Singapore Law Blog

19/12/2022

Janessa Phua Pei Xuan (SMU): On 25 October 2022, the Singapore Management University Yong Pung How School of Law (“SMU YPHSOL”) and the Asia Pacific Law Review jointly organized and hosted the workshop “Trade and Investment Integration: Shaping the Future of the Asia Pacific”. The workshop sought to reflect the vital role of New Asian regionalization in shaping economic governance. New Asian regionalism refers to a new norm or policy that has supported Asia’s ascending economic power, trade dynamics and investment initiatives.

Opening remarks were delivered by Professor Julien Chaisse (Editor-in-Chief of the Asia Pacific Law Review, Professor, School of Law of the City University of Hong Kong). He introduced the speakers as leading academics from the Asian region, who would provide insight into Asian regionalization in various dimensions.

Introduction On 25 October 2022, the Singapore Management University Yon...

19/12/2022

The Academic Publications Digest for January to June 2022 can be viewed here.

30/11/2022

On 31 August 2022, the Centre for Commercial Law in Asia (“CCLA”) at the Singapore Management University (“SMU”) Yong Pung How School of Law hosted a conference titled “Sustainable Banking and Financial Regulation in Asia: Principles, Practice and Innovation”. The conference was co-organised with the Herbert Smith Freehills China International Business & Economic Law (CIBEL) Centre of UNSW Sydney, and supported by the Chinese Journal of Comparative Law.

Introduction On 31 August 2022, the Centre for Commercial Law in Asia (&...

30/11/2022

On 30 September 2022, the Singapore Management University Yong Pung How School of Law (“SMU YPHSOL”) organised and hosted the webinar “Global Faculty Forum: Indo-Pacific Strategies and International Law”. Funded by the EU Jean Monnet Chair programme and the Korea Foundation, the webinar sought to explain the convergence of Indo-Pacific strategies by the United States (“US”), European Union (“EU”), and Association of Southeast Asian Nations (“ASEAN”) from a legal perspective that focuses on international trade and sustainable development.

Introduction On 30 September 2022, the Singapore Management University Y...

28/03/2022

Rachael Seow (LLB 4 candidate, Faculty of Law, National University of Singapore); Justin Tan (Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Law, National University of Singapore): It is commonplace for statutes to give executive bodies the discretion to grant, withhold or set conditions for obtaining certain benefits provided by the statute. This contribution argues that not all discretions are created equal; instead, the provision conferring such discretion must always be carefully examined to delimit the boundaries of such discretion. It also offers some thoughts on the precedent fact doctrine outside of the judicial review context. We advance these two points through an examination of three tax cases where the discretion of the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (“IRAS”) was challenged by the taxpayer, successfully so in two of them.

Introduction It is commonplace for statutes to give executive bodies the...

14/01/2022

Ms Pulara Somachandra (Trainee Research Associate, SMU Centre for Commercial Law in Asia): On 23 November 2021, Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF) and the SMU Centre for Commercial Law in Asia hosted the Herbert Smith Freehills-SMU Asian Arbitration Lecture for the 12th year running. The virtual lecture drew more than 250 participants from over 20 jurisdictions.

The opening remarks were delivered by Ms Gitta Satryani (Partner, HSF) and Associate Professor Pasha Hsieh (Associate Dean (Faculty Matters & Research), SMU Yong Pung How School of Law). Following that, Dr Ula Cartwright-Finch (Managing Director, Cortex Capital), one of the world’s leading authorities on psychological factors in virtual hearings, delivered her lecture entitled ‘Witnesses and Webcams: The Psychology of Witness Evidence in a Virtual World’, in which she dissected how the virtual environment impacts the way we perceive other people (especially witnesses and their credibility) and how the different factors in the virtual environment change baseline behaviours and give rise to unethical conduct on the virtual stand.

On 23 November 2021, Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF) and the SMU Centre for Commercial Law in Asia ...

10/01/2022

Ms Pulara Somachandra (Trainee Research Associate, SMU Centre for Commercial Law in Asia): On 17 November 2021, Professor Daniel Martin Katz (Chicago-Kent College of Law) delivered the Jones Day Professorship of Commercial Law Lecture 2021 entitled ‘The Legal Innovation Agenda - Pre, During and Post COVID’. The online lecture drew over 360 registrants from more than 10 jurisdictions.

