After he was called to the Bar in Singapore, he practised with major local and international law firms, primarily as an advocate, in the fields of commercial litigation and arbitration, construction law and insolvency law. From 2006 to 2007, he served as a Judicial Commissioner of the Supreme Court. He was appointed Senior Counsel in 2008. In 2010, he was appointed the 6th Attorney-General of Singapore, a post he relinquished in 2012 shortly before his appointment as a Judge of Appeal. He was appointed to the Presidential Council for Minority Rights upon his appointment as Attorney-General in 2010 and was later appointed as its Chairman in 2012, upon his appointment as Chief Justice.

Between 2012 and 2020, Chief Justice Menon served on the Governing Board of the International Council for Commercial Arbitration, and he also served as a member of the International Chamber of Commerce Governing Body for Dispute Resolution Services from 2021 to March 2024.

As Minister for Law, Mr Tong drives policies and initiatives to uphold the rule of law, strengthen Singapore’s legal framework, and advance access to justice. He is also responsible for policies to enhance Singapore’s legal industry and contributing to a stable society and a vibrant economy. He also champions Singapore’s development as an international hub for legal services, dispute resolution, intellectual property, as well as restructuring and insolvency.

Before entering public service, Mr Tong spent his entire professional career at Allen & Gledhill LLP, one of Singapore’s largest law firms. He held concurrent leadership roles as Head of the Restructuring and Corporate Insolvency Department, Co-Head of the Litigation & Dispute Resolution Department, and member of the Executive Committee. Widely acknowledged to be a leading lawyer of the Singapore Bar, he was appointed Senior Counsel in 2015.

He was educated at St Joseph’s Institution and Raffles Junior College, before reading law at the National University of Singapore.