Singapore's Most Promising Legal Luminaries Aged 40 And Under
SMU alumnus John Tan [a graduate of the SMU Juris Doctor programme] was listed as one of the top 20 most influential lawyers aged 40 and under in 2017. He is currently Senior Associate, Withers KhattarWong, and has been involved in over 15 industrial building property deals in the past two years, representing vendors, purchasers, banks and investors.
16 February 2018
Pritam Singh To Lead Workers' Party Into Next Election As New Secretary-General
JD alumnus Pritam Singh becomes Workers' Party new Secretary-General.
8 April 2018
SMU Team Does Singapore Proud By Winning Prestigious International Criminal Court Moot Court Competition For The 3rd Time In 4 Years
JD student, Lee Chuan, is part of the winning team in the International Criminal Court moot competition held in The Hague, The Netherlands, from 27 May to 1 June.
4 June 2018
Disabled Student Studies Law After Not Giving Up Despite Three Unsuccessful Applications
Since young, SMU postgraduate student Ong Fung Yen suffered from cerebral palsy and has difficulty moving around. She found a passion for law during her days at Temasek Polytechnic, and applied to study law at both the National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University. Despite being unsuccessful, she continued trying, and was finally accepted into SMU School of Law’s Juris Doctor programme in 2016. In recognition of her spirit of continuous learning, she was recently awarded with the SkillsFuture Study Award for Persons with Disabilities and presented with $5000, which would be used to supplement her tuition fees.
16 September 2018
Four First-Time Novelists Shortlisted For The Epigram Books Fiction Prize
Year 1 J.D. student Lu Huiyi is among the four shortlisted for the Epigram Books Fiction Prize. A former teacher and amateur playwright, Ms Lu is the youngest in this year’s shortlist for the award. The award is Singapore's only prize for unpublished English-language novels, as well as its richest literary award. The top prize is worth $25,000, while three runner-ups will get $5,000 each.
22 October 2018
Commentary: You Can Still Retire At 40, Even With A Longer Life Expectancy
In a commentary, SMU J.D. alumnus Christopher Ng Wai Chung, who runs a financial blog and conducts an Early Retirement Masterclass, shared how he was able to pay his way through a three-year Doctor of Jurisprudence program in SMU at the age of 39 years using his dividend payouts from his investment portfolio.
23 October 2018
Taking A Pay Cut To Start Afresh In Law
At the age of 49, SMU’s postgraduate student David Koh is among the older students at SMU’s Juris Doctor (JD) programme. He gave up a well-paying job to pursue his dream of going back to the university to study law. SMU’s JD programme is a postgraduate course that is done after a bachelor degree in some other discipline. The average work experience of its students is four years. On why he is giving up a well-paying job, Mr Koh said, "It's motivated by an interest to go back to the university - it's in some sense to fulfil an earlier wish that had been set aside for too many years. The motivation is not income.
2 November 2017
French Elections: The Effect Of Party Primaries, And Redefining The Left And Right
SMU Juris Doctor student Yvonne Guo contributed an opinion piece to The Straits Times. She is concurrently also completing a PhD at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, NUS, and already holds a dual master's degree in International Affairs from Sciences Po, Paris and the University of St Gallen, Switzerland. Her article highlighted that the recent election in France was the first in which the two main parties chose their candidates in primaries. Traditionally reserved for party members, now any eligible voter could sign up to vote for their preferred candidate in party primary elections. This saw its two main parties choosing "hard-left" and "hard-right" candidates, which allowed Mr Macron, a centrist, to reclaim the political space vacated. She commented that the new onerous four-stage electoral process while ostensibly more democratic, may result in a lower degree of electoral coherence.
17 May 2017
He Rose To Become A Lawyer After Difficult Times
SMU Juris Doctor alumnus Mr Ahmad Firdaus Daud was featured in a Berita Harian article where he shared the challenges he had to overcome to eventually become a lawyer. He noted that his family were stuck in deep financial challenges for quite a long time but the experience has taught him resilience and gratitude. Mr Ahmad Firdaus achieved his dream when he completed the Juris Doctor Programme from SMU School of Law, which allows mid-professionals to switch career paths to law. Now, he finds his experience and ability as a lawyer to be quite useful in his efforts to give back to the community.
