school of l aw alumni newslet ter MARCH 2019 edition
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DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE
D ir ector’s me ssag e Dear Alumni We bring you another edition of our Alumni E-newsletter as we approach the end of the School of Law ‘Imagine Better Campaign’.
Dr Tan Seow Hon Associate Professor of Law Associate Dean (Student, Alumni and Staff Affairs) Director, Alumni Relations
As many of you know, the School of Law ‘Imagine Better’ Campaign is a fundraising campaign which seeks to start a culture of giving amongst our alumni. We appreciate that a number of you participated through donations made to our School of Law Impact Fund and our School of Law Student Fund, giving talks at various community outreach events, and joining us for the Alumni Appreciation Dinner during which we unveiled the Alumni Wall, on which we recognized those who gave $300 or more (unless you wished to remain anonymous). We also bring you a special feature in this newsletter on our #LawforAll project that was undertaken by students of the Law Outreach Club as part of this campaign.
As the campaign comes to a close at the end of March, I’d like also to thank my committee members and colleagues, Eunice Chua and Kenny Chng, and our manager in charge of alumni, Adrian Neo, for all their effort in this campaign. Thanks also to the team at the Office of Advancement for their support in advancing the School of Law. Having helped out in administering bursaries and study awards for our students as part of my portfolio as Associate Dean in charge of students, I have had the opportunity to better understand the financial needs of some of our individual students, and can attest to how your support will go a long way in helping them. For those of you who wish to give to help us reach the target of $100,000, please visit this link. Do pop by the third floor of the School of Law Building and take a look at the Alumni Wall when you next visit the school for a SMULA event, for coaching your juniors in moots, or just to say hi. We appreciate the interest that many of you continue to take in your alma mater, and are heartened by how you continue to volunteer at the school in many ways outside of the campaign. We hope that this culture of alumni involvement will continue even as you take on more and more responsibilities at your workplace and start your own families. Associate Prof (Dr) Tan Seow Hon
SOL Alumni Newsletter | March 2019
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CONTENT 2 director’s message 4 special feature: LAW FOR ALL 6 school news & EVENTS 14 faculty & staff 16 student news & Events 22 alumni news & Events »» Teddy Law & Lawraine sporting our new School of Law teeshirt designs. If you’d like to purchase a School of Law tee, please email adrianjneo@smu. edu.sg
News to share with us? Please drop us an email at: adrianjneo@smu.edu.sg
School of Law Newsletter Team: Adrian John Neo Assoc Prof Tan Seow Hon Assoc Prof Chen Siyuan Asst Prof Kenny Chng
SOL Alumni Newsletter | March 2019
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S P E C I A L F E AT U R E
LAW FOR ALL an interview by asst prof kenny chng We’re delighted to share with you an exclusive interview with Assistant Professor Eunice Chua and Faith Hwang Zi Xin, a Year 4 LLB student at the School of Law. Faith is the President of the SMU Law Outreach Club, and Eunice is their faculty advisor. Over the past year, Faith and Eunice have been spearheading the Law For All Project, one of the beneficiaries of the ongoing SMU School of Law Imagine Better fundraising campaign. Under the Law for All Project, SMU School of Law alumni and faculty members have given talks on various relevant topics at schools, social service centres and community centres, in an effort to bring the law to the wider public. For example, SMU alumnus Mark Lee spoke at Blessed Grace Social Services to an audience of approximately 100 people about the Protection From Harassment Act, and Associate Professor Lee Pey Woan spoke at Yong En Care Centre about wills and lasting powers of attorney. In this interview, Faith and Eunice (Front Row, Third and Second from Left) talk about their motivations and vision for the Law for All Project, and share some of their most memorable experiences.
