Singapore Management University School of Law Commencement 2011 29 July 2011
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Singapore Management University School of Law Commencement 2011 29 July 2011 Keynote Address by Chief Justice Chan Sek Keong Minister for Education, Mr. Heng Swee Keat, Chancellor, Mr. Yong Pung How, Chairman, SMU Board of Trustees, Mr. Ho Kwon Ping, President, Professor Arnoud De Meyer, The Class of 2011, Parents, guests, ladies and gentlemen, Good morning. 1 It is a privilege to be here this morning to witness the 8th Commencement Ceremony of the Singapore Management University for the conferment of LLB degrees (106 graduands) and JD degrees (17 graduands) on the first batch of law students to graduate from the SMU School of Law. 2 It is also a pleasure for me to speak to the law graduating class of 2011 at this historic event. I wish to thank the SMU for giving me the opportunity to do so. Today’s commencement for the law class is a historic event, history being a remembrance of events past. So, it will be remembered as such in the future as the law school and university climb to greater heights. 3 Today’s event brings my mind back to an equally significant ceremony (at least to me) 50 years ago when I was among the pioneering graduating class of 22 law students of the first law school in 1 Singapore. So, you and I share something in common, and in years to come, you will come to treasure this event and its historical significance. Today will always be remembered in the history of legal education in Singapore as the day the SMU proudly presented to Singapore – and to the world – its first law graduates. 4 The SMU Law School has much to be proud of – not least in its mission to produce law graduates with contextualised legal expertise and an exposure and understanding across disciplines and geographical boundaries. For the first batch of law students, today marks the first milestone of accomplishment. You have undergone a balanced but innovative legal education overseen by a star-studded Advisory Board. You would have also reaped the benefits of a broad- based, multi-disciplinary education that is the hallmark of a SMU education. We can see the first fruits of your promise even before you have entered the workforce. SMU law students have already distinguished themselves in national and international mooting competitions and exchange programmes. 5 The legal landscape today is vastly different – it is far more vibrant, competitive and therefore more challenging to newcomers. You will be entering a profession that will be providing legal services to a vibrant Asia whose combined economies will, in the next 20 years, eclipse the major economies of today’s world. Singapore’s role as an Asian legal services hub will provide tremendous opportunities for young lawyers. This is indeed a sea change compared to when I started law practice 50 years ago, when Singapore’s largest law firm had only about 20 lawyers – the king of law practice then was litigation (civil and criminal); conveyancing was the queen; the other areas were merely pawns, and corporate practice, as we know it today, had not even emerged. 2 6 You will also be entering the legal profession with a lot of goodwill from the Bar. In contrast, when the first law school was established in 1956, the Bar Committee voiced its concern that there would be too many lawyers in Singapore. When I graduated in 1961, I had to do my pupilage in Kuala Lumpur. Today, many of you were green-harvested in your third year of studies, and the rest of you have been offered training contracts and prospective employment. Public expectations of your future role in the legal profession are high. You cannot ask for a better and warmer reception into a new and exciting phase of your life. 7 Now, I move from the promise to the reality of law practice. Learning the law is a bit like living in Plato’s cave. You learn a lot of law from textbooks, lectures, tutorials and mooting, all involving the exposition or clarification of legal principles. It is a world of concepts, principles, rules and ideas discussed or dissected in set factual or legal matrices. But while such learning and knowledge are necessary foundations, they are shadows of real life. Law practice is a world of action – of dynamic interaction with clients, lawyers, regulators and the courts – where any advice you give, any document you draw up, any decision you make, and any action you take, will have real life consequences for your client and yourself. You no longer have the comfort of sitting in a classroom merely arguing about what the law is or should be, without real consequences, except perhaps that of failing your examination. 8 Another reality – gone are the days when a young lawyer can acquire public recognition in the first decade of his law practice. The demands of practice are exacting and long hours are the norm. Repetitive work will sap your drive and tedium may set in. So, treat the first five years as a practice run, and try to enjoy it as a prelude to 3 better things to come. Ask the artist who has toiled over his masterpiece and he will say that each moment spent was joy and well worth it. To complete the race, you need to find meaning in reaching the finishing line otherwise you would have been running for nothing. So, I encourage you to at all times strive for meaning in your legal career, in service to the community and in your life. 9 Examine your motives honestly from time to time, and ask what you are in the law for. The law is a noble profession, but the law can be used ignobly. As no society is or can be perfect or perfectly just – there will always be injustices to right and rights to defend and protect. Lawyers serve society best as hounds of justice and shields against injustices, as promoters and defenders of the rule of law. The nobility of the calling of lawyers, whether your career is in the public or private sector, lies in fulfilling this role. 10 Now, some of you may go abroad to further study or to practise law. You will then discover that each legal system is shaped by its history and culture. Singapore’s legal system reflects a delicate, stress-tested balance of our multicultural and multi-religious society. We have a rich multicultural heritage of ethical, moral and social values from very old civilisations, overlaid with a layer of Western intellectual and scientific ideas which have enabled Singapore to adapt and benefit from the modern world without losing our roots. Singapore is one of the most wired nations in the world, but, as you know, the Internet has created a veritable Tower of Babel. Our challenge is to retain what has worked for us and remain adaptive of what is good to come. Singapore today is a successful state because we kept faith with our shared values, adapted to changing conditions and pursued the good of all Singaporeans. 4 11 I would now address the other participants in this morning’s ceremony which will also see the conferment of CIRCLE awards1 on 12 worthy recipients from SMU’s 6 schools, and also the conferment of degrees on 20 graduands from 5 schools, namely, Accountancy, Business, Economics, Information Systems and Social Sciences. 12 To all of you, graduands and recipients, and most importantly your parents, I offer my sincere congratulations for your success, and also wish that you will realise your aspirations. With your SMU education and CIRCLE qualities to guide you, you have the foundations to succeed in whatever you do. 13 In closing, I ask you to always remember that, whatever road you may take, you will be among those whom Singapore needs most for its future progress and prosperity. You have received the best foundational values from the SMU for this long journey. Your success will make a difference to the future of Singapore, as it will form part of Singapore’s success. Times are changing in Singapore faster than we may have realised or expected. More than ever, we need graduands like you to lead Singapore to a better future in the uncertain times ahead. So, do not fail us and our future generation. Godspeed, and thank you. 1 The acronym stands for Commitment, Integrity, Responsibility, Collegiality, Leadership and Excellence. 5 .