26 April 2017
SMU Is Champion At The 10th Frankfurt Investment Arbitration Moot And The Ian Fletcher International Moot
J.D. student Luis Duhart Gonzalez was part of the SMU team that won the Frankfurt Investment Arbitration Moot.
27 March 2017
SMU J.D. Alumni Team Wins Essex Court Chambers-SAL International Mooting Competition
J.D. Alumni Nicholas Liu and Bethel Chan win the Essex Court Chambers-SAL International Mooting Competition.
12 January 2017
SMU J.D. Student Wins Ministry Of Law’s Law Reform Essay Competition
J.D. student Ang Yujie wins first prize in the Ministry of Law’s Law Reform Essay competition.
31 August 2015
Third Win For SMU Law Students At Legal Contest
SMU law students Bethel Chan, Jerald Soon, Tan Jun Hong, Eden Li and Nicolette Oon beat 18 teams to win at the 16th Asia Cup moot court competition. This was SMU’s third win in the competition since 2010. Jun Hong and Jerald also won prizes for being the best and third best oralist respectively in the competition.
23 August 2014
SMU-Yonsei To Start Joint Law Programme
SMU has partnered South Korea's Yonsei University Law School to set up a dual Juris Doctor (JD) programme to develop more lawyers with expertise in the legal systems of both countries. The joint programme, which was made possible by a memorandum of understanding signed last month by the deans of SMU School of Law and Yonsei University Law School, allows a JD student from one university, with two years of study in the partner university, to obtain a second JD degree from the latter. Under the programme, SMU's JD students must have completed at least two academic years of study in Singapore and meet the minimum Grade Point Average before they may be transferred to Yonsei's JD programme with full recognition of their credits earned at the SMU School of Law.
31 August 2013
She's First Doctor To Earn SMU Law Degree
Surgeon Bertha Woon is the first medical doctor to graduate from SMU’s Juris Doctor programme. She said that she signed up for the programme “as there are a lot of medico-legal issues facing our region” and Singapore’s medical association has no legal professionals. Dr Woon is one of 1,929 SMU students graduating in eight ceremonies over three days – SMU’s largest ever cohort. They include the first batch of 29 EMBA students.
26 July 2012
Panel To Gather Malay Ideas And Proposals Launched
A nine-member independent committee dubbed ‘Suara Musyawarah’, which includes Juris Doctor Candidate at SMU School of Law Ahmad Firdaus Daud, has been set up to gather ideas and proposals to enhance Malay/Muslim community development. It will be forwarding some proposals in a report, which will be presented to Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Yaacob Ibrahim in six to nine months’ time.
6 Oct 2012
Strikes Strike Singapore: The Undertone Of Industrial Relations
Mr Gerald Tan, a former Industrial Relations Officer with the National Trades Union Congress who recently graduated from the SMU Juris Doctor Programme, gave his views on the legality of the strike involving Chinese SMRT drivers. He gave his opinion on the reasons behind the strike, and said that it might be time to re-evaluate and tweak the industrial relations system which has largely been seen as a model for global emulation.
27 Nov 2012
Asia's Rise A 'Win-Win For Lawyers'
At the opening ceremony of SMU's Commencement 2011, Chief Justice Chan Sek Keong said new lawyers would be providing services to a vibrant Asia whose combined economies will eclipse the major economies of today. The School of Law's pioneer batch of 106 students received their degrees, and 18 graduated from Singapore's first Juris Doctor programme, including MP for Aljunied GRC, Mr Pritam Singh.
30 July 2011
Back To School At 46, Now He's Got A Law Degree
SMU's School of Law is the first here to introduce the Juris Doctor programme, an American-style system of graduate legal education for those interested in a second career in law. Mr Asoka Markandu, 48 and the oldest among the first cohort of 18 JD graduates, believes “the practice of law is developed around a mentorship model and the challenge is to find the right mentor no matter what their age….”
30 July 2011
Chen Show-Mao Supports Aljunied GRC Fellow Team-Mate Pritam's Graduation
MP Pritam Singh graduates from SMU Juris Doctor programme and Chen Show-Mao who is the Advisory Board Member of the SMU School of Law was present at the graduation ceremony to show his support.
