NUS Law congratulates three of its alumni on their appointment as High Court judges and President of International Insolvency Institute

We congratulate our alumni Judicial Commissioners Goh Yihan ’06 and Teh Hwee Hwee ’92 on their appointments as Judges of the High Court, with effect from 1 October 2023. Judicial Commissioner Teh will also be appointed as the Presiding Judge of the Family Justice Courts. In addition, Justice Kannan Ramesh ’90, Judge of the Appellate Division, has been appointed the seventh President of the International Insolvency Institute, the first Asian and Judge to be appointed.

On their appointments, Professor Andrew Simester, Dean of NUS Law, said, “I congratulate our notable alumni, Goh Yihan, Teh Hwee Hwee and Kannan Ramesh, on their well-earned appointments. In Yihan and Hwee Hwee’s cases, these appointments are a recognition of their contributions to Singapore law generally, while Kannan’s appointment testifies to his expertise in a field that is very important to Singapore’s development as a restructuring hub. We celebrate their achievements not just individually, but also as members of the NUS Law family.”

Judicial Commissioner Goh graduated top of his cohort in 2006, attaining a Bachelor of Laws with First Class honours, before obtaining a Master of Laws from Harvard Law School in 2010. He joined NUS Law as a Teaching Assistant in 2008 and was appointed Assistant Professor in 2011. In 2014, he joined the Singapore Management University, became the Dean of the Yong Pung How School of Law in 2017 at age 35 and was appointed a Professor of Law in 2019.

Outside of academia, he was called to the Singapore Bar in 2011 and was appointed Senior Counsel in January 2021. He joined the Supreme Court as Judicial Commissioner for a term of two years on 1 July last year, hearing cases on the specialised lists involving finance, securities, banking, complex commercial cases, company, insolvency, trusts, intellectual property and tort claims. Apart from his judicial duties, he is also Co-Chair of the SAL Legal Research and Publications Committee, and Co-Chair of the SAL Learning and Professional Development Committee. He is also a board member of the Singapore Judicial College.

Judicial Commissioner Teh graduated with a Bachelor of Laws (Hons) in 1992, and obtained a Master of Laws from Harvard Law School. She has more than two decades of experience in the legal sector, serving in different capacities in the Judiciary — as the Divisional Registrar of the Court of Appeal, the Divisional Registrar of the Singapore International Commercial Court (SICC), and Registrar of the Supreme Court. She has been instrumental in developing the alternative dispute resolution landscape in Singapore, and was conferred the Public Administration Medal in 2012.

She was appointed Judicial Commissioner for a term of 18 months on 1 August last year, and hears cases on the specialised lists of the Supreme Court for building and construction, shipbuilding, complex and technical matters, finance, securities, banking, complex commercial disputes, tort claims and family matters. Apart from that, she is also a member of the Senate of the Singapore Academy of Law and a Board member of the Singapore Mediation Centre.

Justice Kannan Ramesh’s appointment as President of the esteemed International Insolvency Institute (Institute) took effect from 12 June 2023. His appointment for a term of two years is recognition of Singapore’s legal talent in cross-border insolvency. With its exceptional membership, international leadership and resources, the Institute plays a valuable and highly significant role in international insolvency.
Justice Ramesh received his Bachelor of Laws (Honours) from the National University of Singapore in 1990. He was then admitted as an Advocate and Solicitor in Singapore in 1991, and appointed Senior Counsel in 2012. Justice Ramesh is highly regarded in the international insolvency community, having played an instrumental role in the establishment of the Judicial Insolvency Network, a network of 14 judiciaries around the world. In recognition of his expertise, leadership, integrity, professionalism and service to the bankruptcy and insolvency practice and to their communities, Justice Ramesh was invited to become an International Fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy.

He is a Co-Lead Judge of the Specialised List on Company, Insolvency and Trusts in the General Division of the High Court, and is also a member of the Singapore Academy of Law’s Law Reform Committee and the Singapore International Commercial Court’s Restructuring Rules Committee, as well as adviser to the Asian Business Law Institute.