Description

In this workshop, Stanley Yeo will share his insights on the essential ingredients for successful collaborative research with legal academics and practitioners across the region. Drawing from his decades-long experience, he will reflect on both the opportunities and challenges that come with building meaningful research partnerships that cross borders, cultures, and legal traditions.

Stanley will illustrate his approach by highlighting three major book projects that he has coordinated. The first, Criminal Law in Malaysia and Singapore (2007, 2nd ed. 2012, 3rd ed. 2018), brought together scholars to critically analyse the development of criminal law in two closely related yet distinct jurisdictions. The second, The Penal Code of Bhutan: A Treatise (2024), assembled authors from Australia, Bhutan, Hong Kong and Singapore to evaluate the newest Penal Code in Asia, The third, The Lao Penal Code: A Comparative Discourse (2025), extended the comparative conversation to include perspectives from Laos, Thailand and France, underscoring the rich interplay between Asian and European approaches to codification.

By drawing on these diverse experiences, Stanley will provide practical lessons on how to foster collaboration, manage differing expectations, and produce scholarship that not only advances academic understanding but also speaks to the realities of law in practice. Participants will come away with a deeper appreciation of what it takes to sustain cross-border legal research and why such efforts remain vital to the growth of Asian legal studies.