30 July 2011
First Juris Doctor Cohort Graduates
Pritam Singh and Hilary Ann Tseng Li Ping are among SMU's first batch of Juris Doctor graduates.
30 July 2011
Holding To A Moral Compass Against The Pull Of Profits
Assistant Professor Eugene Tan writes that as Singapore society becomes more complex, our law schools cannot just produce good legal technicians but are challenged to produce lawyers who are innovators and can utilize the law creatively to produce effective and efficient outcomes, and solutions infused with social justice and fairness. Today, the first batch of SMU law students comprising 106 LLB and 17 Juris Doctor degree students graduates.
29 July 2011
Pritam Retracts Coalition Suggestion
Pritam Singh, SMU Juris Doctor postgraduate, has retracted his comments at a political forum organised by the Institute of Policy Studies and clarified that being part of a coalition government is not one of the Workers' Party's aims although it is “prepared to work with other political parties in the interest of Singaporeans”.
10 July 2011
Sylvia Lim Unlikely To Become Full Time MP
MP elect Pritam Singh, who will soon graduate from the SMU Juris Doctors programme, says he is unlikely to become a full-time MP as being in the corporate world would allow him to have a deeper understanding of the concerns of working professionals.
15 May 2011
Teammates Are All Praise For Pritam
MP-Elect Pritam Singh of the Workers' Party - a postgraduate law student at SMU who will finish his studies by the end of the month – is well-liked by his team mates.
9 May 2011
Pritam Singh
Mr Pritam Singh joined the Singapore Management University's Juris Doctor programme in 2009 and is slated to be called to the Bar at the end of this year.
8 May 2011
‘I Know What To Expect, I Guess': WP's Glenda Han
Worker' Party candidate Mr Pritam Singh, currently a Juris Doctor candidate with SMU, said that he had initially contemplated going into politics only after practising law for at least five years but later decided that he would do it now as it felt that it was the right time.
26 April 2011
Workers' Party – Pritam Singh
Worker' Party Young Wing Exco member Pritam Singh is a Juris Doctor candidate with SMU and founder of Opinion Asia ( www.opinionasia.com ), an online commentary syndicate. He feels that Singaporeans must take ownership of their country by participating actively in the process behind policy-making and nation-building.
26 April 2011
Chen: I Never Stopped Being A Singaporean
Apart from lawyer Chen Show Mao, the Workers' Party also unveiled three other candidates including 34-year-old SMU postgraduate law student Pritam Singh.
26 April 2011
She Doesn't Want To Be A One-Hit Wonder Babe
Besides Ms Glenda Han, the other candidates introduced yesterday were WP's “star” catch, [School of Law Advisory Board Member] Chen Show Mao, 50; entrepreneur Yee Jenn Jong, 46; and Mr Pritam Singh, 34, a Juris Doctor candidate at SMU.
26 April 2011
Another Trump Card For The Workers' Party?
Another Workers' Party potential candidate Pritam Singh is currently pursuing a Juris Doctor at SMU
3 April 2011
Postgraduate Law Student Is Potential WP Candidate
Postgrad law student Pritam Singh, who studied history and political science at the National University of Singapore and enrolled in the Singapore Management University's Juris Doctor programme, which gives mid-career professionals the chance to do a law degree, in 2009, is a potential Workers' Party candidate.
2 April 2011
Career Changeover
Mid-career switchers like Suja Thomas and Julian Chow traded their jobs as communications lecturer and classical musician respectively to become a lawyer and private banker by enrolling in SMU's Juris Doctor and Master of Science in Wealth Management.
3 February 2011
Making Faith Cool
Youthful worshippers are prized by temples, churches and mosques here, determined not to lose a generation to godlessness, especially now with youth gangs in the news. SMU Juris Doctor student Jasbir Singh speaks from his perspective as a Sikh.
27 November 2010
A Career Switch To Law
After 13 years as a producer, Mr Darren King felt his career has stagnated and has decided to take the plunge and make a mid career switch to practice law. The Briton is now studying for a post-graduate degree in law at the SMU under its Juris Doctor programme. Now in its second year, SMU saw more inquiries about its programme, with a rise in the number of people turning up for its information sessions
18 October 2010
Catch The Trade Winds In Your Sails
SMU graduate Thenugar Vijakumar, who is on the Juris Doctor programme, recalls her experience as the sole SMU graduate to have undergone three business study missions to Chile, New York and Israel.
