SMU Dean of the School of Law Professor Goh Yihan has been appointed as Senior Counsel (SC). He was among three individuals appointed as Senior Counsel this year at the Opening Ceremony of the Legal Year 2021.  The Senior Counsel scheme, which started in 1997, is the Singapore equivalent of Britain's Queen's Counsel appointment.

As Senior Counsel, Prof Goh joins an elite group of lawyers recognised for possessing an outstanding ability as advocates, extensive knowledge of the law and the highest professional standing.  Also appointed at the Ceremony were Ms Kristy Tan of the Attorney-General’s Chambers and Mr Abraham Vergis, Managing Director of Providence Law Asia, bringing the number of Senior Counsels in Singapore to 91.

“I am honoured and privileged to be appointed SC. I am grateful for all the support that SMU has given me, as well as the guidance that mentors have so generously provided me with in my career. This is also a timely reminder that we are merely stewards of all good things that are given to us, and that we should use these for the betterment of others in the community. I will certainly try my best to pay it forward in the course of my work at SMU, and to the greater legal community at large,” said Prof Goh.

Before entering academia, Professor Goh served as a Justices' Law Clerk and later became Singapore’s first-ever Senior Justices' Law Clerk at the Supreme Court of Singapore, and concurrently Assistant Registrar at the Supreme Court in 2008.

Prof Goh joined SMU in 2014 and was appointed Dean of the School of Law in 2017.  Under his leadership, the School set up a Law and Technology Advisory Council to provide advice and support to the School with an aim to enhance legal education and research in Law & Technology.  The School also launched the Centre of AI and Data Governance in 2018 and the Centre for Computation Law in 2020. The Singapore International Dispute Resolution Academy also shifted to SMU in 2019.

In addition to his role in SMU, he is a Vice President (ex-officio) of the Singapore Academy of Law, and sits on the boards of the Singapore Institute of Legal Education and the Singapore Judicial College, and has been appointed amicus curiae to the Singapore Court of Appeal and High Court on multiple occasions.

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Media coverage: The Straits Times; Business Times; 联合早报;  Channel NewsAsia