Most Recent Articles
SMU Lexicon: The Basics of Bankruptcy in Singapore
Reading Time: 7 minutesMoney, money, money, must be funny, in the rich man’s world.[1] Introduction For a potential bankrupt, the notion of “money” is far from funny. Indeed, it is his very lifeblood – the source of both his worry and glee. To bring some assurance and clarity to persons who may have concerns about imminent bankruptcy, this […]
Know Your Lawyer: Cephas Yee, Partner at Aquinas Law Alliance, deems creative problem solving essential for effective lawyering.
Reading Time: 5 minutesCephas vividly remembers a time when he acted on behalf of a wealthy businessman. His business partner had backed out of the deal at the last minute. Upset, the businessman had engaged Cephas to help him recover his monetary losses from the other party. However, after taking the case, Cephas got the feeling that it […]
SMU Lexicon: Product Liability In Singapore — Knowing Your Rights As A Consumer
Reading Time: 6 minutesIntroduction Imagine that it is haze season, and you buy an air-purifier to help you and your family through the days of smoke ahead. However, only a few days after its purchase, the air-purifier stops working. To make things worse, the seller refuses to provide a refund. As a consumer, what legal recourse do you […]
SMU Lexicon: Winning but not Winning — Sharing Lottery Winnings In The Event of a Divorce (BOI v BOJ [2019] 2 SLR 114)
Reading Time: 6 minutesIntroduction Striking the lottery usually calls for celebration. However, for lottery winners who have not had quite the same fortune in their marriage and are contemplating a divorce, perhaps the celebrations should not start just yet. In the recent decision of BOI v BOJ (“BOI”),[1] the apex court clarified that lottery winnings received during a […]
Know Your Lawyer: Angelia Thng, Partner at Braddell Brothers, On Imposter Syndrome And Fear Of The Unknown
Reading Time: 4 minutesWhen Angelia’s boss first told Angelia that he wanted to promote her to the role of Partner, her first response was, “Are you crazy?” Although she had already been an Associate at Braddell Brothers for more than four years by that point, Angelia still didn’t feel ready to assume the responsibility of being a partner. […]
SMU Lexicon: Doxxing in Singapore – Laws and Remedies
Reading Time: 7 minutesIntroduction In an Internet-empowered age, it is increasingly common for public disputes and ungracious behaviour to be dealt with by a ferocious online mob. Often, social justice is exacted through online vigilantism and doxxing. Doxxing occurs when a person publishes the personal or identifying information of others online.[1] Doxxing results in grave consequences. Information posted […]
Know Your Lawyer: Adrian Tan, Partner at TSMP, On Why The Law Is A Society’s Operating System
Reading Time: 5 minutesNovelist, stand-up comedian, friend-for-hire — these are all names that Adrian Tan has been known by. However, his most profitable gig might actually be moonlighting as a lawyer. It is in his capacity as a lawyer that I am interviewing him today. At 3 o’clock, he waltzes into the conference room at TSMP with his […]
SMU Lexicon: Damages For Defamation — How Are They Assessed?
Reading Time: 6 minutesIntroduction Rome wasn’t built in a day, but it sure burned in one. No wonder then, that defamation is treated seriously – a person’s reputation takes ages to build, yet a single incident, a statement in a newspaper, a remark in a magazine, or even a seemingly innocuous comment online is enough to ruin it. […]
SMU Lexicon: An Overview of Defamation
Reading Time: 9 minutesThis article was co-authored by Samantha Ee and Sonia Elizabeth Rajendra, students from Singapore Management University, School of Law (Class of 2021). Introduction Of all the weapons man could invent, the most terrible – and the most powerful – was the word.[1] In today’s digital era, statements made on social media can be easily shared, […]
Know Your Lawyer: Clarence Lun, Managing Director of Fervent Chambers LLC, Is A Protector Of Reputations
Reading Time: 5 minutesHere’s something that you probably didn’t know about Clarence Lun: he used to be an elite runner. Clarence once ran at the highest echelons of distance running and hoped to one day represent Singapore. But while a serious knee injury might have dashed his SEA Games dreams, he remains deeply involved in the sporting world—albeit […]
SMU Lexicon: Protection from the Peeping Tom – Interpreting the New Offence of Voyeurism
Reading Time: 18 minutesIntroduction A series of voyeurism incidents on university campuses in 2019,[1] as well as recent news of Telegram chat groups set up to share obscene images,[2] have highlighted the prevalence of these offences[3] and the need for the law to catch up. Following the passing of the Criminal Law Reform Act 2019,[4] such situations will […]
SMU Lexicon: Airplane Accidents – Understanding your rights under Article 17(1) and 21(1) of the Montreal Convention
Reading Time: 8 minutes“People who board planes are not afraid of flying. They are afraid of not flying.” – Winne Micah. Introduction October 29, 2018. Flight 610, Lion Air smashes into the Java Sea off Indonesia, killing all 189 souls aboard.[1] This is swiftly followed by Flight 302, Ethiopian Airlines, which crashes in Bishoftu, Ethiopia.[2] Again, no survivors […]
Personal
SMU Lexicon: The Basics of Bankruptcy in Singapore
Reading Time: 7 minutesMoney, money, money, must be funny, in the rich man’s world.[1] Introduction For a potential bankrupt, the notion of “money” is far from funny. Indeed, it is his very lifeblood – the source of both his worry and glee. To bring some assurance and clarity to persons who may have concerns about imminent bankruptcy, this […]
Business
Know Your Lawyer: Joshua Tan, Partner at Aquinas Law Alliance, Believes That Law Is A Business
Reading Time: 6 minutesLaw is a business. This is one of the first things Joshua shares with me, just three minutes into our interview. Two or three decades earlier, this matter-of-fact utterance would have raised eyebrows and blood pressures, and sent senior lawyers within earshot spewing diatribes in defence of the sanctity of the legal profession. But to […]
Most Common and Confusing Legal Words (Legalese) Explained Simply 
“Traditional” vs. “Design and Build” Contracts: What’s the Difference? 
Pornography: How Legal is it in Singapore? 
9 Key Steps to Setting Up Business in Malaysia 
What’s the difference between advocates, solicitors, barristers, counsels, notaries, lawyers and att... 
Breaking your rental lease early in Singapore 
Media Law 101: Do you need permission to take photos? 
Know Your Lawyer: Clarence Lun, Managing Director of Fervent Chambers LLC, Is A Protector Of Reputat... 
Void or Voidable Contracts: What’s The Difference? 
What freelancers and self-employed need to know about the law in Singapore