11 October 2010
'We Both Act For A Living'
SMU alumna Rebecca Lim and Juris Doctor graduate student Vadi PVSS takes on roles as lawyers in MediaCorp TV Channel 5's latest courtroom drama, The Pupil.
18 January 2010
Legal Wrangles
Starring in Channel 5's new legal drama, The Pupil,are SMU alumna Rebecca Lim who majored in business law for her accountancy degree and Juris Doctor graduate student Vadi PVSS.
08 January 2010
We are sad to share that our first Dean, Professor Michael Furmston, passed away suddenly earlier today.
Michael is a giant in the law of contract. Michael has had a long, distinguished career in academia. Not only was he a world-recognised expert in the law of contract, he also served in various administrative positions with distinction. But above all, he was a great teacher and mentor to his many generations of students and younger scholars. Those of us whose academic lives he had touched are in his debt.
He has long been associated with Singapore, having visited the law schools on various occasions. In 2007, he was appointed the first Dean of the SMU School of Law. Under his leadership, #SMUSOL grew to become a full-fledged law school and established its reputation in both research and teaching.
After Michael stepped down from his Deanship, he carried on as an active member of the School of Law. Upon his retirement from SMU in 2015, he was appointed Emeritus Professor of Law in recognition of his sustained contributions to legal scholarship and service to the University. Thereafter, he joined Sunway University, Malaysia.
He continued to work untiringly on his research in the law of contract. Amongst other works, in 2017, he produced the 17th edition of his famous academic treatise, Cheshire, Fifoot, and Furmston’s Law of Contract and edited the 6th edition of the leading practitioner textbook, The Law of Contract.
Perhaps it is a fitting testament to his indefatigable spirit that the last book which he edited (and also contributed to), The Future of the Law of Contract, was published just less than two weeks ago on 16 June 2020.
We are sad at the passing of a giant who has truly laid the foundation for the future of the law of contract, amongst so many things. We will miss you, Michael.
Our thoughts and prayers are with his family. His family has set up a central email address for those who would like to pay their respects to his memory: inmemoryofmichaelfurmston@gmail.com
- Professor Michael Furmston, a giant of the law (1933-2020)
Become a holistic lawyer and contribute significantly to the society.
SMU's undergraduate aims to produce law graduates who have contextualised knowledge and the ability to think across disciplines and geographical borders.
The LL.B. is a 4-year meritorious honours programme with 36 course units (CU) worth of courses. The LL.B. curriculum, regularly revised to meet the needs of a fast-changing economy, was originally formulated by legal academics and practitioners after extensive discussions, and endorsed by the Ministry of Law and Singapore's then Board of Legal Education.
The curriculum is broad-based, comprising a mix of University Core courses, Law Core courses, Law-related courses, Law electives as well as General Education courses to ensure that graduates possess the desired contextual and cross-border knowledge and expertise.
In total, students are required to complete 36 units worth of courses. Every course has a designated course unit (CU), typically 0.5, 1.0, 1.25 and 1.5.
To hone their legal writing skills, from Year 2 onwards, each student will be required to submit a substantial individual written assignment of between 2,000 and 3,000 words for one of the law courses read in each term.
- Commercial Conflict of Laws (1.0 CU)
- Comparative Legal Systems (0.5 CU)
- Constitutional & Administrative Law (1.5 CU)
- Contract Law 1 (1.0 CU)
- Contract Law 2 (1.0 CU)
- Corporate Law (1.5 CU)
- Criminal Law (1.25 CU)
- Law of Equity & Trusts (1.5 CU)
- Law of Evidence (1.0 CU)
- Law of Property (1.25 CU)
- Law of Torts (1.5 CU)
- Legal Research & Writing I (1.0 CU)
- Legal Research & Writing II (0.5 CU)
- Legal Theory & Philosophy (1.0 CU)
- The Singapore Legal System (0.5CU)
Each student will be required to read 2 law-related electives out of a basket of 14.
