National University of Singapore Faculty of Law

The National University of Singapore Faculty of Law (NUS Law) is Singapore's oldest law school. NUS Law was initially established in 1956 as the Department of Law in the University of Malaya. After its establishment, NUS Law was Singapore's only law school for half a century, until the subsequent establishment of the SMU School of Law in 2007 and the SUSS School of Law in 2017. NUS Law is currently located at the NUS Bukit Timah Campus.[1] The current dean of NUS Law is Andrew Simester.[2] Internationally, NUS Law has been ranked twelfth by the QS World University Rankings by Subject in 2023 and eleventh by the Times Higher Education World University Rankings by Subject in 2024.[3][4]

National University of Singapore
Faculty of Law
Established1956
Parent institution
National University of Singapore
DeanAndrew Simester
Address
469G Bukit Timah Rd, Singapore 259776
,
Singapore
,
Singapore

1.3187°N 103.8150°E / 1.3187; 103.8150
Websitewww.law.nus.edu.sg

History
NUS Bukit Timah Campus from the air
The Eu Tong Sen building and Block "B"
Inside Block "B": the corridors of the law school

After its establishment in 1956 as the Department of Law of the University of Malaya, NUS Law attained faculty status in 1959, and Lionel Astor Sheridan was appointed as its founding dean. Its pioneer batch of students graduated in 1961, featuring future notable figures such as Chan Sek Keong and Tommy Koh. After the division of the University of Malaya in 1962, the faculty continued as part of the new University of Singapore. Subsequently, the faculty became part of the National University of Singapore which was formed in 1980 by a merger between the University of Singapore and Nanyang University.[5]

Undergraduate programmes

The LL.B. programme at NUS Law is a four-year programme. Students take compulsory modules in their first two years and elective modules in their third and fourth years. In terms of exposure to non-law subjects, students may choose to take non-law elective modules offered by other NUS faculties, read for minors outside of law, and take on concurrent or double degree programmes.[6]

Undergraduate students may go on exchange to study in a law school in a foreign jurisdiction. Students on the exchange programme pay only tuition fees at the NUS Law rate. Selected students can also combine completion of their LL.B. at NUS Law with an LL.M. from a partner institution in four years.[7]

The indicative grade profile of the tenth percentile of GCE A-Level applicants offered places in its LL.B. programme in 2020 was AAA/A.[8] Applicants are required to sit for a selection test and attend a formal interview to assess their suitability for the study of law.[9]

Graduate programmes

For graduate students, NUS Law offers a J.D. programme, several coursework LL.M. programmes, and a research Ph.D. programme. Admissions for graduate programmes generally require a good bachelor's degree in law.[10]

Publications

NUS Law publishes the Singapore Journal of Legal Studies, one of the oldest law journals in the Commonwealth.[11] It also produces the Asian Journal of International Law (which is published by Cambridge University Press and succeeds the Singapore Year Book of International Law),[12] and the Asian Journal of Comparative Law (also published by Cambridge University Press).[13]

Additionally, the Singapore Law Review,[14] which is Asia's oldest student-run legal publication, is managed exclusively by the students of NUS Law.

Centres

NUS Law hosts the following centres:[15]

CentreEstablished
Asia-Pacific Centre for Environmental Law (APCEL)1996
Asian Law Institute (ASLI)2003
Centre for International Law (CIL)2009
Centre for Asian Legal Studies (CALS)2012
EW Barker Centre for Law & Business (EWBCLB)[16]2013
Centre for Banking & Finance Law (CBFL)2014
Centre for Legal Theory (CLT)2015
Centre for Maritime Law (CML)2015
Centre for Pro Bono & Clinical Education (CPBCLE)2017
Centre for Technology, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence & the Law (TRAIL)[17]2019

In addition, NUS Law also hosts the Secretariat of the Asian Society of International Law (AsianSIL).[18]

Deans

The deans of NUS Law from 1956 to present are listed below:[5]

S/NNameTerm of office
1.Lionel Astor Sheridan1956–1962
2.Chua Boon Lan1962–1963
3.Harry E. Groves1963–1964
4.Leslie C. Green1964–1965
5.James Louis Montrose1965–1966
6.Geoffrey W. Bartholomew1966–1968
7.Thio Su Mien1968–1971
8.Tommy Koh1971–1974
9.S. Jayakumar1974–1980
10.Tan Sook Yee1980–1987
11.Tan Lee Meng1987–1992
12.Chin Tet Yung1992–2001
13.Tan Cheng Han2001–2011
14.Simon Chesterman2012–2022
15.Andrew Simester2023–

Notable alumni

NUS Law has produced a number of notable alumni, including Senior Counsel, Attorneys-General, Members of the Singapore Parliament, Ministers of the Cabinet of Singapore and Judges of the Supreme Court of Singapore:

Academia
  • Tan Cheng Han, SC – former Dean of NUS Faculty of Law
  • Thio Su-Mien – former Dean of NUS Faculty of Law

Arts

Business

Judicial

Public service

Politics

References
  1. "If buildings could talk – think what anecdotes!". The Straits Times.
  2. "NUS appoints Professor Andrew Simester as its new law dean". The Straits Times.
  3. "QS World University Rankings by Subject 2023: Law & Legal Studies". Top Universities.
  4. "World University Rankings 2024 by subject: law". Times Higher Education.
  5. "History & Milestones". NUS Law.
  6. "Undergraduate Brochure 2020" (PDF).
  7. Tan, Amelia (7 February 2011). "NUS, Boston varsity in law degree tie-up". The Straits Times. Singapore.
  8. "Indicative Grade Profile (IGP)". NUS.
  9. "NUS Law scheme to broaden student diversity". The Straits Times.
  10. "Admission Requirements". NUS Law.
  11. "Singapore Journal of Legal Studies". NUS Law.
  12. "Asian Journal of International Law". Cambridge Core.
  13. "Asian Journal of Comparative Law". Cambridge Core.
  14. "The Singapore Law Review". The Singapore Law Review.
  15. "Centres & Networks". NUS Law.
  16. "Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong launches new E W Barker Centre for Law and Business at NUS". The Straits Times.
  17. "NUS launches new think tank to explore legal issues surrounding the use of technology". The Straits Times.
  18. "Constitution". AsianSIL.
  19. "Lunch With Sumiko: Razer founder Tan Min-Liang's 'insane drive to be the best'". The Straits Times.
  20. "NUS law alumni reunite for 30th anniversary". The Straits Times.
  21. "Ex-chief justice Chan Sek Keong honoured by NUS". The Straits Times.
  22. "More students can earn first class honours from NUS Law". The Straits Times.
  23. "ICAM 2018 Grand Finals". Justified.
  24. "IPOS chief Daren Tang becomes first Singaporean to helm global intellectual property agency". The Straits Times.
  25. "NUS alumni to comprise almost half of 14th Singapore Parliament". India Education Diary.
  26. "NUS law students to provide pro bono service to arts institutions". The Straits Times.
  27. "Former DPM S. Jayakumar appointed NUS pro-chancellor". The Straits Times.
  28. "President Halimah attends NUS commencement". The Straits Times.
  29. "This Tiger's still roaring". The Star. Archived from the original on 26 July 2010.
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