NUS Law Commencement Ceremony 2014

Commencement 2014 marked a significant milestone as NUS Law congratulates its 10,000th graduate who stands among the 350 students conferred with LLB and LLM degrees on 9 July.

Braving an unexpected morning downpour, family members and friends gathered at the University Cultural Centre to celebrate the joyous occasion, setting the venue abuzz with excitement as graduates went about chatting and taking ‘selfies’ with their loved ones.

In his congratulatory speech, Dean Professor Simon Chesterman shares: “Happiness isn’t getting what you want; happiness is wanting what you get.”

Timothy Liau, the Valedictorian for the LL.B Class of 2014, reminisced about his memorable moments in the classroom and extended heartfelt thanks to his professors: “I’ll treasure everything I learnt from them, including that invaluable life lesson from Professor Teo in Land Law, who taught me why money is like toilet paper – because when you need it, you really need it. And who can forget that lecture on mistakes by Professor Chin, who taught us that remarkable life lesson in the case of Lewis v Averay – that you should be especially wary of any car-dealer who claims to be Robin Hood, in case he really turns out to be a ‘hood’.” On a more serious note, he advised his peers to be conscious of what they will do in future: “In looking back, some of us might find that we’d just drifted into law school, and that – caught up in the pursuit of grades – we’d just drifted along during law school. Perhaps even now, we’re just drifting into legal practice or, for some of us luckier ones who got a first, into the JLC scheme. Perhaps now might be a good the time to take control, and to stop drifting.”

He adds: “There were definitely tough times in law school when we’ve all felt like giving up. And during those times, it was the support of our loved ones which saw us through. So for all those special people who’ve been there for us throughout each of our journeys in the past 4 years – on behalf of the class of 2014, I thank you.” Timothy will be joining the NUS Law faculty as a Sheridan Fellow, and will be teaching Contracts in AY2014-15.

Eager and confident of his peers making a positive impact is Afzal Ali, who graduates with an LL.B from NUS, and an LL.M from NYU. He shares: “I would like to congratulate my peers on this wonderful achievement. We have played hard and studied hard together. We will forever cherish these memories. Now we move on to the next stage of our lives, and each of us will walk down different paths but I am sure in whichever field we are in, we will make an impact for the better. To my professors, firstly I would like to say a big thank you for the dedication and patience shown in nurturing us during our university term. We have not always been a pleasure to teach with our constant badgering and questioning, trying to understand or grasp seemingly simple concepts, but you’ve never discouraged us. In fact, your passion in your respective fields has been an inspiration for all of us.” Afzal has been awarded a training contract with a renowned law firm and hopes to one day write on ‘Equity & Trusts’, a subject he feels very strongly for.

Our heartiest congratulations to the Class of 2014 and we wish you the very best for your future endeavors!