Family & employment counsel (category guide)

Do not crowdsource tenancy deposit fights on Facebook alone. Small Claims Tribunals only cover residential leases not exceeding two years, claims within published monetary limits, and respondents servable in Singapore — overseas landlords and back-to-back renewals are common Reddit failure modes. Inventory photos and itemised make-good quotes beat rhetoric; fair wear after multi-year stays is not an automatic full-flat repaint invoice. Consumer Lemon Law / CASE paths cover defective goods you bought, not landlord make-good disputes. A one-hour consult with a Singapore solicitor often clarifies leverage faster than a month of group-chat anxiety. For LTVP common-law affidavits and apostille sequencing, pair counsel with the notary / SAL pipeline rather than paying overseas character-based translation quotes first. For foreigner marriages under the Women’s Charter, Singapore divorce jurisdiction (citizen or 3-year residence), Hague / ICAA child-abduction risk, Personal Protection Orders and Expedited Orders when violence is present, and the myth that leaving Singapore or letting an LTVP expire dissolves the marriage, treat Reddit checklists as orientation only — domicile, passport control, pass dependency, respondent PPO duties, and foreign-law affidavits are solicitor work. Safety first: NAVH 1800-777-0000 and Protection Specialist Centres before immigration sequencing. Unpaid salary and levy kickbacks usually start at TADM; retrenchment benefit fights start from the contract and TAMEM norms then TADM/TAFEP — pass STVP clocks are a separate MOM cancel rail. EP training bonds and ‘pay remaining salary’ liquidated-damages clauses are contract interpretation fights (penalty vs genuine pre-estimate); Employment Act deduction limits and TADM still matter for final pay. Workplace injury claims usually start under WICA with MOM/insurer — counsel helps when causation is disputed or you elect common law instead. Workplace harassment starts at HR then TAFEP / police for PoHA threats — counsel helps when mediation fails, dismissal follows a report, or EFMA false-declaration risk is on the table. CPF nominations sit outside wills; LPA covers capacity while alive and AMD covers terminal extraordinary treatment — ask counsel to confirm your estate plan covers wills, CPF, LPA, and death-certificate / NEA / repatriation logistics with the embassy. Hospital weeks can surface custody and travel-consent edge cases — sibling care logistics are not a substitute for urgent solicitor advice when court orders exist.