Law Society Annual Dinner 2024
On 1 November 2024, the Law Society of Singapore held its Annual Dinner at the Pan Pacific Singapore. We welcomed approximately 390 guests, and this year, we embraced the theme “Scary Decisis,” aiming to create a fun atmosphere where everyone could let their hair down and enjoy the night. Members arrived in their best Halloween costumes, setting the stage for a spooktacular evening.
President Lisa Sam giving her welcome remarks at the dinner
To enhance the festive spirit, we adorned the venue with Halloween decorations, set up a photobooth complete with fun accessories, and each table featured a Halloween pumpkin filled with treats. Not to be forgotten was our lucky draw segment, where winners took home exciting prizes, including Dyson vacuums sponsored by Marsh, a coffee machine sponsored by Huggs Coffee, and a stunning set of earrings sponsored by Set in Stone Ptd Ltd.
The evening also included our award segment, showcasing the prestigious C. C. Tan Award, which recognises a member of the Bar who upholds the highest ideals of the legal profession. We also presented the Pro Bono Ambassador Award, celebrating exceptional commitment to pro bono service, and the Sports Personality Award, which honours exemplary sportsmanship and contributions to the sporting fraternity for at least 10 years.
Senior Counsel Professor Tan Cheng Han receiving the C.C. Tan Award from President Lisa Sam
Senior Counsel Professor Tan Cheng Han had the honour of receiving the C. C. Tan Award. We also celebrated the unwavering spirit of volunteerism of Ms Viviene Sandhu, our Pro Bono Ambassador Award recipient for 2024/2025, and the exemplary sportsmanship of Ms Chan Lai-Foong, the recipient of the Sports Personality Award 2024. Huge congratulations to Viviene and Lai-Foong for their well-deserved wins!
Viviene Sandhu receiving the Pro Bono Ambassador Award 2024/2025 from Board Member of ProBono SG, Dinesh Dhillon
Chan Lai Foong receiving the Sports Personality Award from Co-Chairperson of the Sports Committee, Valmiki Nair
Guests also tested their knowledge by participating in an exciting quiz centered around the theme and essence of Halloween, diving into a variety of spooky questions that challenged their understanding of Halloween traditions, folklore, and pop culture.
In addition to the quiz, guests engaged in some fun table games that fostered a lively atmosphere filled with excitement.
Guests’ enthusiasm during selfie game
Guests trying to win the top prize for the table games
The programme also featured a best-dressed award for both males and females, with nominees taking to the catwalk to showcase their outfits. We applaud them for their spontaneous participation!
Best dressed male, Markus Fann from Clifford Law LLP, showing his self-made outfit
Finally, we extend our appreciation to our spooktacular emcee, Emcee Jacks, as well as to our amazing guests and generous silver sponsors, Success Wealth Management and Precepts Group International. Special thanks also to our Photobooth sponsor, Hanjan Pte Ltd, who all contributed to making our Annual Dinner an unforgettable event.
Citation for the Recipient of the C.C Tan Award 2024
Professor Tan Cheng Han, SC
The C. C. Tan Award, named after the first President of the Law Society of Singapore, Mr Tan Chye Cheng, recognises a member of the Bar who upholds the highest ideals of the legal profession, namely honesty, fair play, courtesy and personal integrity.
This year’s recipient, Senior Counsel Professor Tan Cheng Han, is deeply respected by his peers, colleagues, and students for his unwavering commitment to professionalism and fairness. Known for his calm demeanour and respectful treatment of opposing counsel, Professor Tan never resorts to aggression or discourtesy. Even in contentious situations, he avoids disparaging language, choosing instead to disagree based on reasoned arguments. His courteous and respectful approach, especially during cross-examinations, has earned him the admiration of opposing counsel, many of whom have later instructed him in future matters — a testament to the high regard in which he is held.
Professor Tan’s dedication to fair play extends to all aspects of his practice. He maintains strict standards for client transparency, firmly believing that full disclosure is essential to justice. His integrity is evident in his willingness to grant reasonable extensions to opposing parties, always ensuring that fairness prevails.