I was motivated by a sense that this was an opportunity for the School of Law community to come together to serve the broader community with our knowledge of law and related skills ... I am heartened that the response we have received so far from our students, alumni and industry partners have proved me correct! SOL Alumni Newsletter | March 2019
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Could you describe the Law For All Project in a couple of sentences? Faith: Law for All is a community service and outreach project initiated by the SMU School of Law and helmed by the SMU Law Outreach Club (SLOC). It focuses on raising awareness of the law and educating the public about their legal rights through talks conducted by faculty, alumni and students. What was your motivation for embarking upon the Law For All Project, in a couple of sentences? Eunice: I was motivated by a sense that this was an opportunity for the School of Law community to come together to serve the broader community with our knowledge of the law and related skills. I was convinced there was a desire to serve and all we needed to do was to provide an avenue to connect volunteers with beneficiaries. I am heartened that the response that we have received so far from our students, alumni and industry partners has proved me correct! What’s the most memorable experience you had as you reached out to the community during the Law For All Project? Faith: At the Yong-En talk which I attended, it was heartening to see Associate Professor Lee Pey Woan and fellow SLOC members actively engaging the seniors. We chatted with them over lunch and joined them in their exercises. Overall, I had a great time immersing myself in their programme, and it was amazing to see that the seniors were very interested in learning about wills and lasting powers of attorney. Eunice: I have 2 memorable experiences to share and they are all from the activities we took part in together with our beneficiaries before the delivery of the legal talks. Some of them were unexpected but so wonderful. At Blessed Grace Social Services, there was a ritual to encourage attendees where they would share their story to the group and then go round on a ‘victory lap’, clapping the outstretched hands of fellow attendees and our volunteers as we cheered them on. At another talk to a group of seniors, we chatted over refreshments before doing simple exercises together to the tune of national day songs. These activities helped to build a valuable connection that made the delivery of the talk more effective. Has the Law For All Project shaped your perspective of legal education and lawyering in any way? And if so, how? Faith: Too often, we become so engrossed in studying the law that we forget why we are in law school in the first place - to acquire legal skills to help those in need. Through Law For All, I learnt that legal education need not simply be from law professors to law students. Instead, it invovles the wider community as well. The long-term goal of the project is for law students to learn from the practitioners and faculty giving the talks, and in turn become the ones to educate the public. We hope that through the project, we can foster a culture of compassion within the law school and the legal industry. Eunice: The project has made me even more positive about the willingness of lawyers to give back to the community and also opened my eyes to how empowering relevant legal knowledge and skills can be.
SOL Alumni Newsletter | March 2019
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SCHOOL NEWS
recent events at the school of l aw
INAUGURAL LAW FIRM MANAGEMENT SYMPOSIUM The School of Law hosted the inaugural Law Firm Management Symposium on 30 August 2018 for senior practitioners from the Singapore Bar and nearly all ASEAN jurisdictions. The event was graced by Permanent Secretary at MinLaw, Mr Ng How Yue. We were delighted to have Professor David Wilkins from Harvard Law School as the keynote speaker. Professor Wilkins was visiting the School of Law as this year’s Jones Day Professor of Commercial Law. Professor Wilkins gave a thought-provoking keynote speech in which he vividly described how and how much the landscape in which law firms work was changing, and offered suggestions on how law firms can cope with the demands and opportunities presented by innovation.This provided a natural link to the first panel session of the afternoon, kickstarted by Sophie Mathur (Linklaters), on how lawyers were embracing technology to become more efficient, price-effective, and innovative. The speakers on the second panel outlined practical tools for implementing change. The symposium closed with a session in which general counsel from HSBC, PayPal, and Honestbee shared their experiences and views of their companies’ relationships with law firms and the law firms’ embrace of change and innovation.The symposium was organised in collaboration with Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and benefitted from the financial support of Jones Day, which allowed Prof Wilkins to join us for the event.
