As we celebrate the students who did well in Academic Year 2023/2024, Dean Andrew Simester encouraged the students to look beyond grades, even as he commended them for their academic performance. At the annual ceremony which took place on 26 September this year, close to 100 students were placed on the Dean’s List, with another 26 awards given out. Congratulations to all!

It has been more than a year since we bade farewell to Professor Tan Yock Lin in July 2023, and his tragic loss is still keenly felt at the faculty.

NUS Law receives S$2 million gift to establish the Michael and Laura Hwang Professorship in International Arbitration, and Professor Stavros Brekoulakis, a leading academic in international arbitration, has been appointed Chair of the Michael and Laura Hwang Professorship in International Arbitration.

NUS Law has received a S$1.1 million endowed gift from alumni, friends, philanthropists and members of the legal profession to establish the Chan Sek Keong Visiting Professorship in Public Law. The Professorship celebrates Mr Chan Sek Keong’s far-reaching contributions to the development of Singapore law, in particular public law, and also honours him as one of NUS Law’s most distinguished alumni.

Mr Lin Tah Hwa made a $2 million donation to establish the Chan Sek Keong Professorship in Private Law. A personal friend of Mr Lin, Dr Chan Sek Keong was the third Chief Justice of Singapore in 2006. He had an illustrious career as a banking and corporate lawyer, before starting a 26-year-long career in public service until his retirement in 2012. Dr Chan has been serving as the Pro-Chancellor of NUS since 29 April 2015.

The Jones Day CALS Visiting Professorship on the Rule of Law in Asia is one of two new visiting professorships established at NUS Law through a gift of US$2 million from the Jones Day Foundation, with the gift being the largest single donation from a law firm foundation to NUS Law to date.

This year marks the 45th year since Mrs Gladys Mirandah ’76 was called to the Bar. Having overcome challenges in her legal education through sheer grit and a positive mindset, she established the Mirandah Study Award to motivate graduating students to overcome adversities and excel in their studies.

Kwa Geok Choo Scholarship recipient, Joseph Lum, discovered his interest in law when he was studying at Temasek Polytechnic. He went on to study law in England before returning to Singapore and starting practice. Joseph then decided to pursue a Master of Laws in Corporate and Financial Services Law at NUS.

A promising constitutional law scholar and disability rights activist, James was in the first year of his PhD at NUS Law when he passed away in May 2020. We remember his legacy of hope and inspiration.

I enjoyed the interactions which I had in law school the most. I was fortunate enough to have great teachers whom I’ve learnt much from and were willing to stretch me. I enjoyed the time I had with my close friends, be it doing carpentry work for the NUS Law Float, or trying to figure out the law together. It is these people and interactions which have shaped me into who I am now, and I’m always grateful for it.

What does it mean to be successful in life? Many may equate success with high earnings or stellar professional achievements. Chandra Mohan K Nair ’76, Partner at law firm Tan Rajah & Cheah, and his wife Susan de Silva ’83, a former lawyer who is now a Life & Executive Coach, think of success in a much broader way.