Associate Professor Pasha Hsieh (Associate Dean (Faculty Matters & Research), SMU Yong Pung How School of Law) gave the welcome remarks, following which the Honourable Justice Aedit Abdullah (Supreme Court of Singapore) delivered the opening address. In his Honour’s address, he noted that technology has challenged lawyers, academics and judges over the world to re-think the way they work and how they can better serve the interests of clients and the wider community of users and stakeholders within the legal system.

06/01/2022

Ms Pulara Somachandra (Trainee Research Associate, SMU Centre for Commercial Law in Asia): On 12 November 2021, the ASEAN Law Research Network at the SMU Centre for Commercial Law in Asia hosted the Conference on Sustainable Development and Commerce in ASEAN Cities.

This one-day virtual conference saw around 80 participants joining from 16 jurisdictions. The discussions were organised along different themes, featuring one industry panel and three academic panels. The conference was brought to a conclusion with a keynote speech by Professor Rafael Leal-Arcas (Queen Mary University of London).

06/01/2022

Ms Pulara Somachandra (Trainee Research Associate, SMU Centre for Commercial Law in Asia): The 2021 edition of the Dentons Rodyk Dialogue was themed ‘Sustainability and Innovation for a More Resilient Future’. The Guest of Honour was Ms Grace Fu, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment. The hybrid event had a small in-person audience and saw over 700 people from more than 20 countries signing up for the Dialogue virtually.

The 2021 edition of the Dentons Rodyk Dialogue was themed ‘Sustainability and Innovation fo...

15/12/2021

Chang Wen Yee (LL.B. Candidate, Singapore Management University): Organised by the Centre for Commercial Law in Asia (“CCLA”) of the Singapore Management University (“SMU”) Yong Pung How School of Law, the 7th Asian International Economic Law Network (“AIELN”) conference took place on 9 and 10 December 2021. With a focus on Asia’s role in building a sustainable future, the online conference brought together leading academics and practitioners from across the globe. Over the course of six panels, a wide range of topics were raised, ranging from sustainable development, financial controls, to global health law in the wake of the pandemic, as well as dispute settlement in Asia. To round off the conference, Pasha Hsieh (Associate Dean, Faculty Matters and Research, SMU Yong Pung How School of Law) launched his monograph, New Asian Regionalism in International Economic Law, recently published by Cambridge University Press.

Organised by the Centre for Commercial Law in Asia (“CCLA”) of the Singapore Manageme...

22/10/2021

Samuel Chan (LL.B. Candidate, Singapore Management University): To explore the ever-growing impact of technology on corporate law, the Singapore Management University Law Academy, the Singapore Management University Centre for Commercial Law in Asia, and the University of Melbourne Centre for Corporate Law jointly organised a webinar on 11 October 2021 to discuss the increasing use of decentralized autonomous organisations (DAOs) and the associated legal and regulatory challenges. The event also marked the launch of the book, Technology and Corporate Law: How Innovation Shapes Corporate Activity (Elgar Publishing, 2021), edited by Andrew Godwin, Lee Pey Woan, and Rosemary Teele Langford.

https://singaporelawblog.sg/blog/article/273

14/09/2021

Ms Pulara Somachandra (Trainee Research Associate, SMU Centre for Commercial Law in Asia): On 6 September 2021, the Singapore Management University’s Centre for Commercial Law in Asia, in collaboration with Harry Elias Partnership LLP and the Singapore Mediation Centre, held the Singapore Mediation Lecture. The lecture was organised in hybrid format, with around 100 attendees in-person and over 200 viewing it online. The Singapore Mediation Lecture was a main highlight event of the Singapore Convention Week 2021.

Entitled “Freeze, Talk and Trade: 3 Principles of Inter-State Dispute Resolution”, the lecture was delivered by Professor Kishore Mahbubani, Distinguished Fellow at the Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore (NUS).

On 6 September 2021, the Singapore Management University’s Centre for Commercial Law in Asi...