The 8th NUS Law Pro Bono Awards: Recognising NUS Law students’ outreach to the community

As Professor Andrew Simester, Dean of NUS Law, shared in his welcome address, “When we reach out to help a stranger in need, when we put their needs first, that is humanity at its best.” In a nutshell, that is the heart of pro bono work, and the Centre for Pro Bono & Clinical Legal Education’s annual Awards Ceremony recognises these very efforts of NUS Law students in serving the community.

In his keynote address at the Centre for Pro Bono & Clinical Legal Education’s 8^th Pro Bono Awards Ceremony held on 21 February, Justice Choo Han Teck ’79 echoed Professor Simester’s sentiments, and shared a heartfelt account of a pro bono case he took on in his early days as a trial lawyer. He said: “My client and his father were struggling farmers in Lim Chu Kang; they had no money to pay lawyer’s fees. Several weeks after the appeal, my client’s father walked into my office, and left me a bag of eggs and a tin of biscuits.”

As he shared personal lessons from pro bono work as a young lawyer, he described how through engaging with people from different walks of life and different perspectives, as well as through dedication to cases, lawyers can develop a better understanding of the human condition and provide a voice for people who do not have it. “It is through that we can find professional gratification, even though the client cannot pay $50,000 and can only give us 50 biscuits.”

In recognition of their outstanding contributions to pro bono work, 14 awards were presented to students across two award categories. The Pro Bono Innovation Award was presented to Lee Jie Yi ’24 and Siti Nurellisha Binte Khairi Sallehudin ’24 to recognise their unique and innovative contributions to the Syariah Court (SYC). Under their leadership, the Syariah Law Friends project team worked with the SYC to create and populate a knowledge management portal. Student volunteers also summarised cases in the Singapore Syariah Appeal Reports and built a one-stop portal for all legal resources to facilitate legal and presiding officers’ decision-making.

The Pro Bono Special Recognition Award, which recognises students for their outstanding contributions and dedication to excellence in pro bono service under their respective projects, was presented to the following 11 outstanding student leaders:

• Anthea Cheo ’25 and Damian Lee Han Ping ’25, for Project Law & You
• Li Minghan ’25 and Trina Rahardja ’25, for NUS-Financial Industry Disputes Resolution Centre (FIDReC)
• Ge Yiming ’25 and Lim Peng Yong Darren ’25, for Building of Bridges
• Whang Chia Ning ’25, Adri Faris ’25 and Janice Neoh ’25 for their commitment and contributions as the Pro Bono Group’s President and Vice Presidents
• Janice Neo and Germaine Ong Jia Min ’25, for Project Parachute

In response, the award recipients shared their personal thoughts on what pro bono work means to them, what inspired them to immerse themselves in the projects they chose to be a part of, and what they have learnt from effecting change.

Mentor Award

Separately, the Pro Bono Mentor Award was presented to Eunice Chua ’07, CEO of FIDReC, in recognition of her dedication to mentor our students in their pro bono efforts. Winning the award took Ms Chua by surprise, and she shared that she was moved to be even nominated by the students for the award.

Her indefatigable drive to guide Project FIDReC members in their pro bono work is no doubt why she has won their respect, and that is rooted in her firm belief that there is a multiplier effect when people work together for good. Witnessing the needs of people who are embroiled in disputes with financial institutions, and facing frustration due to lack of proficiency in English or technical know-how, or unfamiliarity with the dispute resolution process, she saw the potential to harness the power of the willing hands and hearts of the Project FIDReC members to contribute to the access to justice.

At the end of the day, she hopes that the experience will stay with the students and help them become lawyers with empathy. She said: “When they are advising financial institutions or persons wishing to sue financial institutions, I hope they recall their FIDReC experience and put themselves in the other person’s shoes. When they are drafting legal advice or speaking with clients… I hope they remember my repeated exhortation to simplify, simplify and simplify some more.”

She added: “I also hope that in recognising what the law can and cannot do, they learn to be more effective problem-solvers. When they join the legal profession, I hope they will be lawyers who focus on discovering and meeting the true interests of their clients. This may well involve urging alternative dispute resolution over litigation.”

The Centre for Pro Bono & Clinical Legal Education congratulates all students and mentors who embody the heart and spirit of pro bono and for their commitment towards pro bono projects that serve the larger community in Singapore and beyond.