VISITING ACADEMIC SERIES 2015 2ND QUARTER

This is the latest issue of our Visiting Academics Series which features commentaries from our Visiting Academics Professor Yeo Tiong Min, S.C. (Hon) and Associate Professor Goh Yihan.

The first article, “The Hague Convention on Choice of Court Agreements 2005 (“HCCCA”): Implications for Contract Drafting”, by Professor Yeo Tiong Min, SC (Hon) will examine some of the important practical consequences of the HCCCA for lawyers involved in the drafting of cross-border contracts. Singapore signed the HCCCA on 25 March 2015. Although the HCCCA is not yet law in Singapore, it is widely anticipated to be ratified by Singapore very soon as it is seen as a key strategy to support the Singapore International Commercial Court which was established in January 2015.

The second article, “Recent Court of Appeal Decisions on Contract Law”, by Associate Professor Goh Yihan highlights three important Singapore Court of Appeal decisions on contract law. These decisions touch on aspects of exclusion clauses, the 'reasonable endeavours' clause, and misrepresentation.

About the Visiting Academics Programme

The Visiting Academics Programme is an initiative of Rajah & Tann Singapore LLP to foster a deeper relationship between academia and practice. Our Visiting Academics conduct regular internal talks to keep our firm’s lawyers and clients abreast of key legal developments in Singapore and the region.

Professor Yeo Tiong Min, SC (Hon)

Professor Yeo Tiong Min, SC (Hon) obtained his LLB from the National University of Singapore where he taught for 17 years. He obtained his post-graduate degrees (BCL and DPhil) from the University of Oxford, where he was a Senior Research Fellow for a time. He was appointed as the first Yong Pung How Professor of Law at the Singapore Management University in 2007, and as the Dean of the School of Law in 2012. His research interests are mainly in private law, with a large concentration on the conflict of laws, and include contract law, the law of restitution, equity and remedies. His published works have been widely cited in many jurisdictions by academics and courts. He was conferred the Singapore Law Merit Award by the Singapore Academy of Law in 2008 for his contributions to the development of Singapore law. He was awarded the Public Service Medal in 2011 for his services to the Singapore Academy of Law. He is a board member and Professorial Fellow at the Singapore Institute of Legal Education. In 2012, he became the first person in Singapore to be appointed Senior Counsel (honoris causa) for outstanding contributions to the development of the law and the legal profession in Singapore.

Associate Professor Goh Yihan

Associate Professor Goh Yihan is an Associate Professor at the School of Law, Singapore Management University. Assoc Prof Goh holds a LLB (Hons) (First Class) from the National University of Singapore and a LLM from Harvard University. He joined the Singapore Legal Service after graduation, and served two years at the Supreme Court of Singapore as a Justices' Law Clerk and, later, concurrently as Senior Justices' Law Clerk and Assistant Registrar.

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