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50 Years of Legal Education in Singapore

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50 Years of Legal Education in Singapore VOL. 06 ISSUE 01 JAN - JUN 2007 ISSN: 0219-6441 LawLinkThe Alumni Magazine of the National University of Singapore Faculty of Law Interview with DPM Professor S. JAYAKUMAR ‘63 aLAWmnus Feature: 2nd Solicitor-General Professor Walter Woon ‘81 New Advisory Board 50 Years of Legal Education in Singapore A word from the Editor CONTENTS Dean’s Message 1 Back to the Future Donors’ List 2 3 e are back at BTC! - Bukit Timah Campus, where it all began. Teaching for New Advisory Board the LLB degree first started here in September 1957. Forty two full-time students were admitted. Fast forward to September 2007. Thousands of Law School Highlights: W Celebrating 50 Years of Legal law students have been taught. Thousands of law graduates are proud to associate themselves with NUS Law School as their alma mater. We have now reached a Education in Singapore 4 landmark milestone to celebrate 50 years of legal education in Singapore. HKU-NUS Symposium on the Common Law in the Asian Century 6 In this issue of LawLink, we introduce our Advisory Board, chaired by Professor Tommy Koh ’61, and comprising prominent names in the law fraternity. They will Public Lecture by Kevin Tan ’86 on the advise the Dean of Law and the NUS Vice Chancellor on the direction of the Law Grande Dame of Singapore Education: School and will act as a liaison between NUS and the legal profession. A Brief History of Bukit Timah Campus 10 Our New Bukit Timah Home We are indeed honoured to feature two of our most distinguished alumni, Deputy 12 Prime Minister Professor S. Jayakumar ’63 and 2nd Solicitor-General Professor Visit of Chief Justice Chan Sek Keong Walter Woon ’81. I was touched by the warm sentiments they have for the Law ’61 and Judge of Appeal Andrew School as they spoke freely about their happy undergraduate days. Both returned Phang ’82 – Dialogue Session with the upon graduation to join the Faculty to “give back” to their alma mater. They made Law School Community 15 a difference. Symposium on Terrorism and the Rule of Law: Legal Theory in Times of Crisis 16 We have a host of events, which started from October 2006, lined up to celebrate 50 years of legal education in Singapore. This issue of LawLink reports on some of Inaugural Professorial Lecture the talks and activities. The social calendar will culminate in the Gala Dinner to be by Professor M. Sornarajah – held on Saturday 1 September 2007 at the Shangri-La Hotel. It would be a great Globalisation of Singapore Law 17 opportunity to catch up with friends and peers whom we have not met for oh too 2nd Professorial Lecture by Dean long! Do watch for updates in our website: law.nus.edu.sg/alumni. Professor Tan Cheng Han ‘87 – What Next After 50 Years of Legal Education During this exciting year for our NUS Law School, I find myself in the pleasant in Singapore 17 role of handling Alumni Relations. It is my sincere wish to reach out to as many law alumni as I possibly can. I am one of you. So, if you know of classmates or law Law School Highlights friends who have not received LawLink or our invitations to visit the new campus, perhaps it is because their current contact details have not been updated in our Law IV Production and Fundraising Effort – And I Choose 21 database. Please do us the favour and ask them to call us or update their particulars at: www.law.nus.edu.sg/alumni/update_particulars.asp. Sultan of Johor Recognised for Bilateral Relations 27 This will be the only issue of LawLink to be produced in 2007. In the later part of the year, a commemorative book to mark the 50th anniversary celebrations will Report on Asian Law Schools be published. Association Moot 32 NUS-WTO Regional Trade Policy Course 33 I would like to thank my colleague Goh Mia Yang ’92, Assistant Dean, who did much of the groundwork aLAWmnus Features for this issue and held the fort for Alumni Relations prior to my arrival on the job, Kevin Tan ’86 for his Cover Story good advice drawn from his publishing experience, DPM Professor Jayakumar ‘63 18 the team of writers and contributors who are Professor Walter Woon ‘81, 2nd SG 8 acknowledged in their respective articles and Celestine Chan, Management Support Officer, Class Reunions Alumni Relations, for her keen interest in photography. Class of 1981 7 Class of 1986 24 Warmest thanks as well to our alumni who have supported us over the years. Faculty Features Happy reading! Professor Stanley Yeo ‘76 26 ’85 Professor Andrew Perry Simester 26 Editor Professor M. Sornarajah 27 Associate Director Alumni Relations & Development Faculty Update Visiting Professors 28 