Highlights of NUS Law Open Day 2013

NUS Open Day 2013, which took place on 16 March, welcomed over 16,500 visitors to the event, held for the first time at the newly opened University Town (UTown). Beyond the activities at UTown, visitors keen to find out more about the courses at NUS Law made their way to the historial Bukit Timah Campus, set next to the Botanic Gardens.

The atmosphere was abuzz as enthusiastic student volunteers took visitors on a tour around the campus, visiting teaching spaces, the CJ Koh Library and areas for relaxation, sharing its history and also tending to enquiries about the school from a student’s perspective. The Open Day programme at NUS Law was also designed to give potential students and their parents a chance to interact with the faculty at the Talk by the Dean, and the Professor-Student Seminar right after. The overwhelming turnout at both the sessions led many who could not get a seat in the auditorium to watch the session via live feed at a lecture theatre close by.

At the talk, Dean Simon Chesterman’s captive audience was asked to consider the reasons why they choose to study law and their choice of law as a career. He then shared the various areas of law that one can specialise in, and the opportunities to grasp in order to maximise the enjoyment of student life.

The Professor-Student Seminar later gave attendees the opportunity to ask questions and have a discussion with a panel made up of both professors and current students. This year’s panel included Assoc Prof Joel Lee, the vice dean of Student Affairs, Assoc Prof David Tan, director of Strategic Communications, and Assoc Prof Lim Lei Theng, deputy director of the Legal Skills Programme at NUS Law. Students on the panel were Kenny Low, president of the Law Club, Justin Ho, chairperson of the Freshman Orientation Central Committee (FOCC) 2013, and Denise Tay, FOCC 2013 Pro Bono chairperson. With a diverse panel for visitors to direct their questions to, visitors got an in-depth look into the student life and the academic experience NUS Law has to offer.

Visitors were also treated to a viewing of a mock trial, organised by NUS Law’s Mooting and Debating Club. The demonstration includes an examination in chief, cross examination, and opening and closing statements from both the prosecution and defendants. The session lasted for 20 minutes, after which a question and answer session was conducted, focused on the area of trial advocacy and mooting.

The event, which was organised with the help of the student-run Law Club, also featured sub-clubs that cater to various interests. Law students have the opportunity of joining the sub-clubs which allows them to develop skills in international relations, fighting for criminal justice, contributing to pro bono endeavours, writing about legal issues and school issues, honing mooting and debating skills, or simply to enjoy a sports activity.

Photos of NUS Law Open Day 2013 are available at the following link: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.495079157206580.1073741825.288147814566383&type=1&notif_t=like