Singapore, 22 February 2017 (Wednesday) - The Singapore Management University (SMU) announced today that it has appointed Associate Professor Goh Yihan as the new Dean of the SMU School of Law (SOL), following an extensive and rigorous global search that started in September 2016.  Associate Professor Goh, who is currently the Associate Dean (Research) at SOL, will succeed Professor Yeo Tiong Min S.C. (Hon) as Dean of SOL from 1 July 2017 for a five-year term.  Professor Yeo will remain in the law school as Yong Pung How Chair Professor of Law after standing down from his role as Dean.

SMU Provost Professor Lily Kong, who led the international search for the new SOL Dean, said, "On behalf of the SMU community, I would like to express our appreciation to Professor Yeo Tiong Min for his tremendous commitment, able leadership and immense contributions.  Professor Yeo has been instrumental in developing SOL into a leading law school in Singapore and in Asia.  Besides building the School into one that distinguishes itself in producing excellent graduates who are well sought-after in the market, he also spearheaded the establishment of the Centre for Cross-Border Business Law in Asia (CEBCLA) and the Applied Research Centre for Intellectual Assets and the Law in Asia (ARCIALA) in 2014 and 2015 respectively – both of which are set to make significant contribution to legal research in this part of the world.”

“Associate Professor Goh has had an impressive career.  In him we have a new Dean who brings a deep understanding and knowledge of the School and Singapore law, as well as strong networks and familiar ties with the legal community.  His admirable maturity and conviction, and his passionate commitment to developing legal education will be a great inspiration for his students and colleagues. Celebrating its 10 years of establishment this year, the SMU School of Law is at a pivotal point of its development.  I am confident that Associate Professor Goh will build upon the good work of Professor Yeo to strengthen SMU School of Law’s global reputation and advance the School to even greater heights of excellence and contribution,” she added.

Associate Professor Goh brings to this deanery role an outstanding blend of academic and research achievements, and immensely valued legal experience.  A prolific researcher, he has published widely in his fields of expertise, such as contract and torts law.  His work has been relied upon by the courts in Singapore and Malaysia on multiple occasions in the course of their decision-making.  He is also the co-editor of the book Singapore Law – 50 Years in the Making, which was published to commemorate the 50^th anniversary of Singapore’s independence and was launched by Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon at an event in 2015.  In 2013, in recognition of his invaluable contributions to the development and advancement of Singapore law, he became the youngest recipient of the pentennial Singapore Academy of Law Singapore Law Merit Award.

Associate Professor Goh is a well-recognised and active expert in the Singapore legal profession, with various professional appointments including being a board member of the Singapore Institute of Legal Education and the Singapore Judicial College respectively, amicus curiae before the Singapore Court of Appeal and the Singapore High Court, a professional fellow at the Attorney-General’s Chambers, and a Visiting Academic at Rajah & Tann Singapore LLP.  He is also an award-winning teacher, and has received six teaching awards in his eight-year teaching career.  Most recently, he received the SMU School of Law Most Promising Teacher Award in 2015 and the SMU School of Law Most Outstanding Teacher Award in 2016.  In 2016, he was also nominated for the University’s annual Innovative Teacher Award.

On the appointment, Dean-designate of SMU SOL, Associate Professor Goh, said, “It is an honour to succeed Professor Yeo, who has dedicated himself selflessly to the Deanship for the past five years.  Indeed, I am privileged to be given the opportunity to lead the SMU School of Law as it enters a pivotal point of its history 10 years after its initial establishment.  Together with our colleagues, students and alumni, as well as our external stakeholders, we now have an exciting opportunity to bring our School to its next phase of development.  To do this, we must not only look to improve existing strengths.  Instead, we must be bold and forward-looking, and seize opportunities to be thought leaders in research and professional fields that may not exist today.  But above all, we will always be committed to producing law graduates who will excel in legal practice, or whichever field they choose to commit themselves to, in today’s world and that of the future.”

About Associate Professor Goh Yihan

Associate Professor Goh obtained his LL.B. (First Class Honours) in 2006 from the National University of Singapore on a University Undergraduate Scholarship where he graduated as a top student in 2006, and subsequently obtained a LL.M. from Harvard University in 2010.  He was the recipient of several academic awards in the course of his studies, including the Adrian Clark Memorial Medal, the Lee Kuan Yew Gold Medal and the B.A. Mallal Moot Prize (Best Oralist and Best Memorial).

Prior to joining academia, Associate Professor Goh was an Assistant Registrar, the Senior Justices’ Law Clerk and a Justices’ Law Clerk at the Singapore Supreme Court.  He started his academic career at the National University of Singapore and then joined SMU as Associate Professor in 2014.  He was appointed Associate Dean (Research) in 2016.

At SMU, he received the SMU School of Law Most Promising Teacher Award in 2015 and the SMU School of Law Most Outstanding Teacher Award in 2016.  In 2016, he was a nominee for the SMU Innovative Teacher Award.

Associate Professor Goh is a prolific researcher and his focus is primarily on the law of contract and torts, with a secondary interest in the principles of statutory interpretation and the legal process. He has published numerous books, chapters and journal articles internationally and in Singapore, which have been cited on multiple occasions by the Singapore courts and the Federal Court of Malaysia. In recognition of his invaluable contributions to the development and advancement of Singapore law, he became the youngest recipient of the pentennial Singapore Academy of Law Singapore Law Merit Award in 2013.

Apart from his academic activities, Associate Professor Goh is also active in the Singapore legal profession. Amongst his various appointments, he is a board member of the Singapore Institute of Legal Studies and the Singapore Judicial College respectively. He has been appointed amicus curiae before the Singapore Court of Appeal and the Singapore High Court. He is also a Visiting Academic at Rajah & Tann Singapore LLP and a Professorial Fellow at the Attorney-General's Chambers Academy. He is periodically consulted by law firms in his areas of expertise, and has appeared before the Court of Appeal as instructed counsel.

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