PROF GOH YIHAN: “THE WORLD WILL STILL BE VERY INTERNATIONALISED”

Does overseas exposure count for something in a post-pandemic world? Absolutely, says the Dean of the SMU School of Law.

istening to Professor Goh Yihan’s memories of his three months in London is like hearing someone talk of a bygone era, when terms like “coronavirus” were the stuff of medical journals, not daily chatter. But while the times are radically different, the value of such an experience hasn’t diminished, shares Prof Goh, the Dean of the Singapore Management University (SMU)’s School of Law. “Say what you will, but the world will still be a very internationalised one, especially to a country like Singapore, even after COVID-19.”

Prof Goh’s own time in the British capital was a result of the Singapore Academy of Law Post-Qualification Overseas Attachments, which he was offered in 2013. These attachments offer bright young lawyers an opportunity to gain international experience and exposure from short stints at leading British barristers' chambers. As he recalls, he had applied for the attachment to get a better sense of life in practice—despite his commitment and fondness for academia.

“I’ve always believed that to be a good academic and teacher, you can’t just know about the law from a theoretical point of view. There is a need for academics to connect with practice,” Prof Goh explains. “Having an idea of what’s going on in practice, the practical considerations and concerns a practitioner has, and how he or she makes arguments in court … these actually make you a better academic, so long as you don’t lose sight of your primary role as an academic.”

[subhead] LESSONS ALL AROUND
Armed with this belief, he applied for the programme in 2013 and flew to London for a three-month stint that year. During his time there, he was rotated between barristers. “By the end of the stint, I had a chance to work and interact with six barristers with varying styles,” he shares. “Some would ask you to sit in their office with them, as if you were their pupil, discussing cases in detail and involving you in every part of the process. Others will be more hands-off and just share their case files.” Irrespective of the approach, Prof Goh said there was still an element of learning, because they always welcomed questions.

He adds that the barristers do a good job of gauging the experience and contribution of those attached to their chambers. “So although someone coming fresh out of law school may contribute very differently from someone who’s had five years in practice, the barristers will be able to sense this and tailor their teaching accordingly,” explains Prof Goh.

But he stresses that those making their way to such attachments must know what they want to get out of them. “Time will fly by very quickly and before you know it, you’ll be back home. Go there knowing what you want to see and do, so that you make the most of your time—and share this with the barristers!”

[subhead] OVERSEAS STINTS POST-COVID
Our initial chat with Prof Goh was in the early days of COVID-19, at a time the halt of travel still seemed unfathomable. To complete this piece, we spoke to him in the middle of June, by which point the unfathomable had become the norm. We then asked him how he felt about overseas exposure given the events of the past few months.

“Although the world has certainly become more closed due to the pandemic, if history has taught us anything, it is that the world was gradually open up again. This is especially important for a small country like Singapore, which must remain connected with the rest of world, in every sense of the word. The value of being able to hone our lawyering skills by an overseas experience, and to experience a different culture, will thus always remain valuable.”  

Ms Ho presents the Annual Review of Family Law on 1 July, which will benefit practitioners who wish to obtain a summary of the key legal developments in family law. Registrations are open now.

A LIFE IN THE LAW

Ms Tricia Ho
Called to the Bar: 2014

“I started out my career as a family litigation lawyer at Drew & Napier LLC. In the course of my five years there, I was involved in complex family matters with international elements and high conflict cases. I have a keen interest in family law and enjoy the human element that comes with handling such matters. To me, a family lawyer is not just a lawyer, but a friend and pillar of support to someone in need. I am always happy for an opportunity to share my practical experience with other members of the community, and am now able to do so with my students at the Singapore University of Social Sciences, where I lecture.”