SMU Yong Pung How School of Law

extends congratulations to our faculty and staff recipients of the National Day Awards 2026. The National Day Awards recognise various forms of merit and service to Singapore.

This year, three members of our YPHSL community were honoured:

𝗟𝗢𝗡𝗚 𝗦𝗘𝗥𝗩𝗜𝗖𝗘 𝗠𝗘𝗗𝗔𝗟
• Associate Professor of Law Pearlie Koh Ming Choo

𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗠𝗘𝗗𝗔𝗟
• Mr Siow Junhao. Assistant Director, Strategic Development and Plans

𝗘𝗙𝗙𝗜𝗖𝗜𝗘𝗡𝗖𝗬 𝗠𝗘𝗗𝗔𝗟
• Mr Adrian John Neo. Lead, Law Communications; Outreach & Admissions, and Alumni Affairs

We are indeed proud to celebrate their achievements and express our sincere appreciation for their dedicated service and contributions to SMU, legal education, and Singapore’s continued growth and development.

congratulates Assoc Prof Liu Nengye on being invited by the European Commission Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DG MARE) to join the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Informal Expert Group.

The BBNJ Informal Expert Group is an international network of scientific, legal, policy, and technical experts, as well as BBNJ delegates from across regions and disciplines. It was established to provide independent, evidence-based, and transparent expertise to support official negotiations under the Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction.

As preparations advance towards BBNJ COP1 in January 2027, the group will contribute expertise to help inform negotiations in a transparent manner for the benefit of all delegations. Assoc Prof Liu’s appointment reflects his recognised expertise in international environmental law and ocean governance, and underscores ’s continued contributions to important global conversations on sustainability, biodiversity, and the rule of law.

Find out more here: https://www.un.org/bbnjagreement/en

AND WE’RE BACK! 💜

Welcome to a new academic year and semester at ! A big 𝑯𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒐 to our freshies and incoming exchange students, and 𝑾𝒆𝒍𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝑩𝒂𝒄𝒌 to our returning students and faculty!

Yes, it’s back to squeezy lifts, crowded Commons, morning caffeine runs, Fort Canning sunshine, KGC mugging sessions, and chasing those elusive GPAs. But more than that, we hope this semester brings new friendships, good memories, and plenty of moments worth remembering.

To those heading off on exchange 🌏… Go touch some grass, explore, make friends, and live your best life. We’ll see you back here soon!

Seven of our graduates have been accepted into the next run of the Justices’ Law Clerk Programme: Benjamin Bay, Natasha Lim, Rachel Pary, Owen Phua, Aretha Quek, Raelee Toh, and Zavier Wu.

Apart from their academic excellence, the achievements among them include:
* Jessup moot world champion and Best Oralist
* Lachs moot regional and world champions and Best Oralists
* International Criminal Court moot world championship finalist
* Price moot world championship finalist and Best Oralist
* Stetson moot regional champion and Best Oralist
* IBA-VIAC CDRC world champion for negotiation
* Editors-in-chief of Lexicon: An SMU Law Student Publication

also congratulates Raelee for completing her LLM at Cambridge. She graduated with first class honours and winner of the Faculty of Law Prize for International Law, Climate Change, and the Environment, as well as the Foundress Prize and Foundation Award.


SMU Alumni

was pleased to host Dr. Stefanus Hendrianto from Creighton University School of Law for a thought-provoking discussion of his book, 𝘋𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘙𝘶𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘓𝘢𝘸 𝘪𝘯 𝘐𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘢, chaired by SMUYPHSL’s Prof Maartje De Visser.

Exploring Indonesia’s democratic development through the lens of republican and electoral democracy, Dr. Hendrianto examined the country’s post-authoritarian experience and the role of institutions, laws and norms in sustaining political participation, equality and nondomination.

The conversation also considered some of the challenges facing the world’s third-largest democracy, including political polarisation, institutional instability and the relationship between democracy and the rule of law. Drawing on law, politics, philosophy and history, the session offered a rich opportunity to reflect on democracy and constitutionalism in Indonesia and across Asia.

We thank Dr. Hendrianto for an engaging and insightful exchange, and for sharing his perspectives on the evolving relationship between democracy and the rule of law in the region.

Our Class of 2026 celebrated their major milestone on 30 July, and we’re thrilled to bring you some of the highlights from the day! From proud smiles to celebratory moments, here are some snapshots to remember the occasion. 📸

But wait, there’s more! Keep watching this space — our Commencement 2026 videos are coming soon!



SMU Alumni

Designed to help incoming students take their first steps into legal education with confidence, Law Kickstarter is SMU Yong Pung How School of Law's flagship professional and academic orientation programme. Through engaging sessions with faculty, legal practitioners and senior students, freshmen are introduced not only to the study of law, but also to the culture, expectations and vibrant community that will shape their journey at SMU Law.

The two-day programme culminated in one of SMU Law's most meaningful traditions—the Law Student Ethics Pledge and Badge Pinning Ceremony. In the presence of their families, loved ones and distinguished members of the legal profession—for the first time—freshmen began by reciting the Law Student Ethics Pledge, affirming their commitment to uphold the integrity, professionalism and ethical values that define the legal profession. This was followed by the Badge Pinning Ceremony, where freshmen were officially inducted into the school, marking the start of their journey as members of the SMU Law community.

The school was privileged to have Mr Edwin Tong SC, Minister for Law and Second Minister for Home Affairs, grace the ceremony as our Guest of Honour. Speaking to our incoming freshmen, Mr Tong shared that while the practice of law will continue to evolve, the qualities that define a lawyer remain constant. Beyond technical excellence, he encouraged students to build careers grounded in integrity, ethical judgment and professionalism—qualities that inspire confidence, earn trust and uphold the rule of law.

In her closing remarks, Dean Prof Lee Pey Woan encouraged our freshmen to view the Law Student Ethics Pledge not simply as a ceremonial tradition, but as a lifelong commitment to integrity, professionalism and personal responsibility. Prof Lee also gently reminded students that while AI will become an important part of legal education, it should always remain a tool—not a replacement for curiosity, discipline or taking ownership of their own learning—and reassured them that the community will be there to support them every step of the way.

Once again, we are indeed grateful to Minister Tong, for taking the time to engage with our freshmen and share personal anecdotes and words of encouragement. We also extend our appreciation to our distinguished alumni who returned to be part of the Badge Pinning Ceremony. Their presence made the occasion especially meaningful, as they welcomed the next generation of SMU Law students who will begin what promises to be an exciting and transformative journey at .

Read more at
The Straits Times: https://bit.ly/45SpI0F
SMU Newsroom: https://news.smu.edu.sg/news/2026/08/08/smu-law-school-welcomes-incoming-cohort-badge-pinning-ceremony

SMU Law Kickstarter 2026 Organising Committee
Prithvi Narayan. Sriram Palaniappan. Jessica Fan. Ryan Wee. Theng Kai Wen.
Phoebe Raelyn Quek. Adela Ong

Last Friday, Daniel Sum, Joshua Tan, Natasha Lim, and Owen Phua represented at the gala premiere of Anthony Chen's 𝑊𝑒 𝐴𝑟𝑒 𝐴𝑙𝑙 𝑆𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒𝑟𝑠. The film, which competed for the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival, was partly shot at our David Marshall Moot Court: https://lnkd.in/gYRVm5dE.

Since opening its doors less than ten years ago, our moot court has been the training ground for many of our world champion mooters in major competitions such as the Jessup, Vis East, ICC, Lachs, Price, and Frankfurt. It has now also bore witness to cinematic history, serving as a canvass for a globally acclaimed film.

Many thanks to .pictures for the invitation!