- Business Data Management
- Data Management
- Deal-making and Dispute Resolution: Negotiation in an Age of Disruption
- Digital Intelligence for Lawyers
- Economics and Society
- Finance for Law
- Financial Accounting for Law
- Introduction to Political and Policy Studies
- Introduction to Psychology
- Introduction to Programming
- Introductory Statistics
- Law & Psychology
- Programming Fundamentals
- Understanding Societies
Each student will be required to complete one capstone course as part of graduating requirements.
- Corporate Deals
- Digital Innovation for Access to Justice
- Dispute Resolution Advocacy
- International Energy Disputes
- Law and Digital Commerce
- Law of Mergers and Acquisitions
- The Law and Finance of Digital Transactions
Law Electives
Students must complete 9 CU of law electives.
- Commercial Remedies in Litigation
- Corporate Insolvency Law
- Financial and Securities Regulation
- Intellectual Assets and the Law in Asian Economies
- Intellectual Property Law
- Intellectual Property Law and Competition Law at Interplay
- International and Comparative Insolvency Law
- International Commercialisation of Intellectual Property Rights
- International Construction Law
- International and Comparative Secured Transactions Law
- Maritime and Admiralty Law
- International Commercial Arbitration
- International Mediation Law and Practice (SMU-X)
- Professional Mediation Skills
- The Settlement of Inter-State Disputes
- The Singapore International Arbitration Centre and Institutional Arbitration
- Deal-making in Practice
- Entrepreneurship in Singapore - From Cradle to Grave
- Evidence, Litigation and the Criminal Process
- International Moots 1 (SMU-X)
- International Moots 2 (SMU-X)
- Introduction to Civil Procedure
- Law Study Mission to Asia (SMU-XO)
- Pre-trial Practice in Civil Litigation
- State Courts Clerkship Programme
- Introduction to Chinese History, Culture, Economy, Politics and Law
- China's Belt and Road Initiative - Practical Legal and Commercial Aspects of Cross-Border Projects on the New Silk Route
- International Investment Law
- International Investment Law and the Belt and Road Initiative
- Legal Issues in US-China Economic Relations (COIL)
- Public International Law
- Trade and Investment Law
- WTO: Law and Policy
- Computational Thinking and Legal Technology
- Digital Innovation for Access to Justice (SMU-X)
- Digital Intelligence for Lawyers
- FinTech Law
- Information Technology and the Law
- Law for Tech and Pandemics
- Law and Digital Commerce (SMU-X)
- Legal Design
- Privacy & Data Protection Law
- Using Dystopian Films to Regulate against a Dystopian Future (COIL)
- Compliance and Risk Management for Lawyers
- Law and Regulation
- Medical Law and Health Policy
- Topics in Financial Crime
- Family Law
- Jurisprudence: Modern and Critical Theories of Law
- Principles of the Law of Restitution
Note : All courses listed above are indicative and may vary with each academic term.
Active SMUYPHSL students are advised to refer to their respective progress reports, course details / attributes for the most updated information.
SMU Core Curriculum
The SMU Core Curriculum is a menu of carefully selected course units to initiate undergraduates into their journey to becoming holistic SMU undergraduates. The Core Curriculum also serves as a means for students across all disciplines to bond through a common intellectual experience. It stands on 3 pillars of learning or inter-related paths of development: Capabilities, Communities and Civilisations.
Starting in A.Y. 2019-2020, all incoming SMU freshmen will experience a new Core Curriculum comprising a series of courses and activities that initiate undergraduates into their transformative education. School of Law Students need to read 6 Course Units across 2 selected courses per pillar.
To develop specific competencies and skills that are necessary to dexterously operate in an increasingly complex digitised and data-driven working environment. School of Law students will read 2 courses from this cluster and complete an internship, either locally or overseas.
- Managing
- Modes of Thinking
- Internship (Non-credit bearing)
To promote understanding of the economic, technological, and cultural systems that structure our interactions with our communities, School of Law students will read 2 courses from this cluster and complete a community service project, either locally or overseas.
- Cultures of the Modern World
- Technology, Science & Society
- Community Service (Non-credit bearing)
To engage in critical dialogue and problem solving through immersion into fundamental and perennial debates that cut across time and space: Such as Happiness and Suffering; Wealth and Poverty; War and Peace; and Global and Local issues; School of Law students will read 2 courses from this cluster and complete a Global Exposure Experience.