SOL Alumni Newsletter | March 2019
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recent events at the school of l aw
JONES DAY LECTURE SERIES 2018 Jones Day Professor of Commercial Law, Professor David B Wilkins of Harvard Law School, gave an illuminating lecture on ‘Operationalising Innovation: The New Work of Legal Operations and the Future of Work in the Legal Profession’ on 31 August 2018. Mr Edwin Tong SC, Senior Minister of State for Law and Health, was the Guest-of-Honour. His Excellency Mahmoud Daifallah Hmoud, the Ambassador of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, also joined us for the lecture.
SOL Alumni Newsletter | March 2019
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SCHOOL NEWS
recent events at the school of l aw
CRIMINOLOGY SEMINAR ON EVIDENCE-BASED POLICY IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE In colaboration with the Ministry of Law, the SMU School of Law hosted Professor Nicola Padfield, Professor in Criminal and Penal Justice and Director, Cambridge Centre for Criminal Justice, University of Cambridge for a criminology seminar on 13 September 2018. During the seminar and subsequent Q&A panel session, Prof Padfield discussed the concept of ‘evidence-based policy’, with a focus on topics such as youth justice, rehabilitation and re-settlement, and parole, using recent case studies and policies regarding release from prison. SOL-SAL MOU - LIFTED The School of Law was delighted to sign an MOU on 22 September 2018 with the Singapore Academy of Law’s LIFTED programme to be a LIFTED partner. Under the MOU, LIFTED and the SMU Law Academy will collaborate, amongst other things, to mount training courses for legal professionals.
SOL Alumni Newsletter | March 2019
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recent events at the school of l aw
ICON-S: Constitutional interpretation in and outside the courts The ‘Constitutional Interpretation In and Outside the Courts’ workshop was held at the School of Law on 12 October 2018, with participants from Singapore Management University and National University of Singapore, legal practice, and the Attorney-General’s Chambers. Former Chief Justice Chan Sek Keong delivered a keynote speech, which was followed by four interactive panels. The workshop was organised in collaboration with the NUS Centre for Asian Legal Studies and was the inaugural event of ICON-S (Singapore), a country chapter of the International Society of Public Law (ICON-S). The ICON-S Singapore Chapter supports the work of the global ICON-S organisation and aims to promote intellectual exchange and cooperation among scholars, practioners, and those in the judiciary in Singapore with an interest in public law.
SOL Alumni Newsletter | March 2019
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SCHOOL NEWS
recent VISITS TO the school of l aw VISIT BY SIR GEOFFREY VOS The School of Law was delighted to host the Right Honourable Sir Geoffrey Vos, Chancellor of the High Court of England and Wales for a discussion with faculty on the future of the legal profession and legal education on 15 September 2018.
SchoOL of law HOSTS THEMIS CO-ORDINATORS’ MEETING The School of Law hosted the THEMIS Coordinators’ Meeting in Singapore for the first time. The THEMIS Exchange Network consists of 8 European universities and SMU School of Law. It provides students with, amongst other things, opportunities for international exchange at partner universities. During this meeting, the exchange partners welcomed a new addition to the network, Australian National University.
VISIT BY THE DEPUTY AG - MR HRI KUMAR NAIR SC The Deputy Attorney-General, Mr Hri Kumar Nair SC, addressed our students on, amongst other things, the office of the Attorney General and the exercise of prosecutorial discretion. The session was hosted by Assistant Professor Gary Low.
SOL Alumni Newsletter | March 2019
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CAIDG update s OFFICIAL LAUNCH OF THE CENTRE FOR AI & DATA GOVERNANCE The School of Law’s Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Data Governance (CAIDG) was officially launched on 24 September 2018. The centre aims to promote cutting-edge thinking and practices in AI, and data policies and regulations; which will enable Singapore to drive thought leadership on these issues and serve as a centre for knowledge exchange with experts worldwide. It will also adopt a global perspective and track international developments in its research areas.
research collaboration between element ai and caidg The School of Law is delighted to announce that Element AI and CAIDG will be embarking on a research collaboration in relevant areas on the governance of AI. Specifically, SMU will be responsible for carrying out the Singapore and ASEAN aspects of research while Element AI will focus on the North American aspects as well as leverage its global research network. Together, all parties will share information, tools and approaches in order to deliver issues and recommendation papers. The MOU was signed by Professor Steve Miller, Vice Provost (Research), in an event attended by Minister S Iswaran, Minister of Communications and Information, and Prime Minister of Canada, Mr Justin Trudeau.
