September 2019
Alumni Features
Professor Walter Woon SC '81 shares how he honours his father with a bursary for NUS Law students.
The LLM Class of 2009 reunites at Bukit Timah! Four alumni share their thoughts on coming back to BTC after 10 years, and how the LLM has made a difference to their careers.
Faculty Highlights
Watch the highlights of the 16th Asian Law Institute (ASLI) Conference from 11 to 12 June 2019, hosted by NUS Law.
Alumni Events
Catch up on our recent events
Upcoming Reunions
Register for our upcoming events
30 Nov: Class of 1984 (35th Anniversary)
Student Highlights
Moots Spotlight
NUS Law students came out tops in key mooting competitions in May - July. Students share their experiences on their achievements.
KEEN TO KNOW MORE ABOUT OUR LLM PROGRAMME?
Join us for webinars on 23 October and 6 November to learn about NUS Law’s LLM (Master of Laws) programme. Our LLM Directors will give you an overview of the programme structure, scholarship opportunities and application procedures. We will introduce the respective LLM specialisations and the distinct features of each programme. Click HERE for more information.
Alumni Features
After Professor Walter Woon SC '81 stepped down as Attorney General in 2010, he chose to return to his “natural habitat” — academia. After 13 years, he resumed teaching at NUS Law.
Nurturing the next generation of legal professionals is his calling. Prof Woon is doing his part again by establishing the Woon Eng Chwee Memorial Bursary.
“Undergraduate studies are hard enough without having to worry about finances. I hope that the Bursary will go some way to relieving the burden,” said Prof Woon, who was the Attorney General from 2008 to 2010.
Set up in memory of his late father, the Woon Eng Chwee Memorial Bursary will support a financially needy undergraduate at NUS Law each year with a bursary of at least $6,000.
Remembering his father, Prof Woon said: “He was a very good father and always there for me, even after I married and had my own family. Our house was filled with books, records and videos, all of which contributed enormously to my education - much more so than the time I spent in school.”
A passion for teaching runs in the blood of the Woons. The late Mr Woon was also an educator.
After graduating from the Teachers' Training College in 1953, he taught in Radin Mas Primary School, Clementi Primary School and Jubilee Primary School. He later spent over two decades as Principal of Jalan Teck Whye Primary School.
A former trainee teacher under Mr Woon’s tutelage described him as a “congenial man” who “epitomised the caring and well-respected head of school”.
One might guess that Prof Woon was inspired by his father to teach, but Mr Woon revealed that he “became an academic by accident, not by design."
“My career path never came up in any discussion with my father. He was content to let me choose," said Prof Woon, who read law at NUS on a DBS scholarship from 1977 to 1981.
Called to the bar in 1985, Prof Woon went on to become an outstanding law academic. He received multiple teaching awards and served as the NUS Faculty of Law's Sub-Dean and Vice-Dean between 1988 to 1991.
Outside of academia, he made significant contributions to society. As a Nominated Member of Parliament (1992 to 1996), he pushed for the Maintenance of Parents Act, a law stating that children should take care of their elderly parents. He later served as a diplomat in various European countries, before becoming the Attorney General in Singapore in 2008.
But Prof Woon eventually found his way back to education.
“Law is a profession, not a business or a trade. It is vital that we take care of our own. Those who have experience should come back and share it so that the profession may develop,” said Prof Woon, who is also the Dean of the Singapore Institute of Legal Education.
“I could have gone into private practice after my last job and tripled my salary. But how would that improve the next generation or those that come after? In private practice, one hardly has time to keep up, much less write and mentor.”
Fuelled by a sense of purpose, Prof Woon is shaping the future of law in Singapore — one batch of students at a time.
He said: “My hope for the next generation is simple: that they will be ethical and competent and push the boundaries of legal development.”
To make a donation to the Woon Eng Chwee Memorial Bursary, please click HERE
Almost a year in advance, the Committee from the LLM Class of 2009 began planning for their 10th-anniversary reunion. Slowly but surely, the reunion started taking shape – it would be a lunch held near the Bukit Timah Campus and on the same day as the Bukit Timah Homecoming in the evening, so that classmates can join in both celebrations.
The plan turned out to be a tremendous success as alumni from more than 10 different nations (including Germany, Switzerland, Brazil, India, Thailand, Indonesia, Japan, Australia, Finland, Russia, France, Pakistan and Singapore) gathered on Saturday 6 July 2019 for what would be NUS Law’s first-ever official LLM Class reunion!
Festivities began as early as Friday night over drinks, followed by lunch on Saturday at the beautiful Botanico restaurant, surrounded by the verdant greenery of the Singapore Botanic Gardens. The leisurely lunch provided abundant opportunities to catch up with old friends and fill in the gaps of the past 10 years.
After lunch, the class explored their old haunts at the Bukit Timah Campus, scored some NUS Law souvenirs at the Co-op and even managed to catch up with Professor Simon Chesterman outside the Block B Auditorium! As the sun set, the class gathered on the lawn of the Lower Quad for the evening programme of the Bukit Timah Homecoming. It was indeed a weekend to remember!
Kudos to Juliana, Priyanka, Ferdinand, Linna, and Jacov for pulling off such a wonderful reunion and we especially applaud those who made the effort to travel all the way back to Singapore for this special occasion. For more photos, click HERE.
We also caught up with four alumni from the class who shared their thoughts on how the LLM has made a difference in their careers: Jacov Wirtz (Associate General Counsel, Lonza Ltd), Syed Ali Raza (Managing Partner, Common Law Chambers, Pakistan), Priyanka Banerjee (Regional Head, Compliance & Corporate Affairs, DS Global Pte Ltd) and Juliana Paulinyi.