- Big Questions
- Ethics & Social Responsibility
- Global Exposure (Non-credit bearing)
Introducing LL.B. Tracks
There are a multitude of pathways to a career in law. Therefore, LLB students may pursue one of three specialisation tracks. Students declaring a track will benefit from greater disciplinary knowledge, industry awareness and practical skillset so as to be better prepared to pursue a career in their selected fields. Students are also free not to pursue a track, and instead customise their learning experience by choosing from our curated range of electives.
Building upon the firm foundation laid by the core law courses as well as the multi and interdisciplinary dimensions of the existing LLB curriculum, each track consists of 5 specifically curated electives from the following baskets.
CORPORATE TRANSACTIONS
Track Electives (Select 3)
- Comparative Corporate Governance
- Comparative Secured Transactions
- Compliance and Risk Management
- Corporate Insolvency Law
- Corporate & Securities Laws in China & the US: A Comparison
- Entrepreneurship in Singapore - From Cradle to Grave
- Financial & Securities Regulation
- International & Comparative Insolvency Law
- Law of Real Estate Securitisation (LLM)
- Legal & Commercial Principles in Project
Law-related Elective (Select 1)
- Finance for Law (LKCSB)
- Finance (LKCSB)
- Financial Accounting (SOA)
- Financial Accounting for Law (SOA)
Law Capstone (Select 1)
- Corporate Deals (SMU-X)
- Law of Mergers & Acquisitions (SMU-X)
- The Law & Finance of Corporate
Transactions (SMU-X)
LAW AND TECHNOLOGY
Track Electives (Select 3)
- AI, Law & Ethics (LLM)
- Blockchain & Governance (LLM)
- Computational Thinking & Legal Technology
- FinTech: Law & Policy
- Infocomm Technology & the Law
- Intellectual Assets & the Law in Asian Economies
- Intellectual Property Law
- International Commercialisation of
Intellectual Property - Introduction to Large Language Models, GPT & Legal Technology
- Law & Technology
- Legal Design
- Legal Innovation & Technology
- Privacy & Data Protection Law
Law-related Elective (Select 1)
- Digital Intelligence for Lawyers
- Business Data Management (SCIS)
- Introduction to Programming (SCIS)
Law Capstone (Select 1)
- Digital Innovation for Access to Justice (SMU-X)
- Law & the Digital Commerce (SMU-X)
DISPUTE RESOLUTION
Track Electives (Select 3)
- Evidence, Litigation, & the
Criminal Process - Dealmaking & Dispute Resolution:
Negotiation in an Age of Disruption - International Moots 1
- International Moots 2
- International Commercial Arbitration
- International Mediation Law & Practice
- Introduction to Civil Procedure
- Negotiation in an Age of Disruption
- Pre-trial Practice in Civil Litigation
- Professional Mediation Skills
- The Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC) & Institutional Arbitration
Law-related Electives (Select 1)
- Introduction to Psychology (SOSS)
- Law & Psychology
Law Capstone (Select 1)
- International Energy Disputes
- Dispute Resolution Advocacy (SMU-X)
Award of the LL.B.
On successful completion of the LL.B. programme, students will be awarded the LL.B. degree. Depending on their overall performance, the degree will be accompanied by one of the following designations: LL.B. (merit), LL.B. (high merit), LL.B. cum laude (with distinction), LL.B. magna cum laude (with high distinction) or LL.B. summa cum laude (with highest distinction).
Graduates must attain a GPA of at least 3.00 in the courses leading to the LL.B. degree in order to practise law in Singapore. After graduation, graduates must pass Part B of the Bar Examinations before they are entitled to serve their Practice Training Period. If you graduate from SMU in December instead of June, you are allowed to serve your practice training period before passing Part B if you are able to complete the practice training period before attending any part of the preparatory course leading to Part B of the Bar Examinations (Rule 16(2)(c)); or where your practice training period (or part thereof) is served through working as a Legal Service Officer or under the supervision of a qualifying relevant legal officer (Rule 16(2)(d) read together with Rule 17(2)).
Under Rule 24 of the Legal Profession (Admission) Rules 2011, all graduates who are “qualified persons” are required to obtain approval from the Singapore Institute of Legal Education before commencing the practice training period.