2020

Two Key Bars Cited In Mid-Career Law Switch

Many mid-career individuals who joined the legal industry say law schools should structure their programmes to accommodate family and financial commitments of older graduate students. All three law schools here - NUS, SMU and SUSS have graduate programmes. SMU offers a Juris Doctor (JD) course, which can be done in two to three years. SMU Associate Dean (PG Curriculum and Teaching) and Associate Professor of Law Maartje de Visser shared that the JD programme at SMU has seen a growing number of mid-career applicants across the years. SMU alumnus Charles Li, Associate Director, Drew & Napier, who was an auditor before he obtained his JD at SMU, highlighted the challenge of restarting one’s career despite having work experience. However, after having worked as a lawyer for the past decade, he said, “I feel a greater sense of achievement in being able to…address both the legal and commercial problems that people face.”

No Safer Place Than Singapore

In a commentary, J.D. alumna Dr Bertha Woon reflects on her experience working as a General Surgery Registrar at Tan Tock Seng Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit during the SARS period, and discussed how Singapore's healthcare system is now fully prepared after the 2003 SARS epidemic, to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Singaporean Lawyer Who Defended Pro Bono Convicted Helper Wins High Praise From Judge

We are proud of our JD alumnus, Anil Balchandani from our JD pioneer batch, who defended domestic helper, Parti Liyani, pro bono and won the case.

Praised by High Court judge Justice Chan Seng Onn that "his written submissions were detailed and well-footnoted; his arguments were persuasive.... he analysed the grounds of decision of the trial judge in great detail to submit on areas where the trial judge had erred in her findings; he handled all these matters singlehandedly and had shown much dedication in his pro-bono work for this case."

Other sources: 
Supreme Court Judgement - https://www.supremecourt.gov.sg/docs/default-source/module-document/judgement/-2020-sghc-187-pdf.PDF?fbclid=IwAR2MHMtsLU0hudaHbvy47hBa9Bqgb3437ZtKJJd7L8UhT6zbD-xDk0aGFco
Interview with HOME (Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics)