<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR>Jaya receives top honour <!--10 min-->
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><TR>For stellar work on legal system, he becomes 5th person to hold the title </TR><!-- Author --><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Sujin Thomas
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Professor S. Jayakumar being lauded at the inaugural Singapore Academy of Law Awards held at the Four Seasons Hotel yesterday. Also present were MM Lee Kuan Yew, Law Minister K. Shanmugam and former chief justice Yong Pung How. -- SAMUEL HE/THE STRAITS TIMES
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"-->IN ONE of his first jobs as Law Minister in 1988, Professor S. Jayakumar helped set up a body which would advance and promote the practice of law in Singapore.
Yesterday, the Singapore Academy of Law (SAL), which he was instrumental in establishing, bestowed on him its highest honours.
<TABLE width=200 align=left valign="top"><TBODY><TR><TD class=padr8><!-- Vodcast --><!-- Background Story -->RELATED LINKS
<!-- Audio --><!-- Video --><!-- PDF -->
CLICK FOR SPEECH BY PROFESSOR S JAYAKUMAR
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</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Watched by 200 leading members of the legal fraternity, Prof Jayakumar became only the fifth person to receive the title of Honorary Member for Life and Fellow for Life by the academy.
Also present at the Four Seasons Hotel were Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew, Law Minister and Second Minister for Home Affairs K. Shanmugam and former chief justice Yong Pung How.
The title is bestowed on distinguished SAL members for outstanding contributions to the legal and judicial system and to the stature of the legal profession here.
The other four who have been honoured were MM Lee in 1990, former CJ Dr Wee Chong Jin and Dr David Marshall in 1991 and former CJ Yong last year.
Prof Jayakumar, who is now Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security, was lauded for his contributions to Singapore's legal system, both as an academic and as a policymaker.
He was admitted to the Bar in 1964 and taught at the Faculty of Law at the University of Singapore, becoming its dean in 1974. In 1988, he succeeded Mr E. W. Barker as Minister for Law and held the portfolio until April this year, making him one of the longest-serving law ministers in the Commonwealth.
During his tenure, he helped set up a second law school at the Singapore Management University and oversaw the formation of the ministry's two statutory boards. These were the Singapore Land Authority, which ensures optimal use of state land, and the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore, to build a robust IP landscape.
In his speech, Prof Jayakumar, 69, recalled how the very first Bill he moved in Parliament as law minister was the Singapore Academy of Law Bill, to set up the academy. He paid tribute to MM Lee, who was then the Prime Minister, as the prime mover behind its formation.
Prof Jayakumar said: 'He believed that the standards and values of the profession could be maintained if the judges and senior lawyers were to transmit these standards and values as mentors to a younger generation of lawyers.'
Eight individuals were also presented with the inaugural SAL Awards at yesterday's ceremony, which marked SAL's 20th anniversary.
Established in November 1988, SAL has more than 7,000 members. It aims to promote the advancement and dissemination of the laws and legal system, conduct research and disburse scholarships. It also promotes good relations and interaction among the legal community.
Prof Jayakumar said SAL needed to ensure that it kept pace with Singapore's ever-changing legal landscape. As an example, he mentioned the Government's recent move to allow foreign law firms to practise Singapore law by licence.
The academy has a vital role to play. He said: 'It still remains the only organisation which brings together all the different bodies in the legal fraternity.' [email protected]
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><TR>For stellar work on legal system, he becomes 5th person to hold the title </TR><!-- Author --><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Sujin Thomas
</TD></TR><!-- show image if available --><TR vAlign=bottom><TD width=330>
</TD><TD width=10>
Professor S. Jayakumar being lauded at the inaugural Singapore Academy of Law Awards held at the Four Seasons Hotel yesterday. Also present were MM Lee Kuan Yew, Law Minister K. Shanmugam and former chief justice Yong Pung How. -- SAMUEL HE/THE STRAITS TIMES
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"-->IN ONE of his first jobs as Law Minister in 1988, Professor S. Jayakumar helped set up a body which would advance and promote the practice of law in Singapore.
Yesterday, the Singapore Academy of Law (SAL), which he was instrumental in establishing, bestowed on him its highest honours.
<TABLE width=200 align=left valign="top"><TBODY><TR><TD class=padr8><!-- Vodcast --><!-- Background Story -->RELATED LINKS
<!-- Audio --><!-- Video --><!-- PDF -->
<!-- Photo Gallery -->
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Watched by 200 leading members of the legal fraternity, Prof Jayakumar became only the fifth person to receive the title of Honorary Member for Life and Fellow for Life by the academy.
Also present at the Four Seasons Hotel were Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew, Law Minister and Second Minister for Home Affairs K. Shanmugam and former chief justice Yong Pung How.
The title is bestowed on distinguished SAL members for outstanding contributions to the legal and judicial system and to the stature of the legal profession here.
The other four who have been honoured were MM Lee in 1990, former CJ Dr Wee Chong Jin and Dr David Marshall in 1991 and former CJ Yong last year.
Prof Jayakumar, who is now Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security, was lauded for his contributions to Singapore's legal system, both as an academic and as a policymaker.
He was admitted to the Bar in 1964 and taught at the Faculty of Law at the University of Singapore, becoming its dean in 1974. In 1988, he succeeded Mr E. W. Barker as Minister for Law and held the portfolio until April this year, making him one of the longest-serving law ministers in the Commonwealth.
During his tenure, he helped set up a second law school at the Singapore Management University and oversaw the formation of the ministry's two statutory boards. These were the Singapore Land Authority, which ensures optimal use of state land, and the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore, to build a robust IP landscape.
In his speech, Prof Jayakumar, 69, recalled how the very first Bill he moved in Parliament as law minister was the Singapore Academy of Law Bill, to set up the academy. He paid tribute to MM Lee, who was then the Prime Minister, as the prime mover behind its formation.
Prof Jayakumar said: 'He believed that the standards and values of the profession could be maintained if the judges and senior lawyers were to transmit these standards and values as mentors to a younger generation of lawyers.'
Eight individuals were also presented with the inaugural SAL Awards at yesterday's ceremony, which marked SAL's 20th anniversary.
Established in November 1988, SAL has more than 7,000 members. It aims to promote the advancement and dissemination of the laws and legal system, conduct research and disburse scholarships. It also promotes good relations and interaction among the legal community.
Prof Jayakumar said SAL needed to ensure that it kept pace with Singapore's ever-changing legal landscape. As an example, he mentioned the Government's recent move to allow foreign law firms to practise Singapore law by licence.
The academy has a vital role to play. He said: 'It still remains the only organisation which brings together all the different bodies in the legal fraternity.' [email protected]