Professor Tan’s professionalism and cooperative spirit have also been recognised by the judiciary. In E C Investment Holding Pte Ltd v Ridout Residence Pte Ltd, Justice Quentin Loh commended Professor Tan and his fellow counsel for their exceptional cooperation, stating: “The documentation, the list of issues and witnesses and the orderliness of the evidence-taking are testimony to their professionalism and co-operation.” Justice Loh also praised their “very helpful and concise submissions”, demonstrating Professor Tan’s ability to balance advocacy with collaboration.
Beyond his distinguished legal practice, Professor Tan has been a steadfast supporter of the Law Society. He has chaired numerous Disciplinary Tribunals, served on the Inquiry Panel, and contributed to the profession through Continuing Legal Education seminars on Company Law.
Outside of legal practice, Professor Tan has made significant contributions to public service. He has held numerous appointments, including Chairman of Singapore Exchange Regulation Pte Ltd, President of the Asian Law Schools Association, and Chief Strategy Officer at the National University of Singapore’s Faculty of Law, where he also served as Dean for a decade. His leadership and influence continue to inspire countless young lawyers and academics alike.
Acceptance Speech by Professor Tan Cheng Han, SC
Minister of State Murali Pillai, SC, Judges, President of the Law Society, Council Members, Distinguished Guests, colleagues at the Bar, members of the legal fraternity, my colleagues at Wong Partnership, ladies and gentlemen.
Let me begin by thanking Madam President and Council Members of the Society for this C. C. Tan Award. It means a lot to me and I am humbled that my peers should see it fit to confer this enormous honour on me, especially given that there are so many others within the profession who exemplify the virtues of honesty, fair play and personal integrity that this award represents. I am sure that at the end of my legal career, it will be this moment more than anything else that I will find most meaningful.
Why this is the case is because even before I entered NUS Law, I regarded the legal profession as an honourable one that allows its members the opportunity, indeed privilege, to make a meaningful difference in society. To my mind, therefore, every member of the profession has a responsibility to live up to its ideals and I have tried to do so from the time I was called to the bar. If being a lawyer is truly part of my identity, how can I do otherwise? In any event, it has always been natural for me to treat other lawyers fairly and courteously – we are all members of the same fraternity after all. And it should also be natural to act honestly and with integrity if we believe that we play an important role in ensuring that justice is done and seen to be done.
This is not to say that it is always easy to live up to these ideals. I rather suspect that every lawyer worth his or her salt will have had to grapple with difficult situations. In the area of disputes where I have done most of my lawyering, there will be clients who push back against doing the right thing. Sometimes, the client may be a very important one and the desire to obtain a favourable outcome may tempt us to sail close to the wind and beyond. There is always a danger that we may rationalize the issues to justify the answer we hope for instead of the proper and ethical one. My advice to younger lawyers therefore is to be clear-sighted about what the right paths are and never deviate from them. This is what the oaths we took demand of us.
Ideals aside, it seems to me additionally that living up to the virtues of honesty, fair play and integrity is what enlightened self-interest demands of us as rational individuals. I cannot for example understand why some lawyers persist in taking an overly adversarial tone and approach towards their professional brethren. This can only tempt the other lawyer to adopt the same attitude. All this does is to make practice more unpleasant than it needs to be. It has always made no sense to me why a minority of lawyers feel the need to make their professional lives more challenging than it already is.
As someone who has sat on a number of Disciplinary Tribunals, I am also often struck by the matters that have tripped up the lawyers in question. Often, these are obvious matters to be avoided and the lack of avoidance may have arisen in a moment of weakness and temptation. It is difficult as human beings to entirely avoid such moments. Enlightened self-interest should sharpen our resolve because the consequences of ethical breaches coming to light can be disastrous. In the long run of our individual careers, the amateur economist in me tells me that the rational lawyer is one who draws a clear line against unethical behaviour. This is a sure way of maximising our professional longevity.