SOL Alumni Newsletter | March 2019
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SCHOOL NEWS
pro bono centre update s pro bono centre’s first expert panel coffee series The School of Law’s Pro Bono Centre held its first Coffee Series on 24 August 2018 with an expert panel consisting of Justice Tan Siong Thye, Mr Tan Chong Huat, Mr Rajan Menon, Mr Benjamin Szeto, Mr Eduardo Ramos-Gomez, and Mr Lionel Tay. The session, which was attended by first year law students, was a fulfilling discussion, during which students shared their feedback on the compulsory pro bono service requirement and associated projects.
pro bono centre ROyal thai embassy visit Also in August, the School of Law’s Pro Bono Centre had the privilege to host the Royal Thai Embassy. The delegates included Mrs Kongkanok Kosallagoot Sukphantavorn (Judge of the Office of the President of the Supreme Court, Administrative Office of the Court of Justice), Mrs Kanchana Patarachoke (Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Director General, Department of International Organisations), and representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Justice, Office of the Attorney General, Court of Justice, Ministry of the Interior, Lawyers Council under the Royal Patronage, Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, Ministry of Labour, and Faculty of Law of Chulalongkorn University. During the discussion, Professor Rathna Koman, the then Pro Bono Centre Director, shared on the work of the Pro Bono Centre and the community it served, and students were invited to share their experiences on pro bono work.
SOL Alumni Newsletter | March 2019
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pro bono centre update s PRO BONO CENTRE COFFEE SERIES TALK with DR WINSLOW The School of Law’s Pro Bono Centre organised a Coffee Series Talk by Dr Winslow - a psychiatrist and Executive Director of Promises Healthcare. Dr Winslow has been practicing psychiatry since 1988 and is well-known for his work in addiction medicine and impulse control disorders. He was also responsible for setting up the Addiction Management Department at the Institute of Mental Health. Dr Winslow, who is accredited as a master addiction counsellor and clinical supervisor, shared his experiences in treating addiction. pro bono centre APPRECIATION LUNCH The Pro Bono Centre held an appreciation lunch for its industry partners, volunteer lawyers, alumni and students. Associate Professor Rathna Koman, the then-Director of the Pro Bono Centre, expressed her appreciation for everyone for their collaborative efforts and support in the past year in helping the Pro Bono Centre fulfil its mission of providing access to legal services for those in need, as well as giving our students the opportunity to appreciate the integration of academic work with professional practice. The School of Law would like to extend our heartfelt appreciation to Associate Professor Rathna Koman for her dedication and effort during her term as Director of the Pro Bono Centre.
SOL Alumni Newsletter | March 2019
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FA C U L T Y N E W S
RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS The following faculty were featured by the Office of Research and Tech Transfer in recent months. For further details and information on the research, please access the links through the synopses below. the law of the land Assistant Professor Alvin See discusses how understanding different jurisdictions handle complex land title disputes can yield important lessons for the future development of property law.
on the frontiers of free trade Learn about how a twist of fate set Associate Professor Pasha Hsieh on a career in international economic law, as he investigates how free trade agreements can spur progress in developing countries.
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR EUGENE TAN AWARDED INAUGURAL CCCS RESEARCH GRANT The Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore awarded the inaugural research grant to School of Law Associate Professor Eugene Tan Kheng Boon for a research project titled, ‘International Standards: Catalysts or Barrier for Innovative Entrepreneurship in Singapore?” Associate Professor Tan’s proposed research seeks to understand whether and how international standards, specifically those of the International Organisation for Standardization, can function as a catalyst or barrier to innovative entrepreneurship in Singapore.
