The growing concern over online harms has become a pressing issue both internationally and within Singapore, leading to a heightened sense of urgency among governments to find effective regulatory solutions. In Singapore, there appears to be a shift towards holding internet intermediaries more accountable for the content on their platforms. This article contends that relying heavily on intermediary liability may not be the most viable or effective strategy in the long run. Instead, it suggests alternative strategies that could offer a more equitable and balanced framework for regulating online ..read more

Pitfalls of Lease Renewal Clauses A recent case in the High Court has provided new insights into the law concerning lease renewals. This article discusses how to approach reviewing lease agreements, with focus on drafting lease renewal clauses and with reference to some of the fundamental principles undergirding contractual interpretation in Singapore. It concludes by examining some practical nuances specific to drafting lease renewal clauses. Introduction and Summary The precise language of a lease renewal clause can mean the difference between years of onerous and binding contractual obligat ..read more

Answers from the Present and Questions for the Future This article examines the law on when directors’ fiduciary duties to act in the best interests of the company are modified to require the interests of creditors to be considered. Through the lens of recent cases in Singapore and the UK, it is argued that the normative justifications for this duty, as well as existing case law, shed much light on the content of this duty and its relationship with other areas of liability for directors. When – and to what extent – are directors of financially distressed companies obliged to consider or even a ..read more

“What you do have is my word. And it’s stronger than oak” Jerry Maguire (1996) In a recent disciplinary case,1Law Society of Singapore v Ezekiel Peter Latimer (“Ezekiel Peter Latimer”) (2024) SGHC 90. the Court of Three Judges reminded lawyers of the fundamental principles underlying the giving of a solicitor’s undertaking. This article summarises these principles and highlights the ramifications of furnishing a solicitor’s undertaking. The Case A solicitor asked his client whether she would be interested in becoming a director of a company but did not disclose that the company was involved ..read more

In recent years, the legal industry has experienced notable transformation with the emergence of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) based on large language model (LLM) systems such as ChatGPT, Bard, Bing and Copilot. These and other similar LLM tools present exciting prospects for streamlining legal research and creating documents. While GenAI holds great potential for enhancing legal practice, its integration requires careful consideration. This article discusses the legal and regulatory implications of using LLM tools in legal practice. What is a Large Language Model (LLM) Software ..read more

The birth of this column in April 2002 was intended to introduce lawyers and former lawyers who had delved into other areas outside of law. With the passage of time, I then explored the issues relating to the life of lawyers. Twenty-two years later, I have entered into the 28th year of my law practice. There was no meticulous planning as to how I got to this stage. For readers of this column, you will recall that I kept talking about passion being the centre of life. Finding the passion of practising family law in a holistic manner 24 years ago and continuing to love it is the secret of my pro ..read more

A Keynote by Pia Andrews Conversations from CLAWCON 2023 From 12 to 14 July 2023, the Singapore Management University’s Centre for Computational Law (SMU CCLAW) hosted the 1st Edition of the Computational Law Conference (CLAWCON), at the SMU Connexion Event Square. The inaugural conference was structured around the theme of “Computational Law + Symbolic AI + Industry Adoption challenges, issues, and real-world implementations”. This article distils the key points from Pia Andrews’s keynote on the topic of “Government-Citizen Interactions & Computational Law”. Overarching Thesis: A “Shared ..read more

Each year thousands of Singaporeans move abroad to pursue education opportunities at universities around the globe. Some of the top destinations Singaporeans choose to study include Australia, United States, and United Kingdom. It is estimated that the number of Singaporeans studying in the U.S. exceeded 4,400 in 2022.1https://opendoorsdata.org/data/international-students/all-places-of-origin/ The U.S. remains an attractive option for Singaporean students. Before committing to studying in the U.S., it is important to consider an often overlook topic – taxes. The U.S. has a complex system of ta ..read more

Most of us in the legal fraternity would be familiar with the story of how Lyn Lee, who graduated from NUS Law in 1996, went on to establish Awfully Chocolate, which is now found all over Singapore and whose products may be found on supermarket shelves in the region. But not many of us would know that Sinpopo, which was first opened in Katong – and as an ode to Katong – in 2013, was also the brainchild of Lyn Lee. Having spent most of my childhood and teenage years in the East Coast, the suburbs of Katong and Joo Chiat hold fond memories, steeped in the Peranakan heritage. I have always enjoye ..read more

Conversations from CLAWCON 2023 From 12 to 14 July 2023, the Singapore Management University’s Centre for Computational Law (SMU CCLAW) hosted the 1st Edition of the Computational Law Conference (CLAWCON). The inaugural conference was structured around the theme of “Computational Law + Symbolic AI + Industry Adoption challenges, issues, and real-world implementations”. CLAWCON’s programme had a diverse mix of industry discussions (e.g. What computer scientists and lawyers ought to know about each other’s domains, What a “law-department-of-the-future” might look like?), academic insights (e.g ..read more