Second row (L-R): Jacov Wirtz, Syed Ali Raza, Priyanka Banerjee and Juliana Paulinyi at the LLM 2009 reunion
What made you decide to pursue an LLM at NUS Law?
Ali:I decided to pursue the LLM at NUS Law because of the elaborate course choices that are offered here, excellent faculty from all over the world, encouraging feedback from alumni, convenience of getting in and around Singapore, and above all a general reputation that NUS globally enjoys.
Jacov: After taking the Bar exam in Switzerland, I joined a major international law firm and started practicing in their M&A and Finance team. To further pursue my international career, I decided to do an LLM after some years of practice to get a better understanding of the Common law system in addition to my Civil law education. The LLM at NUS was a logical choice for me because I was already drawn to Asia due to previous travels in the region and also in a professional context as the economy in China and South East Asia was growing and gaining influence on a global stage. The LLM at NUS offered me a great opportunity to get a better understanding of the different legal systems in Asia.
Juliana: NUS welcomed me when I moved to Singapore. I started with the CLE (Continuing Legal Education) Programme, and then I joined the LLM in International and Comparative Law in 2008-2009. It was a fantastic opportunity to study in a first-class faculty together with students from different geographies.
What difference has the LLM made to your life/ career?
Priyanka: The LLM provided an international platform with a rich Asian flavour. It’s a tough combination to beat! It has helped me develop a fabulous professional network globally.
Ali: The degree has allowed me to explore frontiers of legal knowledge. I feel that vistas of opportunities and career choices opened for me. The linkages and networks that I was able to develop at NUS continue to this date. In my legal practice, I have benefited greatly from the lifelong relationships and bonds that I established. The LLM has also given me a degree of confidence in dealing with complex clients and understanding their needs.
Jacov: The LLM at NUS opened many doors for me in my professional career and always stood out in my CV. The growing international reputation of NUS certainly helped with that. On a personal level, I gained a lot of friends for life from all over the world during my time in Singapore.
Your thoughts on coming back to Singapore/ the Bukit Timah Campus for your class reunion after 10 years?
Priyanka: Singapore is my home and it was great to welcome all my friends back and party like the yesteryears. Nothing much seemed to have changed between us except that a decade has gone by. Walking into the Bukit Timah Campus together brought back an ocean of memories. Much of the campus remains the same (thankfully) stirring up an old warm familiar feeling. I proudly pointed out to my son our 2009 graduation photograph hanging in the hallway and whispered to him that I hoped to see him there one day.
Juliana: It was such a happy weekend celebrating our ten-year reunion in the Bukit Timah Campus. We received the support of NUS in organising the event, for which I cannot thank them enough. In addition, we had classmates from all over the world joining in this unique event. It was amazing to meet everyone, and I hope we get together again for our twenty-year reunion!
Faculty Highlights
Student Highlights
One of the valuable educational experiences an NUS Law student can have is to represent the university in mooting competitions. Here some of our students’ achievements in competitions from May to July 2019.
Alumni Events
In support of the Bukit Timah Homecoming on 6 July 2019, NUS Law and the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (LKYSPP) jointly hosted a panel discussion on the topic De-Globalization, Global Governance and Singapore for NUS alumni. The panel comprised the Deans of NUS Law, LKYSPP and the NUS Business School, Professors Simon Chesterman, Danny Quah and Andrew K Rose, as well as Associate Professor Jean Ho '03 from NUS Law. Moderated by Professor Chesterman, the panel traded views and took questions on overarching attitudes on globalisation between developed and developing economies, the current US-China tensions, problems with protectionism and the future of the rules-based trading regime, as well as Singapore’s role and potential influence in this arena.
For more photos on the BTC Homecoming, click HERE.
Undeterred by roadblocks in the area due to National Day rehearsals, 80 alumni from the Class of 1999 gathered at Sinfonia restaurant at the Victoria Concert Hall on Saturday 20 July 2019, to celebrate their 20th Anniversary since graduation. The mood was upbeat as classmates eagerly caught up with one another and reminisced over old photos in a montage. Dean of NUS Law, Professor Simon Chesterman, together with Professors Hans Tjio and Joel Lee, Adjunct Professor Kevin Tan '86 as well as former lecturers Mr Lee Kiat Seng '89 and Ms Margaret Chew LLM '98, were also present to join in the celebrations.
For more photos, click HERE.
The Class of 1989 celebrated their 30th Anniversary reunion on 26 July 2019. The Committee spent a good few months tracking down and reaching out to classmates, and it was heartening to see so many who turned up. Despite the 10-year gap since the class last met, the conversations flowed freely as old ties were re-kindled. The class was also delighted to catch up with their former teachers Justice Andrew Phang ’82 and Mr Kim Seah ’77, as well as Professor Simon Chesterman. Among the highlights of the evening was a trivia quiz on the class, which managed to stump many. For this reunion, the Committee thought it would be meaningful to give back to NUS Law and decided to repurpose the Class of 1989 Financial Relief Fund into a Bursary, and invited classmates to contribute to this cause.
For more photos, click HERE.
On Saturday 17 August 2019, almost 70 alumni from the LLB Class of 2009 (with some little ones in tow) gathered at the Kent Ridge Guild House to celebrate their 10th anniversary reunion. Professor Simon Chesterman, was delighted to join the class in their celebration.
For more photos, click HERE.
