Institutes & Centres
Highlights
Justice Judith Prakash is lauded for her trailblazing path in the legal field, paving the way for aspiring female lawyers to build their careers in the judiciary. She is Singapore’s first female Judge of Appeal, having been appointed in 2016. Prior to that, she was appointed to the Supreme Court Bench as Judicial Commissioner in 1992 and became a High Court Judge three years later. She is also a renowned expert in commercial law; her role in the enactment of the International Arbitration Act 1994 helped establish Singapore as a global arbitration hub.
As we celebrate the students who did well in Academic Year 2023/2024, Dean Andrew Simester encouraged the students to look beyond grades, even as he commended them for their academic performance. At the annual ceremony which took place on 26 September this year, close to 100 students were placed on the Dean’s List, with another 26 awards given out. Congratulations to all!
Leaving behind a successful and comfortable career at a leading law firm, Sean Douglas Tseng ’13 has dedicated himself to tackling the climate crisis. From climate litigation to advancing ESG initiatives, research and education, Sean shares his challenges and his deep passion for making a difference. He believes that everyone has a part to play and the time to take action is now.
A longtime volunteer for helping the underprivileged, Cai Chengying saw first-hand how accessibility to law has remained a prevalent issue––and oversaw the setup of the first Community Law Centre at Tian De Temple in 2023. The Head of Strategy and Impact Evaluation at Pro Bono SG takes us through her student days at Bukit Timah Campus, discusses the importance of a holistic approach in pro bono work, and explains why the mandatory pro bono hours for aspiring lawyers is crucial in helping them see the power of community.
Multiplying his blessings to the Malay/Muslim community, Zamiq Azmeer bin Borhanudin ’18 harnesses his legal expertise to empower the underprivileged. His pro bono journey began at NUS Law, shaping his belief that being a lawyer goes beyond legal knowledge – it’s about using the law for the greater good.
On 23 September, NUS Law Emeritus Professor M. Sornarajah delivered an engaging lecture on Resistance and Change in International Investment Law: The Validity of a Theory of Change in International Law, at the Wee Chong Jin Moot Court, with members of the audience taking a keen interest in exploring his perspectives on themes such as the articulation of rules by hegemonic powers.
On 29 August, Professor David Schneiderman delivered a lecture titled “Of Constitutional Interest? Comparative Constitutional Encounters with International Investment Law”. Consider: How have apex courts responded to shrinking policy space as a result of global treaties that protect the contract, property, and due process rights of foreign investors? The lecture catalogued how some apex courts have responded to these challenges, concluding with an argument about why courts are duty bound to closely scrutinise treaties for constitutional compatibility.
In the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, the international community declared outer space to be “the province of all mankind”, but the preoccupation was with exploration. Professor David Tan weighs in on how the issues of pollution in outer space today are even more complex than that on Earth with real implications on our lives, while underscoring the idea that geopolitical tensions are interwoven in outer-space related activities, one of many key points put forth at a conference organised in early August 2024, by NUS Law’s Research Centres (Trail and EWBCLB) and McGill’s Institute for Air and Space Law.