The Singapore Management University (SMU) has established the new Yong Pung How Professorship in Law. This was made possible by a generous S$3 million endowed contribution by the Yong Shook Lin Trust. The late Mr Yong Shook Lin, who was himself a prominent lawyer, was the father of former Chief Justice Mr Yong Pung How. The prestigious professorship aims to advance the research and teaching of law in SMU by appointing an acclaimed legal luminary who will lend his expertise to the development of a leading undergraduate law curriculum. The Professorship will be awarded to a full-time law faculty of the SMU School of Law who is an eminent legal researcher of high international standing, a thought leader and expert in his or her area of legal pursuit, and a passionate teacher of the law. The appointed faculty will contribute to the building of the School of Law in research, teaching, faculty development, mentorship of younger law faculty, and conducting an annual Yong Pung How Distinguished Lecture Series. This is the largest donation to the SMU School of Law. The Professorship, which is tenable for three years, will be given out at the university's Convocation ceremony in August.

“The Yong Pung How Professorship in Law recognizes an accomplished faculty who has achieved a compelling stature of legal excellence. Such a scholar will be a star contribution to the SMU School of Law and will no doubt propel the school quickly to international standing. He or she will provide much gravitas and substance to legal research and teaching, and will be an asset to grooming SMU's new generation of law undergraduates who will have both solid legal foundation and a strong grasp of the workings of the financial world,” said Mr Yong Pung How, Chairman, SMU School of Law Advisory Board.

The David Marshall Prize for Top Student in Criminal Law is established in perpetuity with a S$50,000 endowed donation by several members of the Jewish community in Singapore spearheaded by Mr Joseph Grimberg. The other donors are Mr Harry Elias, Mr Frank Benjamin, Mr Victor Sassoon, Mr Joseph Benjamin, the estate of Jacob Ballas and the estate of Reuben Manasseh Meyer Trust. The award is named after the late Mr David Marshall to remember his illustrious career as a successful and top-notch criminal lawyer in Singapore. Mr David Marshall, who passed away in 1995, was the first elected Chief Minister of Singapore, a renowned criminal lawyer and diplomat. The award will recognise one outstanding full-time law undergraduate in SMU each year who tops his or her cohort in the ‘Criminal Law' course. The award consists of a cash prize of S$1,500 and a certificate.

The WongPartnership Prize for the Most Outstanding Law Graduate recognises the most outstanding graduating student from the School of Law each year. Given to the top law graduate of the cohort, the annual award comprises a S$5,000 cash prize, a certificate and medal. The prize is made possible by a S$25,000 term donation by WongPartnership, a leading Singapore law firm in corporate and commercial practice.

Two other subject awards – the Rodyk Corporate Law Award and the Rodyk Legal Research & Writing Award – provide recognition for the best law students for “Corporate Law” and “Legal Research & Writing” respectively. Each year, one law student will be selected for each award which comprises a S$1,500 cash prize and a certificate. Both prizes are made possible by a S$15,000 term donation by Rodyk & Davidson LLP, another leading Singapore law firm in corporate and commercial practice.

“The School of Law at SMU is very encouraged to have gathered the active and generous support of the legal profession. It marks a very good beginning for a new school set out to groom a new breed of legal professionals with practice-relevant legal knowledge, sensitivity to socio-economic dimensions of the business world and international exposure through business study missions. Senior practitioners of large law firms have endorsed our new approach to legal training and come forward with their support. The awards and book prizes will be a motivation for exceptional law students, spurring them to greater heights of academic excellence. We are currently in discussions with several other law firms who are keen to sponsor scholarships,” said Associate Professor Low Kee Yang, Interim Dean, School of Law, Singapore Management University.

SMU's new School of Law, which was established in January this year, has received 1,251 applications for 82 places in its pioneer intake of its four-year Bachelor of Laws degree programme, making the law programme 15 times oversubscribed. Of these, there are 466 applications for direct entry into the five-year double degree programme which gives students the opportunity to combine Law with one of SMU's existing degree programmes in Business Management, Accountancy, Economics, Social Science or Information Systems Management as a second degree. Among the applications, the two most popular double degree combinations with the Bachelor of Laws are Law / Accountancy and Law / Business Management. Quality of applicants for the School of Law is high with 67% of ‘A' level applicants scoring ABB or better in their results. A substantially high number (32%) of ‘A' level applicants scored AAA or better in their results. Classes for the new School of Law commence in August.