SOL Alumni Newsletter | March 2019
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FACULT Y awards
The School of Law would like to congratulate Assistant Professor Alvin See for winning the University-level Excellent Teacher Award. At the same time, the school would also like to recognise faculty members for their dedicated commitment to teaching, personal and peer development, innovative instruction and enhancing the classroom experience for our students. This year’s recipients of the Dean’s Teaching Excellence Awards for Academic Year 2017-18 were: Professors David Smith, Gary Chan and Nadja Alexander; Associate Professors Adeline Chong, Yip Man, Maartje de Visser, Low Kee Yang and Assistant Professor Alvin See. Associate Professor Tan Seow Hon received the Most Outstanding Teacher award, while Mr Darius Chan received the Most Outstanding Adjunct award.
A WARM welc ome to our SOL FAMILY We warmly welcome Professor Chan Wing Cheong who joins us as Professor of Law , specialising in criminal law and family law, and as the new Director of the SMU Pro-Bono Centre.
We also welcome Alvin Chee, who joins the School of Law’s General Office as Manager in charge of the LLM Programme, replacing Siow Junhao who moves to CAIDG as Centre Manager.
SOL Alumni Newsletter | March 2019
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STUDENTS
l aw as calling lunch serie s This lunch series is sponsored by the faculty members of the School of Law, who hope to give our students an opportunity to be inspired by people who have persevered in doing good, to facilitate our students’ understanding of the role that the law and the profession play alongside other structures in society, and to help them see the “human” side of law.
In the first lunch series for 2019, former Senior Minister of State Professor Ho Peng Kee spoke to our students in a talk entitled ‘Living Life in Phases - Passion, Action and Compassion’. Students were treated to stories from Professor Ho’s life revolving around the theme of how one phase of life turned out to prepare one for the next, and were challenged to make the most of opportunities to grow.
In the other lunch series, Ms Amy Tung, Director of Legal Services Unit at the Ministry of Social and Family Development, and Ms Joyce Low, Senior State Counsel at the AttorneyGeneral’s Chambers, shared about their work in family justice and how the family justice system had developed to support the needs of the family to our students.
SOL Alumni Newsletter | March 2019
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get to know practice serie s The Get to Know Practice Series is a series of practice-oriented talks organised by the School of Law with the objective of acquainting students with different areas of legal practice.
For the first talk in the ‘Get to Know Practice Series’ for Academic Year 2018, we hosted Ms Jacqueline Chan, a partner at Milbank, Tweed, Hadley and McCloy, who spoke on the topic, ‘Life in Big Law, and What to Expect in Your First Years’.
In the second talk, we hosted Mr Chang Zi Qian, founder and CEO of legal tech start-up Intellex. Mr Chang engaged our students on the changing realities of legal practice and how emerging technologies shape market trends.
In the third talk of the series, we hosted Ms Serena Lim, founder and director of Bizibody Technology Pte Ltd and Litigation Edge Pte Ltd who spoke on ‘Tech Capabilities for Tomorrow’s Lawyers’; sharing how students could carve niches in law and technology.
For the fourth talk, we hosted Mr Jimmy Yim SC of Drew and Napier who shared about what attributes young lawyers need to have in order to adapt to the challenges faced in the profession and to succeed in the marathon of practice. SOL Alumni Newsletter | March 2019
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STUDENTS
UPDATES from the bar by the smu law society BACK TO SCHOOL welfare drive - SEPTEMBER 2018 To make returning to school for the new academic year more fun, The Bar organised a sweet treat for everyone at our roof top. School of Law students were treated to Gongcha bubble tea. Merely Ice-Cream was also on site to dole out delightful and (very much) needed scoops of ice cream to get us through the day and ease everyone back into the school routine. It was a great time for everyone to bond over sharing summer memories, lament about the new school semester, and encourage one another with lots of laughter!