Within the last two years, the profession has given much emphasis to issues of ethics. This should not necessarily be taken as a sign that there is more to be worried about. Rather, it is an indication of a profession that is ever vigilant of the values that make it unique and periodically engages in self-reflection. As we do so, I think that one of the things we should reflect on is whether senior members of the profession are setting the right tone. The culture of any organisation or group is often influenced significantly by the tone set by its senior people. Therefore, if we wish, for instance, to see greater courtesy within the profession, it behoves judges and senior lawyers to demonstrate this. When a senior lawyer is disrespectful to his or her counterpart, when judges are rude to counsel, it diminishes the best traditions of the profession.
The C. C. Tan Award is a timely reminder of what the profession aspires to be, what we are all called to be – to treat each other with respect and dignity. And to also perform our roles as officers of the Court and custodians of our clients’ interests honestly and with integrity, which includes the dedication and hard work that the legal system and our clients rightly expect and deserve. There is really no substitute for putting in the time into every matter you have been entrusted with. This is the secret sauce to success in the profession.
On this note, I thank the Council for thinking me worthy of the honour of this award and I wish all of you in the fraternity a lovely evening as well as good health and a fulfilling professional and personal life.
Citation for Pro Bono Ambassador Award 2024/2025
Ms Viviene Sandhu
The Pro Bono Ambassador Award, inaugurated in 2009 by the Council of the Law Society, recognises exceptional commitment and dedication to pro bono service, honouring individuals with an established track record of providing pro bono services for at least five years.
The Pro Bono Ambassador for 2024/2025, Ms Viviene Sandhu.
Ms Sandhu has been an outstanding volunteer with the Pro Bono Services Group since 2019, dedicating her time and expertise to various initiatives, including Law Awareness, the Ad Hoc Pro Bono Scheme, the Family Justice Support Scheme, and the Migrant Worker Legal Clinics. Her tireless advocacy has raised public awareness through media appearances on CNA938 and during Law Awareness Weeks @ CDC.
Notably, Ms Sandhu successfully represented a foreign domestic worker who suffered severe abuse by her employer, securing compensation for her injuries and lost wages. This achievement highlights Ms Sandhu’s dedication to protecting the rights of vulnerable individuals, bringing hope and justice for victims of abuse.
As a leader and mentor, Ms Sandhu has guided young community lawyers and supported volunteer training. Recently, she delivered a highly praised session on the Protection from Harassment Court, which addressed a critical issue affecting many in the community, to over 1,000 lawyers.
Her dedication has been previously recognised with the State Courts’ Outstanding Volunteer of the Year Award in 2018. Ms Sandhu remains actively involved with the Legal Aid Bureau and serves as a Primary Justice Lawyer in the Community Justice Courts.
Citation for Sports Personality Award 2024
Ms Chan Lai Foong
The Sports Personality Award aims to recognise members of the legal fraternity who have demonstrated exemplary sportsmanship and contributed both qualitatively and quantitatively to the sporting fraternity for at least 10 years.
The winner of the Sports Personality Award for 2024 is Ms Chan Lai Foong.
Ms Chan has been an invaluable member of the Law Society’s Sports Committee and Golf Team for over a decade, generously contributing her time, enthusiasm, and expertise. From 2016 to 2019, she demonstrated exceptional leadership as the Chairperson of the Law Society’s Sports Committee, where she played an instrumental role in organising two successful Bench & Bar Games. Notably, her efforts led to the success of the Jubilee edition of these Games, a milestone event that celebrated camaraderie and sportsmanship of the legal communities in Singapore and Malaysia.
As Chairperson and a dedicated member of the Sports Committee, Ms Chan has left a lasting impact, ensuring each event ran smoothly while creating meaningful memories and strengthening bonds among colleagues. She is highly respected within the sports community for her dedication and leadership.
Her commitment to the Law Society’s sporting community continues to inspire young lawyers and the next generation, encouraging them to give back and actively participate in building a supportive legal community.
