples of problem statements which are formulated based on community feedback here: https://go.gov.sg/a2jcommunitycolabproblemstatementegs (opens in new tab)

Why join?

Create Real Change: Your project will directly benefit the community.
Build Your Portfolio: Gain hands-on experience in design, prototyping, and social innovation.
Get Expert Mentorship: Collaborate with legal professionals and community partners.
Earn Service Hours: Law students can earn up to 10 hours of pro bono service hours (with up to an additional 10 hours for winning teams).
Develop Killer Skills: Master problem-framing, teamwork, pitching and solutioning.

Key dates

Teams have to participate in all the key milestones:

16 May 2026 | Briefing & Learning Journey
6 Jun 2026 | Check-in: Teams confirm their problem statement
4 Jul 2026 | Ideation Day and selection of winning teams Jul 2026 - Sep 2026 | Winning teams work on prototypes
3 Oct 2026 | Winning teams showcase their prototypes at LAW@CDC 2026

Judging Criteria

Relevance: Clearly addresses a legal awareness, accessibility, or support gap faced by vulnerable users. Demonstrates strong alignment with CDCs’ community priorities.
Innovation and Creativity: Introduces fresh approaches, ground-up solutions, or cross-sector collaboration.
Feasibility: Realistic prototype plan within available resources, timeline, and context. Potential for sustainability or scalability beyond the prototype phase.