PROFESSOR APPRECIATION WEEK - SEPTEMBER 2018 The annual highly-anticipated Professor Appreciation Week saw an outpouring of love and gratitude from the law school community to their professors in the form of handwritten letters and encouraging one another to vote for their favourite professors. Students would agree that law school can present countless difficulties and there will be times when one feels simply discouraged or doubtful during their journeys. However, the ones who re-ignite the passion in us to carry on or encourage in timely situations are often the professors who go beyind their duty. The Bar set up a booth in school and students were encouraged to pen thank you notes, or share great memories of their professors throughout the week, which were then later delivered to their recipients. Votes were then tabulated at the end of the week and various professors were conferred titles such as ‘Funniest Professor’, ‘Most Caring Professor’ and more! SOL Alumni Newsletter | March 2019
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UPDATES from the bar BAR DAY - OCTOBER 2018 The law school community celebrated the annual Bar Day, where various summer event committees were thanked for their hard work. The School of Law rooftop was transformed into a cosy buffet garden where students could enjoy delicious food from live stations.
END-of-semester welfare DRIVE - NOVEMBER 2018 With the kind sponsorship of Rajah and Tann, students enjoyed a whole host of scrumptious buffet food, Gongcha bubble tea, and a nostalgic dessert treat from an old-school ice-cream cart. For many, it was more than just the food that brought them together. It was the opportunity to mingle with one another, look back on how far they had come with one another’s help throughout the semester and enjoy one another’s company! It was the perfect way to encourage themselves and end the semester on a good note before gearing up for the upcoming study week and the final examinations.
SOL Alumni Newsletter | March 2019
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D IR ST UEDCETNOTRS’ S M E S S A G E
mooting news by asSOC prof chen siyuan These are the highlights of the various mooting and ADR competitions that our students and alumni took part in: CIArb/NSW Young Lawyers International Arbitration Moot: Nicholas Liu (LLB’15) and Tan Jun Hong (LLB’16) won the 10th CIArb/New South Wales Young Lawyers International Arbitration Moot. This was the first time SMU alumni were taking part in this competition for junior lawyers. In addition to their championship, Nicholas was named Best Advocate while Jun Hong received an Honourable Mention for Best Advocate. The final was judged by Justice Margaret Beazley, President of the NSWCA, Max Bonnell of White & Case, and Dominique Hogan-Doran SC of 5 Wentworth Chambers. LAWASIA Moot: Gerome Goh, Andrea Seet and Jayakumar Suryanarayanan represented SMU in the 13th edition of this moot, which was held in Siem Reap. 41 teams took part this year, with the top 14 competing in the international rounds. SMU eventually placed 2nd runner-up, with Gerome coming in 2nd runner-up for Best Oralist. With this result, SMU improved on its tournament-best record, with 4 championships, 3 second-place finishes, and 2 third-place finishes. The team was coached by Alexander Lee and Melissa Ng (both LLB’18). Nuremberg Moot: Chen Lixin, Lyndon Choo, Lim Joe Jee, Stephanie Sim, and Aaron Yoong represented SMU in the 4th edition of this moot, which saw a record 119 registered teams, with 59 selected to make the oral pleadings in Germany. Following preliminary rounds against Brazil and Ireland, the team was seeded first, a repeat of last year’s placement. The team then met and defeated India and NUS in the octofinal and quarterfinal respectively, before eventually placing 2nd runner-up. The Nuremberg Moot is now the world’s second largest international competition based on the International Criminal Court, and this result came about just a couple of months after SMU’s third championship in the Grand Slam competition of this field, the ICC Moot. With this result, SMU has now placed in the top-3 for international moots 64 times since the launch of its IM Programme in 2010. The team was coached by Sui Yi Siong (LLB’14) and Eugene Neo (LLB’16). In other Moots, Wong Yan Yee (LLB’17) and Alexander Lee (LLB’18) emerged 1st runner-up at the 8th Essex-SAL Moot while Darren Lim (LLB’18) emerged 1st runner up at the 3rd MLAS Moot. SOL Alumni Newsletter | March 2019
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mooting news Advocate Maximus Arbitration-Mediation Competition: The inaugural Advocate Maximus Competition was held in New Delhi and featured 24 teams that had to advocate in both an arbitration and mediation setting. The SMU team comprising Ang Teng Da, Chua Shu Ying, Chua Zhan Teng, Sherman Poon Yi Jie, and Thong Ying Xuan emerged 1st runner-up after five rounds of competition. They were coached by Dexter Leow, Darren Lim and Andy Yeo (All LLB’18). Consensual Dispute Resolution Competition: Audrey Koo Man Ling, Benedict Hoon Wei Yang, and Darren Lim represented SMU as a negotiation team in the 4th edition of this competition. They were one of 22 negotiation teams to be shortlisted based on their application video. After three preliminary rounds, the team progressed to the quarter and then semi-finals, eventually finishing at 2nd runner-up for negotiation. The team was coached by Yong Eng Wah.
