Singapore Management University's (SMU) Yong Pung How School of Law (YPHSL) welcomed its newest cohort of law students at the Law Kickstarter 2026 Ethics Pledge and Badge-Pinning Ceremony on 4 August, marking the culmination of a two-day orientation programme that gives incoming students their first academic and practical introduction to the study of law.
It is the first time the ceremony opened its doors to freshmen's families and loved ones, drawing about 500 family members, who joined about 230 incoming Bachelor of Laws (LLB) and Juris Doctor (JD) students for this momentous occasion.
The student-led event began with a welcome address by Prithvi Narayan, President of the Law Kickstarter 2026 committee, before Mr Edwin Tong SC, Minister for Law and Second Minister for Home Affairs, delivered the ceremony's opening address as the Guest-of-honour. Freshmen then recited the Law Student Ethics Pledge, committing to uphold their personal and professional values as they begin their legal education. This was followed by the badge-pinning ceremony, with Minister Tong as well as participating faculty and alumni pinning badges on the incoming cohort.
A noble profession, entered at a pivotal time
In his address, Minister Tong spoke of law as a noble profession defined not just by service to clients, but by broader duties to the court and to the administration of justice, and by the trust that underpins it. He noted that this year's freshmen begin their legal education as Singapore commemorates the bicentennial of the Second Charter of Justice, which introduced the English common law system to Singapore 200 years ago and laid the foundations of its legal system.
Minister Tong pointed to the scale of change the profession has seen since he himself entered law school 35 years ago, citing Singapore's legal services exports, which grew from S$231 million in 2003 to S$1.75 billion last year, as the profession has moved from largely domestic practice to regional and global work.
Addressing the concerns that AI may replace lawyers or significantly reshape legal work as well as those following the recent Legal Profession Sustainability Report, he pointed to ongoing discussions by the Singapore Academy of Law, the Judiciary, the Law Society of Singapore and industry leaders to find viable solutions together.
Minister Tong left the freshmen with five pieces of advice for their journey ahead: to find their sense of purpose in the profession; to build community with their peers and seniors; to step outside the classroom and seek varied, hands-on experience; to embrace technology without ever outsourcing their judgement or empathy; and to hold fast to the ethics and values of the profession, since character, more than technical excellence, is ultimately what defines a lawyer.
"Those are the moments that define you. Not the deals you closed. Not the cases you won. Not the number of billable hours you recorded. But the choices you made when doing the right thing came at a personal cost," he said, of the moments in a legal career that test one's integrity.
In her closing remarks, Professor Lee Pey Woan, Dean of YPHSL, reflected on the significance of the pledge the freshmen had just recited. "Integrity and professionalism are not cultivated overnight. They are the culmination of daily small decisions: how you prepare for class, how you work with your peers, how you respond under pressure, how you disagree with others, and how you treat the vulnerable," she said.
"I very much hope you will keep faith with the pledge in all situations. The going will get tough, but my colleagues and I are here to support and journey with you," she added.
Here are more moments from 4 August 2026, a day that marked the start of the cohort's legal education journey at SMU, captured in the smiles, pride and camaraderie of the occasion.
