SINGAPORE: A new state-of-the-art law library at the Singapore Management University (SMU) has been named after late founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew’s wife and lawyer Madam Kwa Geok Choo.
This was unveiled together with the college’s new School of Law building on Wednesday (Mar 15).
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said his mother “would have been proud to have a law library named after her”.
Mr Lee recalled how his mother was a “good and patient mentor” to her pupils and a pioneer of work-life balance in Singapore in the 1980s. She declared a five-day work week for all married female lawyers in her firm, when five-and-a-half-day weeks were the norm, so they could take care of their families, he said.
Overlooking Fort Canning and the city, the Kwa Geok Choo Law Library will house a digital collection which will serve not only the SMU community, but also “the entire legal fraternity in Singapore and beyond”, SMU chairman Ho Kwon Ping said at the ceremony.
“It is expressed architecturally as a sculptural dome to represent an inspirational beacon that seeks to illuminate the lives and minds of those who draw upon the library’s centuries of legal knowledge. It is also symbolic of a moral compass to remind students of the importance of ethical principles, truth and justice in society,” Mr Ho added.
NEW LAW BUILDING YEARS IN MAKING
SMU’s new School of Law building was completed in December last year, nearly six years after it was planned.
Spanning 23,000sqm, the building has facilities like seminar rooms, multifunctional and breakout spaces, project rooms and a rooftop garden. The SMU Pro Bono Centre was also relocated there.
It also boasts a “moot court”, a mock court where law students can practice arguing cases. Named after Singapore’s first Chief Minister David Marshall, it is the country’s first moot court with an open concept, featuring flexible furniture and movable walls.
The new building’s location at the junction of Armenian Street, Stamford Road and Fort Canning Link was where the old National Library stood before it was demolished.
The public can travel between Armenian Street and Stamford Green through the school’s public pedestrian accessway.
LAW PROFESSION BEING “DISRUPTED” TOO
In his speech, Mr Lee cautioned that the law profession was “changing and is being disrupted” like other sectors of the economy.
For instance, he said, routine legal tasks are being automated and international law firms are tapping on data science to analyse registries and answer legal questions. These advancements will change the way law is practised, and lawyers will need different skills to add value, he added.
“Our law schools will have to keep their curricula up-to-date … to produce lawyers who are prepared for the demands of the new working environment.”
Mr Lee said the Government was helping the legal profession adapt to these changes. For example, a S$2.8 million Tech Start for Law programme was launched by the Law Ministry, the Law Society of Singapore and SPRING Singapore last month to improve the productivity of small- and medium-sized law firms through technology.
The prime minister added that there were opportunities being created for firms and lawyers in Singapore and abroad.
“Companies all around the region are looking for venues where they can resolve disputes through arbitration or litigation or mediation and Singapore is the natural choice,” he said, adding that Singapore was also working to become the debt restructuring hub of Asia.
“We are already one of the top five seats of arbitration in the world,” he added.