ICC International Mediation Hong Kong: The first ever Asia edition of the ICC International Mediation Competition was held in Hong Kong. Juris Doctor students Chan Wei Ling and Tay Tze Choong represented SMU in a field of 16 universities from 8 jurisdications. They were awarded the prize for Best Mediation Advocacy Skills. Lim Shen-nen (LLB’17) co-coached the team with Assistant Professor Eunice Chua.
SAL Jus Debate: The inaugural SAL Jus Debate took place at the Supreme Court, with Dhiraj Chainani, Dominic Liew (LLB’18), and Keziah Simon representing SMU. The motion was whether Sir Stamford Raffles should have implemented the 1819 regulations, and the judging panel was presided by Justice Debbie Ong. SMU won the debate, and Dominic was named Best Speaker.
SOL Alumni Newsletter | March 2019
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ALUMNI
a lumni news LLB ALUMNI - joshua lim In this feature article, Joshua Lim (LLB & BBM’11) candidly shares about his experience at SMU, being in the pioneering cohort of the School of Law, and about his journey and lessons learnt in legal practice so far.
alumni events school of law alumni panel An alumni panel centred on the topic, “How to Make the Most of Your Law School Experience”, was organised in Week 1 for our first year students from the LLB and JD programmes. Alumni Ada Chong (LLB’15) and Lee Chia Ming (LLB’13), currently practising at Rajah and Tann Singapore and Dentons Rodyk & Davidson respectively, as well as our very own alumnus faculty Assistant Professor Kenny Chng shared candidly about their personal experiences and provided insights on how to better prepare for life as a law student and make the best out of a balanced and holistic student life.
SOL Alumni Newsletter | March 2019
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a lumni events annual mass call party The School of Law welcomed our LLB and JD alumni from the Class of 2017 for the Annual Mass Call Party on 1 September 2018. It was an evening of great company and catch-up time over a fancy photo-booth, as well as dining and wine under the stars with cohort mates and faculty at the School of Law’s Rooftop Terrace.
SOL Alumni Newsletter | March 2019
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D A ILR UEMCNTIO R ’ S M E S S A G E
a lumni events LLM student / alumni networking reception Our LLM Student/Alumni Networking Reception took place on 5 October 2018. Chaired by Deputy Dean Prof David Llewelyn, the panel featured leading practitioners who provided career advice and shared their first-hand experiences in international arbitration and litigation, as well as cross-border M&A and financial law.We are grateful to the panellists, Mr Christopher Chan (General Counsel & Head of Government Affairs, RedMart), Mr Simon Dunbar (Partner, King & Spalding LLP), Ms Luo Ling Ling, LLM’13 (Partner, RHTLaw Taylor Wessing LLP), Ms Elise Tan, JD’13 (Legal Counsel, Standard Chartered Bank), and Ms Gmeleen Tomboc (Associate, Sidley Austin LLP).
