From moot partners to life partners

People of NUS Law

As NUS Law prepares to move to our new home at the Kent Ridge campus, we celebrate our time at the current Bukit Timah campus through a series of heartwarming stories. What makes this campus special goes beyond its beautiful location and collection of historic buildings; it is the people that have walked these grounds that make the campus what it is. In this series, we showcase the people and heart of NUS Law.

On the lush Bukit Timah campus, between rain trees and readings, many love stories have blossomed over the years. And for Darrell Lee ’17 and Emma Gan ’17 of NUS Law, this was where the first chapter of their story began—on the very first day of school, as tutorial group mates in the Legal Analysis, Writing and Research (LAWR) course taught by Professor Eleanor Wong.

Looking back, Darrell shared: “First impressions… hmm… I guess I thought Emma was shy?” Emma, for her part, remembered thinking Darrell was “smart and brave in equal measure for speaking up in class under Prof’s steely gaze.”

From that fateful first meeting, Darrell and Emma would go on to become LAWR moot partners and—through a shared rhythm of classes, lounge breaks, and late nights studying in Block B—their friendship gradually turned into something deeper. Seven years later, the couple, who wed in 2023, are established in their careers: Darrell is a Senior Associate with Baker & McKenzie.Wong & Leow’s Dispute Resolution department, while Emma is an Associate Director at Drew & Napier’s Tax & Private Client Services practice group.

Life as Students

Their student years were vivid with the texture of campus life. Emma welcomed freshmen as an orientation group leader, helped shape student life as Events Director of the Law Students’ International Relations Committee, became an avid lounge foosballer, and also took part in captain’s ball games (“mostly to support Darrell”, she recalled).

Darrell threw himself into sports—representing the Faculty in basketball, handball, captain’s ball—and even Dota 2, and served as Vice President (Non-Academic Affairs) of the Asian Law Students’ Association (Singapore chapter). Among Darrell’s favourite memories of his time at NUS Law? “Organising captain’s ball trainings at the Upper Quad and trying not to laugh while playing Quizarium in the study room,” he quipped.

They poured the same energy into their studies, and the knowledge and skills that they gained as students has served them well in legal practice. “Law school taught me how to solve legal problems and to present my solutions in a clear, concise and structured manner,” Darrell reflected. “These are bread and butter skills which I still use every day.” Emma pointed to formative classes that shaped her path. “I took two of Professor Stephen Phua’s tax courses which were some of the most enjoyable and interesting classes I attended. These gave me a strong conceptual framework to understand tax concepts which helped flatten the learning curve when entering practice.”

Foundations of a Life Together

Ask what drew them together and their answers reveal a mix of warmth and grit that runs through their years at NUS Law. “Emma was an incredibly warm, thoughtful and a loyal friend,” said Darrell. “She was usually radiantly, infectiously happy—being around her felt like being close to the Sun. She was also fiercely competitive and very determined. It all made for a very potent mix!”

Emma’s answer equalled Darrell’s in affection. “Darrell was very caring and always watched out for me. He was also a great conversationalist and we could talk for days, or in most cases into the night, about anything and everything.”

Their story was not one of love at first sight and it took some time for their relationship to blossom. “There were starts and stops,” Darrell admitted of the early days, revealing that the turning point arrived in the summer holidays of Year 2, when a South Korea trip with law school friends galvanised things. In Year 3, they navigated a long-distance stretch while on student exchange—Darrell in London in the first semester, Emma in Sydney in the second. “While there were some difficult adjustments, it was a formative time which taught us how to be good partners even while physically apart and in different time zones,” they said, making it a point to reunite for end-of-exchange travels in Europe and Australia.

Today, they continue to support each other in the same way they did in law school, as the first port of call for each other, and as each other’s most avid cheerleader and best friend. And out of the office, they keep a sense of play just as they did as freshmen, watching anime and adding bouldering to the repertoire of activities they enjoy.

Work has brought adventure too. “Recently, Darrell had the chance to go on a six-month secondment to his firm’s Tokyo office,” Emma shared. “I tagged along as my firm graciously agreed to a sabbatical, and we relived our exchange days going on trips every other weekend (except now with adult money). It was probably also the most delicious six months of our lives—so much sushi and wagyu!”

Their Compass Point

Place matters in their story. Recounting the reasons for taking their pre-wedding photo shoot at the Bukit Timah campus, they said: “BTC was the birthplace of our friendship and relationship, so it felt significant and meaningful to have our photos taken here.”

When asked what they miss most about law school, their reply was instant: “The freedom and carefree days of youth!” They have made it a point to keep in touch with the friends that they made throughout their time as students, saying: “Our law school mates are still some of our closest friends. Many have their own (still growing) families; it’s surreal how far everyone has come.”

In the end, what NUS Law has given them can be mapped onto the lives they now lead: an intellectually rewarding legal career, friends that have become family, and memories that will endure for a lifetime.