SINGAPORE, 22 November 2023 — In 2006, Senior Judge Justice Andrew Phang, then 48, became the youngest to ever be appointed a Judge of Appeal. The milestone cemented his towering reputation as one of Singapore’s finest legal minds. This evening, the Singapore Academy of Law (“SAL”) paid tribute to his indelible impact on the law by bestowing on him its highest honours.

Justice Phang is the eighth person to receive the title of Honorary Member for Life and Fellow for Life in SAL’s 35-year history. This title is an honour bestowed by the Senate of the Academy on distinguished members in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the legal and judicial system, and to the stature of the legal profession in Singapore.

The seven persons who have been conferred the title are Mr Lee Kuan Yew in 1990, Former Chief Justice Dr Wee Chong Jin and Dr David Marshall in 1991, Former Chief Justice Dr Yong Pung How in 2007, Professor S. Jayakumar in 2008, Former Chief Justice Mr Chan Sek Keong SC in 2013 and Former Judge of Appeal Chao Hick Tin in 2018.

Justice Phang’s early career was devoted to legal academia. During this time, he authored several landmark works, including a comprehensive socio-historical study entitled The Development of Singapore Law as well as a leading treatise on contract law in Singapore and Malaysia. In 2004, Justice Phang was appointed Senior Counsel. He was one of the first two members of the academia to be conferred this distinction, in recognition of what Dr Yong described as “his outstanding contributions to legal knowledge”.

The next year, he was appointed to the Supreme Court Bench, where he served with distinction until his retirement in December 2022. He authored nearly 400 judgments, which were reported not only in the Singapore Law Reports but also in international law reports and cited by apex courts across the Commonwealth.

Justice Phang also promoted the development of Singapore law in his role as the chair of Academy Publishing (“AP”), SAL’s publishing arm, which he held until 2022. He assumed the role upon AP’s formation in 2007 and oversaw its growth over the years. AP is now the leading publisher of Singapore legal works and has played a central role in advancing legal research and scholarship in our jurisdiction. Justice Phang also spearheaded AP’s multi-year effort to publish the Singapore Law Reports (Reissue), which covered 5,500 local high court cases over a period of 44 years from Singapore’s independence in 1965.

Justice Phang continues to contribute to Singapore and the legal profession as a Senior Judge of the Supreme Court and the Distinguished Term Professor of Law at the Yong Pung How School of Law at SMU. Further details of his wide-ranging contributions can be found in the attached citation.