SOL Alumni Newsletter | March 2019
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a lumni events school of law ‘imagine better’ campaign appreciation dinner The School of Law held an appreciation dinner for its alumni and industry donors for their kind contributions in support of the school’s ‘Imagine Better’ fundraising campaign for the School of Law Impact and Student Funds. The night provided alumni from across cohorts an opportunity for a reunion of sorts and entertainment, featuring stand-up comedy by Devathas (LLB’14); an auction of items ranging from an elegant diamond pendant kindly donated by Nicole Oh (LLB’12) to a special sweet treat baked by the School of Law’s favourite chef - Assoc Prof Pearlie Koh. The event concluded with the unveiling of the SOL Alumni Donor Wall, which was set up to acknowledge the kind contributions of our alumni. Click here for more photos of the event. To view video highlights of the ‘Law For All’ Community Project, click here.
SOL Alumni Newsletter | March 2019
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school of l aw imagine bet ter campaign We are grateful to all our alumni for their support and generosity in giving during the School of Law’s ‘Imagine Better’ Campaign. Every donation in support of the School of Law Impact Fund and Student Fund will certainly go a long way in enabling the school to advance its educational, research and community service goals, and provide financial support to needy students. As promised at the start of the campaign, the alumni donors who give $300 or more who have their names inscribed on the Alumni Wall.
a da c hua
am ira n abi l a budi yano
chan ee li n
c h a n k a h y i n g a d e lyn
ch an w e i li ng chri sti ne je ssi e
chan wei wen franci s
c h ia che n w e i
ch iam z hi wen ni ck
chi n wan yew rachel
c h ng w e i yao k e nn y
ch on g bi ng ru sc ot t
chong yong ji e mat thew
chow zi en
ch ua ch eng yew
chua ji an zhi
c h ua w e i y ua n
de e pak mohan nagrani
devathas S
d eya s ha n k a r d ube y
die dre g race morgan
fi ona chew yan bei
f o ng l i n e l i z a b e t h
foo li chuan arlene
fu qui jun
jas on g a b r i e l c h ian g
jaspe r wong chun yi n
jo tay
SOL Alumni Newsletter | March 2019
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school of l aw im agine bet ter campaign j o l ie g i o u w
k e n n e t h lim chi shen
koh kai li ng, angeli ne
LEE CHIA MING
li yat h ay marcus
li m shu xi an euni ce
l im s ing yo n g
lim yon g e n joshua
loke ji a mi n rachel
lo ng j iz ho n g e n o ch
low h on g quan
low seow li ng
lo w tze h s hy i a n r u sse ll
loy suan m ao alwyn
lynn cheng
ma koto ho n g che n g
m oh am Ad z a ki bi n jumahri
muk chen yeen jonathan
na ng s u wa i
n g c on g ch un shane
ng li shan i ri s
ng p ei z he n c a ry n
n i qian
NICOLE OH
pa ng k e e p y i n g j o e y
poh h ui lin g cl ai re
pooN guokun ni chol as
s h AU n pe r e i r a
som e ra m indamar celedoni a
tam zhi yang
ta n j u n ho n g
tan jun h ua kenneth
tan xi ji ng aden
ta nG mu n b b i l l
tay k an g-rui dari us
teo hee ann mat thew
teo x ia n g z he n g
t e oh su fe rn kelly
tham keng yue gerald
th eo ng l i ha n
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*This list does not include those who requested anonymity and donations made after 11 March 2019.
FINAL CALL FOR DONATIONS As we head into our final month of the School of Law ‘Imagine Better’ Campaign, we’re heartened that donations from alumni, faculty and other donors stand at approximately $74,000. We’re just short of our target sum of $100,000 by $26,000 and hope that you, our alumni, can help us meet that goal by 31 March 2019. Alumni contributions have amounted to approximately $41,000 to date. To make a donation, please click here. We look forward to and appreciate your kind contributions and support! SOL Alumni Newsletter | March 2019
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*Information contained herein is accurate at time of production - 16 August 2018
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