Singapore Academy of Law

It’s been just over 50 days since TechLaw.Fest 2024, and we were thrilled to reconnect with the legal tech community at last night’s TechLaw.Fest Open House: What’s Up, LegalTech?!. The event’s highlight was the LegalTech Open Mic, where participants took the stage to share their thoughts on the big issues in LegalTech, much like an open mic night for poetry or comedy—unfiltered and full of creative energy. We’re also excited to announce Mr Rodney Yap as the winner of the inaugural SAL-Microsoft Prompt Engineering Competition! Stay tuned for expert prompting tips in our upcoming interview with him and a big thank you to our sponsors of the competition, including Microsoft and Lupl. The event was held in conjunction with the Singapore FinTech Festival.

Dream, dare and do—the message Mr Zee Kin Yeong had for the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS)’ graduating class of 2024. These principles have shaped his unique career path and offer young members a roadmap for a career rich in both purpose and impact. Catch his full address here: https://lnkd.in/gw7-Buff Leslie Chew PBM, SC

To those who know Mr Danny Quah 柯律师, he’s confident, sharp, boisterous and always ready with a laugh. But there was a time when things were far less rosy. "I couldn’t get out of bed, I couldn’t function normally, and I even had thoughts of suicide,” he reflects—all signs of the depression that had quietly taken hold. Here, he opens up to SAL about his brush with depression and how support networks, self-care and a positive work environment made all the difference. Read it here: https://lnkd.in/g3VQf6yU CHP Law LLC

The Honourable the Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon, Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Minister for Law and Home Affairs K Shanmugam are just some of the luminaries you'll hear from at the forthcoming Singapore International Commercial Court Conference 2025, organised by SAL. They'll be joined by judges and leading practitioners, to tackle the critical issues shaping transnational justice today. From the rapid advance of new technologies to navigating the complexities of corporate insolvency across borders, these discussions will address the pressing challenges of the day. Register here: https://lnkd.in/gXxxFgkW

After a five-year hiatus, the Jus Debate returned as part of the inaugural Legal Profession Symposium on October 7th, serving as a lighthearted conclusion to a day filled with panel discussions and guest speakers on managing ethical issues and mental health support in the legal field. “Was nobility always present in the legal profession?”, was the question that students from Singapore University of Social Sciences and the National University of Singapore grappled with at the Jus Debate last week. The debate, designed to be engaging and fun for students, offered both laughter and reflection amidst the audience as teams from Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) and NUS Faculty of Law presented their own perspectives on the motion. Historical figures like Mr. David Marshall and Mr. Ahmad Ibrahim came to life through students’ creative portrayals, highlighting their significant contributions to Singapore's legal landscape. SUSS emerged victorious in the debate, thanks to their compelling arguments. Mr. Nirmal Prakash from the SUSS team won the Best Speaker award, while Ms. Saw Yone Shou (Khin Lin Htet) from NUS received the Best Dressed Participant award.

TechLaw.Fest has wrapped up for this year - but the legal tech buzz continues. ⚡ As the premier event focusing on the technology of law and the law of technology, we’re eager to keep the momentum going. Check out these C$ eligible legal tech reads we think you’ll love: 🔹 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐚 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐱𝐭 - 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬: https://lnkd.in/gdBWRnKP 🔹 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐄𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐲: https://lnkd.in/g8MWg4_D 🔹 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 𝐋𝐚𝐰 𝐢𝐧 𝐒𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐞: https://lnkd.in/gR6-8Xc5 🔹 𝐋𝐚𝐰 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐒𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐞: https://lnkd.in/gMckRGdp 🔹 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐚 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐋𝐚𝐰 𝐢𝐧 𝐒𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐞 – 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐜𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐧 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝, 2𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐝: https://lnkd.in/gq6JnVJV #academypublishing #techlegal #techlaw #legaltech

World Mental Health Day often sees a flood of well-meaning messages about the importance of mental wellness. However, some organisations are striving to move beyond words and implement tangible changes. Take Temasek, for example, which has introduced sustainability guidelines for its legal team. Addressing challenges familiar to many members, such as the expectation to be “on call” after hours or during weekends, the guidelines advocate for sustainability in professional practice. For instance, managers are encouraged to honour personal downtime and limit non-urgent communications outside of work hours. The Honourable Justice Valerie Thean, who co-chairs the Judiciary’s Ethics and Professional Standards Committee, welcomed the guidelines, noting that they addressed several issues raised by a survey of young lawyers that the Committee and SAL conducted last year. “We found that the top three enablers of conducive work culture were a balanced lifestyle, reasonable workload, and good leadership. On the other hand, the top three things that affected them severely were harassment, excessive workload, and the culture of unethical behaviour. Not paying sufficient attention to the mental wellness of employees also increases the risk of unethical conduct.”

"Companies that are more diverse and inclusive have a 60% higher employee engagement score, and financially, they also outperform others and exceed their financial targets by up to 2 to 3 times than originally predicted", says Ms Khatija Aslam, founder of Moxy who will be leading a lunchtime talk on Diversity and Inclusive Leadership in Practice on 16 October.   As a preview of SAL’s JLP course, this session will focus on the benefits of diversity, equity and inclusion in legal workplaces, featuring an interactive game designed to enhance leadership skills and foster a more inclusive environment. Limited seats are available, register for your complimentary seat here: https://lnkd.in/gJ3Fncef

🧠 🧘 𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐒𝐀𝐋 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐬 From 2025, all SAL members will be eligible for a free mental wellness insurance package, offered in partnership with Singlife. The package gives members complimentary access to three clinical counselling and behavioral health coaching sessions a year, among other benefits. The scheme was announced by The Honourable Justice Valerie Thean at today's Legal Professional Symposium, organised by SAL. She said, “Globally and locally, surveys indicate mental wellness is an issue of concern, and not only within the legal profession. This initiative is timely.” “The legal profession plays a critical role in the administration of justice. Having good mental wellness practices can positively impact their quality of life and work efficiency. It is an area that can easily be overlooked. We hope that this insurance scheme can help our members build resilience and enjoy a fulfilling and sustainable career in the law,” said Mr Zee Kin Yeong. Members will soon receive details on opting in for the insurance scheme.

Get ready to see teams from NUS and SUSS go head-to-head in a spirited debate about nobility in the legal profession. For the first time, faculty members Mr Justin Tan, Associate Dean of NUS Faculty of Law and Mr Lawrence Boey, Law lecturer at SUSS School of Law will join students on the debate stage. Expect argumentative flair, theatrics and wit at this year’s Jus Debate. Join us on 7th October 2024 at the State Courts, Havelock Hall from 5pm to 6pm. Register at https://bit.ly/4gKTgBN and join us at this upcoming debate.