NUS Law students forge bonds with peers in Asia

CATPLI, CAUPLI, CAPPLI. Back in 2021, the seeds of today’s successful cross-border student collaborations known by these acronyms were sown in a rather serendipitous way. During a course taught at NUS Law, fourth-year students Toh Ding Jun ’22 and Justin Foo ’22 got to know their lecturer, Visiting Associate Professor Munin Pongsapan, then Dean of Thailand’s Thammasat University Faculty of Law (TU Law). Realising they shared beliefs on new learning pathways, they envisioned a student-led platform to foster peer learning and engagement. Following a conversation later between Associate Professor Pongsapan and Associate Professor Jaclyn Neo ‘03, the Director of the Centre for Asian Legal Studies (CALS), the CALS-TU Peer Learning Initiative (CATPLI) was born.

From the start, Associate Professor Neo emphasised the spirit of the initiative as a mutually beneficial peer-to-peer learning and exchange among students. Ding Jun, the founding Project Director of CATPLI and its current Project Advisor, remains passionate about direct academic collaborations and knowledge exchange among students at the two institutions, saying, “We wanted to showcase Singapore law to our Thai counterparts, while also learning from them key aspects of Thai law.”

With the success of this initial iteration, CALS expanded the programme to Indonesia. Today, the peer learning initiative has grown to encompass collaborations with Indonesia’s Universitas Gadjah Mada Fakultas Hukum (UGM Law) and China’s Peking University School of Law (PKU Law). The former, known as the CALS-UGM Law Peer Learning Initiative (CAUPLI), had its inaugural run in 2024, while the CALS-PKU Law Peer Learning Initiative (CAPPLI) will have its inaugural run in 2026. CATPLI will also be celebrating its fifth-year anniversary in 2026. Impressively, CALS is in the process of finalising details to extend the initiative to Bhutan’s Jigme Singye Wangchuck School of Law (JSW Law), which would be the fourth partner university in five years.

First of Many

CATPLI’s first workshop introduced law students in Thailand to the basic principles of contract law in Singapore. Through seven online sessions, participants discussed the law’s doctrinal differences in Singapore’s common law system and Thailand’s civil law system. Associate Professor Pongsapan  described it as a historic event, noting that it was the first time a course on Singapore law was offered to law students in Thailand.

For Associate Professor Neo, the importance of such collaborations could not be overstated. “In an increasingly fragile global order, it is crucial that students learn how law is made, interpreted, applied, and theorised by those closest to us. Through such understanding, we hope to advance mutual respect and solidarity across borders.” Her vision is to expand the programme to more jurisdictions that would allow students to build strong networks across the region.

Since then, successive workshops have evolved to also be conducted in person, with themes based on compulsory areas of the law, such as contract, tort and company. Each annual initiative involves two workshops: one conducted by partner institutions’ law students for NUS Law students, and vice versa. The programme requires Year 3 and 4 LLB students to prepare a memo for a lecture they would deliver to their counterparts—but, more than that, every trip to a partner institution potentially includes a visit to local law firms or courts, and cultural experiences.

For example, during the four-day inaugural CAUPLI trip to Indonesia, NUS Law students visited a district court, spoke to the judges and observed a criminal proceeding. On a CATPLI trip to Bangkok in 2024, students visited the renowned Wat Arun Temple, accompanied by their Thai peers. Said Ding Jun, “Students are given networking opportunities, which hopefully translate into friendships—something that might be hard to come by when they enter practice, when there is less time, and relationships become more transactional.”

The Asian Angle

While this peer learning idea came about by happenstance, the involvement of CALS was hardly by chance. The impetus for launching student collaborations with universities in the region is deeply grounded in the centre’s mission and vision.

As Associate Professor Neo noted in her Director’s Message, “Asia is more than a geographical region. It is an idea… [that is to be] incrementally appropriated through a conscious coming together and deliberate legal construction.” This Asianisation of law is not simply a descriptive project, but a normative and intellectual one—and CALS’ objective is to lead in defining, analysing and critiquing this legal transformation. The regional partnerships support this agenda, reflecting a commitment to a collaborative and dialogic approach to Asian legal studies.

In meeting evolving pedagogical needs, NUS Law was the first mover. Those regional collaborations took on greater salience when the Report of the Working Group for the Reform of Legal Education was released in 2024. NUS Law’s peer learning initiatives were a neat fit with the recommendations for experiential learning through short programmes in civil law jurisdictions, and to conduct more webinars and seminars with regional legal institutions.

Skills and Friendships  

Demand is high. In a recent recruitment, 74 students applied for 14 open spots. The responsibilities may be heavy—spanning tasks such as curriculum design, publicity and logistics—yet every student sees the value in participation. Memo writing pushes students to have a firm grasp of the law, and delivering lectures helps them develop confidence. Interaction with their regional counterparts also deepens their understanding of diverse legal traditions in Asia.

On his takeaway from CAUPLI 2024, participant Andre Chua ’26 expressed an appreciation for the value of comparative perspectives. “Breaking down legal concepts across jurisdictions sharpened my ability to explain complex ideas clearly… and improved my confidence in engaging with different legal traditions,” he shared. Said Joyslyn Chua ’26 of her CATPLI 2025 experience, “It has pushed me beyond my comfort zone, enabled me to refine my public speaking skills and allowed me to forge meaningful new friendships.”

Recent graduates who benefitted have taken up the baton, becoming Deputy Project Advisors in Ding Jun’s footsteps. Associate Professor Neo said, “This peer learning initiative is not just about exchanging knowledge. It is about building a new generation of networked leaders in law who can learn with, from, and across Asia. It is about shaping the future of Asian legal studies.” That vision is certainly bearing fruit.