Dean’s List & Awards Ceremony 2026: Honouring winners and the village behind them

Hard work met excellence as the National University of Singapore Faculty of Law celebrated 170 students who made the prestigious Dean’s List and claimed academic prizes in the Academic Year 2025/2026. Opening the ceremony, Professor Chistian Witting, Vice Dean of Academic Affairs and Undergraduate Studies, reminded the audience of the significance of the occasion. “We are coming together as a community to celebrate the achievement of many of our finest students. This is not a small thing, to be recognised as one of the best students in a law school ranked among the world’s top 10,” he said.

While these students demonstrated advanced analytical, reasoning and argumentation skills—important technical skills honed in the context of a rigorous educational process—and are quick-witted and inventive, Professor Witting highlighted that their achievements reflect far deeper qualities, well beyond these at times “shallow things”, he quipped. He underscored their smartness, persistence and integrity.

He said, “They are smart rather than merely clever. Whereas we experience cleverness in the moment, smartness is more enduring and the basis upon which all progress is made. Second, these students are persistent. When they don’t understand, they seek answers … Finally, and most importantly, our Dean’s Listers and prize winners have integrity. They have an interest in knowledge and understanding for its own sake.” Elaborating on integrity, he quoted Oprah Winfrey: Real integrity is doing the right thing, knowing that nobody’s going to know whether you did it or not.

Special tribute was paid to the generous donors, alumni and law firms whose contributions elevated the entire institution, with Professor Witting emphasising that their generous giving allowed for the recognition of excellence among students present, as well as encouraged endeavour amongst other students. He put it most eloquently when he said, “The pursuit of excellence is the tide that lifts all boats”.

Equally celebrated were the parents who provided unwavering support throughout the intense academic journey. Drawing from his personal experience attending his daughter’s graduation in London, Professor Witting paid tribute to them for being inspiring supporters and mentors of the next generation.

Finally, addressing the Dean’s Listers and prize winners—graduates who are already in the working world, as well as students still within the nurturing environment of NUS Law—the Vice Dean shared three guiding pearls of wisdom:

1. Remember that you have proven yourselves in a rigorous academic environment.
2. Take life one step at a time. Perhaps you will take a wrong step; perhaps there will be room for regret. But that’s part of the thrill of living—that we don’t know how it will turn out each day.
3. Know that you are never alone on your journey, supported always by teachers, family and friends.

Congratulations to all award winners on this well-deserved achievement!

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Among the donors who presented prizes are the following NUS Law alumni:

Mr Mohamed Baiross ’07, Founding and Managing Partner, I.R.B. Law LLP

Mr Chong Ik Wei ’96, Partner and Managing Director, Asia, Clyde & Co LLP

Mr Thomas Choo, Grad Dip Sing Law ’04, Managing Partner, Singapore, Clyde & Co LLP

Mr Kevin Kwek ’06, Chief Executive, Singapore Mediation Centre

Mr Leong Kah Wei ’90, President, Maritime Law Association of Singapore

Ms Magdalene Leong ’21, Partner, Allen & Gledhill LLP

Mr Mark Lim ’94, Director and Chief Legal Counsel, Intellectual Property Office of Singapore

Mr Joseph Liow ’92, Managing Partner, Joseph Liow Chambers

Mr Jevon Louis ’10, Partner, Shook Lin & Bok LLP

Ms Denise Mirandah ’08, Director, Mirandah Asia; Managing Partner, Mirandah Law

Ms Joan Xue ’11, General Counsel, Grab

Mr Yeong Zee Kin ’97, Chief Executive, Singapore Academy of Law

Professor Joel Lee, NUS Law

Assistant Professor Benny Tan, NUS Law