Reflections: Twenty Years of Teaching Law

For someone who admits to having stumbled into a law career by following in his brother’s footsteps of enrolling into law school, Professor Tang Hang Wu has certainly come a long way.

The SMU Yong Pung How School of Law professor once toyed with the idea of saving lives as a doctor when he was in school, but soon discovered that he was “hopeless at biology and dissecting rats”. Instead, he decided to switch paths and dedicate his life to research and teaching as a legal academic. After spending several years as a junior lawyer for Justice Quentin Loh before his elevation, Prof Tang found his calling in academia — and has since been a leading law professor for over two decades.

“I realised that I enjoyed researching and reading up on the law and hence I thought being an academic would be an ideal job for me,” recalls Prof Tang.

“The time in practice has been tremendously helpful – it taught me humility and the difficulties in convincing a judge of what you say is right.”

Today, besides teaching courses such as Property Law, Principles of the Law of Restitution and Equity and Trusts, the author of law tomes still keeps a foot in practice by accepting occasional briefs from law firms in his areas of expertise as “it keeps me up to date about the legal issues that people are facing in practice”, he explains. For example, Prof Tang is a consultant with TSMP Law Corporation and a panel member of the Strata Titles Board which mediates and arbitrates disputes between condominium owners.

As a Professor of Law, he strives to equip students with the necessary technical legal skills that enable them to become confident lawyers of the future, and teaches students from the School’s Juris Doctor (JD) track, a full-time, three-year programme designed for bachelor's degree with experience in other industries who are looking to make a career switch to becoming a lawyer, or legal professionals from other jurisdictions.

A treasure trove of knowledge

Often described by peers as “a walking encyclopaedia of law”, largely due to his mental library of legal stories and ability to relay complex legal arguments through compelling narratives, Prof Tang’s JD seminars are peppered with anecdotes and learnings from his pool of industry knowledge.

“Because I advise law firms and occasionally appear in court to argue some cases, I have a sense of arguments which may or may not work in court,” shares Prof Tang.

“I remind my JD students that to run a successful case, you must have a ‘theory of the case’. In other words, you must be able to answer, ‘why should your client win this case?’ And the answer must be compelling and straightforward.”

A self-dubbed “legal realist”, Prof Tang believes that judges tend to work backwards and interpret the law to reach a solution that they feel is fair – which is why a compelling case theory is so important.

Another highlight of his practice are two cases where he successfully argued before the High Court and Court of Appeal to relook at the law on jointly-owned properties in the country. These cases have become key cases in property law. In arguing these cases, Prof Tang used historical material and case law from all over the world and illustrates the “use of comparative law and legal history in furthering a particular position in court”. By reading these cases, the students become aware that the material explored in the classroom has real world practical significance.

A comprehensive and in-depth legal education

The JD class comprises students who already have a couple of years of working experience under their belt, from backgrounds as varied as finance and manufacturing. Their core modules are taught separately from the undergraduate group so as to allow instructors to tailor their material to varying difficulties.

“The JD class is a close-knit group – very vocal, lively personalities and full of life,” remarks Prof Tang.

“The classroom atmosphere is often electric with valuable contributions flying from all corners of the seminar room in a fast and furious way. It’s always fun, challenging and exhilarating leading a JD class. I constantly feel they learn as much from one another as they learn from me.”

Whether at the undergraduate or postgraduate levels, students at SMU are fully equipped and trained to become lawyers in demand to solve pressing legal issues readily. All classes are taught in a highly interactive seminar-style format, which encourages active student participation and hones their ability to present cogent arguments well.

Furthermore, courses at SMU are also curated to meet the ever-evolving needs of society, to prep students sufficiently in being future-ready. At the Yong Pung How School of Law, for instance, Prof Tang shares that there is a keen awareness of how technology is likely to disrupt the legal industry, with various research centres focused on these disciplines, apart from industry seminars organised for students.

“Even in traditional courses like Property Law and Equity and Trusts, we grapple with issues in class such as ‘Are Cryptoassets Property?’ and ‘Is it possible to declare a trust over crypto assets?’. These are not esoteric questions but issues which lawyers in Singapore are being called to advise on today,” he adds.

Given the breakneck speed of digital transformation in recent times, Prof Tang recognises that the next generation of lawyers must retain a strong grasp of their foundational concepts and be able to advise clients adeptly in an increasingly digital world. A legal education should not only focus on preparing graduates for traditional practices, but also provide skills and opportunities in this new economy where they are needed most.

Considering the challenges that top law professionals will face, Prof Tang offers a piece of advice that Minister Indranee Rajah gave to his law school class when she was a recruitment partner at Drew & Napier: “don’t dwell on negative incidents”. In the early part of one’s career, it is common to be reprimanded by clients, senior partners and judges, says Prof Tang. But rather than replaying the mistakes in your brain and traumatising yourself again, he recommends for young legal professionals to learn from their mistakes and move on.

And instead of citing traits more traditionally associated with legal eagles such as assertiveness and the power of negotiation, Prof Tang expresses that mental well-being is an essential element for success in the profession.

“We need the support of loved ones, mentors and friends to survive in any career,” he reveals, and suggests for graduates to join The Law Society of Singapore, which offers opportunities to meet seniors and peers who understand what they are going through.

“I tell my former students and students who are about to graduate that they can’t be legal automatons and work all the time. The legal practice is a tough profession. Do not be too hard on yourself when things go wrong.”