LawLink - NUS Faculty of Law Young Alumni Welcoming the Class of ’06 to the 469G Bukit Timah Road Eu Tong Sen Building Singapore 259776 Law School Alumni 22 website : www.law.nus.edu.sg/alumni Samuel Lim ‘08 shares his Exchange We want to hear from you, contact us at: Experience in Copenhagen 34 email : [email protected] • tel : (65) 6516 3616 • fax : (65) 6779 0979 ClassAction 35 Update your personal particulars at: www.law.nus.edu.sg/alumni/update_particulars.asp Photography by Ong Peng Kiat and Celestine Chan. Design & Production by Brownsea Services (S) Pte Ltd [ Dean’s Message ] Dean’s Message The Department of Law of the then such as Canada, England, Germany, As we celebrate 50 years of excellence in University of Singapore began in 1956 Nigeria, Peru, Switzerland and the legal scholarship, I want to pay tribute when Professor Lee Sheridan arrived in United States. to the many present and past colleagues Singapore to take up appointment at of mine who have collectively made this the Department. The first classes began I am also struck by how many requests institution what she is today. a year later in September 1957 with I receive from other law schools for an intake of 42 full-time students that some form of collaboration with the Many past Deans such as Lee Sheridan, included Chief Justice Chan Sek Keong Faculty. Many of these requests are the late Geoffrey Bartholomew, ’61, former Dean and Ambassador- from good law schools that we would Thio Su Mien ’61, Tommy Koh ’61, at-Large Professor Tommy Koh ’61, be proud to have a closer relationship S. Jayakumar ’63, Tan Sook Yee, Tan Lee former Dean Dr Thio Su Mien ’61, with. Unfortunately, I often have to Meng ’89, and Chin Tet Yung (to name and Professor Koh Kheng Lian ’61. 50 say to them that we are a law school only some of them) have progressively years later in 2006, the now Faculty with only around 50 full-time academic brought the Law School to new heights. of Law of the National University of faculty, that we have obligations to They did not labour alone but had the Singapore has moved back to the Bukit our students, the wider legal fraternity support of many dedicated faculty Timah campus where she began her and government ministries, and there members such as Koh Kheng Lian ’61, existence in 1956. And now in 2007, is therefore a limit to the number of Tan Keng Feng ’71, Walter Woon ’81, the Law School celebrates the 50th collaborations that we can engage Kim Seah, Phiroze Irani, Peter Ellinger, anniversary of the beginning of formal in. Amongst our more important Andrew Phang ’82, David Chong ’84, legal education in Singapore. international collaborations are our George Wei, Robert Beckman, Leong joint Master of Laws programme Wai Kum, Lye Lin Heng ’73 and so Over the first 50 years of her history, in Shanghai with the East China many others too numerous to name. the Faculty of Law has come a long University of Politics and Law, our dual way. Today, she is widely regarded Master of Laws programme with NYU, Following upon this tradition, my as Asia’s leading law school and one our management role within the Asian colleagues today extend to me their of the most globally oriented law Law Institute and the Asian Society generous support for which I am schools internationally. Each year, the of International Law, our partnership extremely grateful, especially given the number of applications received for the with the WTO to provide training to fact that legal education is undergoing Faculty’s Bachelor of Laws and graduate government officials from the region, a paradigm shift and becoming much programmes far exceed the number our agreement with Microsoft for more globally oriented. of places available. The Faculty’s capacity building in Intellectual Property international reputation is such that in South-East Asia, not to mention the Also, even as we celebrate this milestone the foreign students admitted to her many international conferences we and have much to be proud of, we graduate programmes now constitute organise in collaboration with other will continue to face challenges. Some around 85% of the total enrolment. leading law schools. Believe me, there challenges can be clearly seen, others Usually more than 20 nationalities are is a great deal going on that keeps my are less clear, and no doubt there are represented, mainly from China, India colleagues and I very busy throughout still others that we are unaware of. and Indonesia, but also from countries the year. For us to continue to remain a leading LawLink 1 [ Dean’s Message ] law school, the formula of the past will facilitate good teaching scale new heights without the will continue to serve us well even if and research.
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