Faculty Profile

• LL.M. (First Class Honours), University of Cambridge, 1983
• LL.B. (First Class Honours), National University of Singapore, 1981

Academic Positions Held

Current Appointment:

• Lee Kong Chian Visiting Professor of Law, Yong Pung How School of Law, Singapore Management University, Jul 2022

Other Positions 

• Chairman, RHTLaw Asia LLP
• Honorary Fellow, St John’s College Cambridge
• Emeritus Professor, National University of Singapore
• Chairman, Market Surveillance & Compliance Panel, Energy Market Company
• Patron, Gunong Sayang Association
• Chairman, Society of International Law Singapore
• Honorary Fellow, Singapore Institute of Directors
• Director, St John’s Singapore (a registered charity)
• Patron, China-ASEAN Business Alliance
• Dean, RHT Legal Training Institute
• David Marshall Professor, Faculty of Law, National University of Singapore 2010-2022
• Dean, Singapore Institute of Legal Education, 2010-2020
• Attorney-General 2008-2010
• Solicitor-General 2006-2008
• Member of the Board of Directors, Monetary Authority of Singapore, 2008-2010
• Chairman, Board of Legal Education, 2008-2010
• Judge Advocate-General, 2008-2010
• Member, Presidential Council for Minority Rights, 2008-2010
• Member, Legal Service Commission, 2008-2010
• Alternate Member, High Level Task Force for Drafting of the ASEAN Charter 2007
• Deputy Chairman, Centre for International Law, National University of Singapore 2009-2016
• President, Goethe-Institut (Singapore Branch) 2010-2016
• Ambassador to Germany, Greece, the European Communities, the European Union, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and the Vatican 1998-2006
• Legal Adviser to the President and Council of Presidential Advisers 1995-1997
• Nominated Member of Parliament 1992-1996
• Director, Intraco Ltd 1989-2000
• Director, Natsteel Ltd 1997-2001
• Sub-Dean and Vice-Dean, Faculty of Law, National University of Singapore 1988-1995

Courses Taught in SMU

• Criminal Law

Research Areas / Areas of Specialisation

• Company Law
• Criminal Law
• International Law

Current Projects

• Book on Essential Company Law

Selected Publications

• Essential Company Law (in progress)
• Companies Act of Malaysia Desk Edition 2020 (LexisNexis, Malaysia) - Consulting Editor
• Woon’s Corporations Law (LexisNexis, Singapore) – editorial work and regular biannual updates on a continuing basis.
• Walter Woon on Company Law (Sweet & Maxwell) (3rd Ed edited by Tan Cheng Han)
• The ASEAN Charter: A Commentary (NUS Press, 2015)
• Towards a Rules-Based Community: an ASEAN Legal Service (with Jean-Claude Piris) (Cambridge University Press, 2015)
• Origins of the NMP Scheme: Contributing an Independent Perspective (forthcoming)
• China and America: From Trade War to Race and Culture Confrontation, Prism (2021) Vol 9 No 2, pp47-55
• China and America - The Power of Historical Memory RSIS Commentary (S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, NTU) 11 June 2020
• Remembering the India Connection India on Our Minds (World Scientific, Singapore 2020; Tommy Koh & Hernaikh Singh eds), pp123-127
• Lift Not the Painted Veil Singapore Comparative Law Review 2019, p185
• Impact of Political Trends on Civil Society Civil Society and the State in Singapore, p71 (IPS and World Scientific 2017; Carol Soon & Gillian Koh eds)
• The Teaching of Company Law – Reflections on Past and Future [2017] Sing JLS 258
• Changing Social Mores - Protecting Children from Themselves Speaking of Children: The Singapore Children's Society Collected Lectures (World Scientific Publishing, 2015) pp43-64
• Idealism & Realpolitik – Building the ASEAN Community Chinese (Taiwan) Yearbook of International Law & Affairs (Vol 32, p 27)