Legal giant Justice Andrew Phang steps down as Chairman of NUS Law Advisory Council

Justice Andrew Phang ’82, who took the reins of the NUS Law Advisory Council in 2019, stepped down from his role as Chairman on 31 December 2022. This comes on the heels of his retirement as Justice of the Court of Appeal on his 65th birthday on Dec 15, 2022.

Justice Phang’s connection to NUS Law runs deep. He graduated with first class honours from NUS Law in 1982, and spent the next 18 years teaching and researching the law as an academic at the Law faculty, till his appointment as Professor of Law in 1999. During that time, he obtained his LLM and SJD from Harvard University in 1984 and 1988 respectively, and rose to become the first Singapore legal scholar to publish in top international law journals.

Among the many milestones in his career was being appointed Senior Counsel in 2004, the first time the title was given in recognition for contributions to academia. In 2005, he was appointed to the Supreme Court Bench as Judicial Commissioner and, in 2006, he became the youngest person to be appointed a Judge of Appeal in Singapore, at the age of 48.

In addition, he was appointed the Vice-President of the Court of Appeal in 2017 and conferred the Meritorious Service Medal by the President this year at the National Day Awards.

Justice Phang wasn’t just a trailblazer; he also cared for his students, colleagues and people under his charge. Interestingly, two of his students included Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon and Minister Indranee Rajah, when they were freshmen at NUS Law in 1982.

He has never wavered in his commitment to law, and in 2019, as the newly appointed Chairman of the Advisory Council, he commented upon the need for students and graduates to be familiar with the new opportunities offered by technology as well as internationalisation and globalisation, and harness those advantages. Under his stewardship, preparations for a compulsory law and technology course is now underway.

Justice Phang said: “It has been my singular privilege and honour to have served on the Advisory Council for the past three years. One of the key recommendations of the Advisory Council related to the establishment of a compulsory course for NUS Law undergraduates in the field of law and technology. I am particularly pleased to note that the Faculty of Law will be teaching such a course in the near future. I am also very pleased to note that the Faculty has gone on from strength to strength in every aspect under the leadership of Professor Chesterman and his team, and hope that the Advisory Council has contributed in some small way towards such outstanding success.”

At a rare valedictory reference held in his honour in November, Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon called Justice Phang a legal giant, with others paying tribute at the event to mark his retirement as Justice of the Court of Appeal.

As he stepped down in his other role as Chairman of the Advisory Council, other tributes also poured in. Recognising his contributions to the Council, Professor Simon Chesterman, the outgoing Dean of NUS Law, said: “Justice Phang’s leadership of the Advisory Council was an extraordinary asset to the Faculty of Law. He, together with other members of our Advisory Council, was a source of wisdom on the changing needs of the profession, in areas ranging from the impact of technology to the need to engage with our region. He was also candid in his advice on our new Juris Doctor programme, and efforts to promote diversity within the student population – in particular the need to ensure that a legal education is not reserved only for those with financial means. And he also offered strength and good counsel during the trying years of the pandemic.”

“We celebrate his many achievements over the years as an academic and as a judge. As an alumnus and former colleague at NUS, he has a distinguished career that is a model of what we hope for, in our students.”

Justice Phang’s thoughtfulness as a leader also evinced admiration from Council member Gregory Vijayendran SC ’92, the former Law Society President. He said: “Justice Andrew Phang’s leadership of the NUS Advisory Council has been clear, focused, wise, erudite and thoughtful. In his encouraging, gentle and soft-spoken manner, he draws out the best from his colleagues. It has been a privilege to serve under his leadership and concurrently glean from his wisdom.”

Justice Phang will begin his term as Senior Judge from 2 January, 2023, to 4 Jan, 2024. Senior judges are former Supreme Court judges who are reappointed for fixed terms to handle specific cases.