Some of the most architecturally-beautiful buildings in Singapore were purpose built for law enforcement.

This book aims to tell a brief history of these buildings through the use of photos, architectural drawings and stories told by people who remember what it was like to work or be in these places.

This book is a delightful synopsis of Singapore’s rich legal heritage. It highlights the development of Singapore’s legal system, the evolution of legal practice and the changes in court systems from tenuous beginnings to world-class status. Legal Legacies provides a pictorial look at the key moments, places and people in Singapore’s legal history over 60 photographs, many of which are seen here for the first time, punctuated by interesting anecdotes. Each book comes enclosed in a specially-designed envelope which is packaged with four loose postcards showing artworks and photographs of Singapore’s court houses over the years. The fine finishing and artwork make this publication both a useful resource for history aficionados as well as a veritable keepsake.


This is a joint project by the Singapore Academy of Law Legal Heritage Committee, supported by the National Heritage Board



Date of Publication: Mar 2011

This book celebrates the 75th birthday of former Chief Justice Chan Sek Keong. Comprising three Parts, the book underscores what has been an extraordinary life in the law displayed in all its manifold and variegated aspects. Part I of the book contains a short biographical essay and a number of speeches and interviews. In Part II, experts in the various fields of law synthesise and analyse the former Chief Justice’s contributions in the major areas of Singapore law. Part III contains a representative selection of Mr Chan’s publications and speeches, written or delivered in his capacity as both Attorney-General and Chief Justice – all marked by his characteristically deep scholarship as well as practical approach towards the law.

Author(s)/Editor(s)/Contributor(s): Chao Hick Tin, Andrew Phang Boon Leong, V K Rajah, Yeo Tiong Min (general editors)
Date of Publication: Oct 2012

Justice Chao Hick Tin’s contribution as a judge is of the first rank. Born in Singapore, Justice Chao studied at Catholic High School before reading law at University College London. He was appointed Judicial Commissioner of the Supreme Court of Singapore on 1 October 1987. This marked the commencement of a distinguished judicial career from 1987 right through to 2017 – a remarkable period of approximately three decades (excluding two years, between 2006 and 2008, when he was Attorney-General) and a total period of half a century in service of his country. Justice Chao was appointed Judge of Appeal on 2 August 1999 and Vice-President of the Court of Appeal on 18 April 2008. In this book, experts from the Judiciary, practice and academia explore Justice Chao’s jurisprudence in 12 areas of private, public and international law. These essays honour Justice Chao’s lasting legacy as a role model for all who aspire to be judges of the highest calibre.

General Editors: Judge of Appeal, Justice Andrew Phang Boon Leong and Associate Professor Goh Yihan
Date of Publication: Sep 2017

Pursuing Justice and Justice Alone was commissioned by The Honourable the Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon, and the book was edited by Judicial Commissioner Goh Yihan. The authors were specially commissioned to contribute essays honouring Justice Andrew Phang’s contributions to the Singapore legal system in general and, of particular note, his contributions to local jurisprudence over the course of 18 years on the Bench. Each of the individual contributors are themselves experts in their field of law.

This book is a tribute to the exceptional legacy Justice Andrew Phang leaves behind. It is a book that will inspire all aspiring jurists, while it is a record of memories of the phenomenal work done by Justice Andrew Phang. It is an excellent and engaging read for those who want a glimpse into the heart and humanity of Justice Phang’s jurisprudence.

Year of Publication: 2022

Page Extent: 520 pages 

The present book documents Dr Yong Pung How’s monumental contributions to Singapore in the fields of law as well as banking and finance. In particular, as Chief Justice, he transformed the Singapore judiciary and mentored the next generation of leaders in the legal profession. The Singapore legal system would not be what it is today without his leadership. Including contributions from 64 former Justices’ Law Clerks, Foreword by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Introduction by Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon, and a full-colour picture section covering Dr Yong’s life from student at Cambridge University to Chancellor of the Singapore Management University, this important volume serves as a fitting commemoration for a true pioneer.

General Editor Andrew Phang SJ is a former Judge of Appeal. He was also Gen Ed of The Law of Contract in Singapore, the second edition of which was published in 2022.

Year of Publication: 2024 

Page Extent: 510 pages

This is a commemorative book to celebrate SCT’s legal history and significance in Singapore’s legal system and provide general knowledge of the law and the Tribunal’s processes to court users and the wider community.  This book also serves as a useful legal resource for self-represented persons and the community, and the contents of the book seek to serve that aim as well.

Editor-in-Chief: Thian Yee Sze

General Editor: Sandra Looi Ai Lin

Year of Publication: 2025

Page Extent: 176 pages

Price: $80.00 (before GST)

OUT OF PRINT


Many legal concepts we take for granted are steeped in history and were the products of an evolutionary process that is so much a part of the common law system. Although legal history is important to our understanding of legal doctrine and rules, it is often neglected. A legal system cannot live without its past. This book was written with the aim of further deepening interest in Singapore?s legal history. Co-published with Marshall Cavendish Academic.


Author(s)/Editor(s)/Contributor(s): Kevin Y. L. Tan (editor)

The Singapore Academy of Law Conference: Developments in Singapore Law (?SAL Conference?) is a continuing series of five-yearly conferences reviewing the developments in Singapore law. The SAL Conference 2011, held in February 2011, marked the fourth in the series, and continued the tradition of bringing together Singapore?s most eminent practitioners and academics to present papers on a wide range of practice areas of law. This book comprises the papers that were delivered at the SAL Conference 2011, which critically examined and evaluated significant local case law and legislation over the five-year period from 2006 to 2010 and were revised for publication to provide a concise yet comprehensive review with detailed references.


Author(s)/Editor(s)/Contributor(s): Yeo Tiong Min, Hans Tjio, Tang Hang Wu (General Editors)

C$ Redeemable

This book captures personal accounts by 15 legal personalities of their lives in the law in the decades leading up to 1959, when Singapore gained full internal self-governance. It draws on interviews by Singapore?s Oral History Centre with these change-makers who provide specific insight into our legal community and environment during those decades. Legal Tenor is not about hard-core history, but rather an attempt to extract and share some of the flavour of Singapore?s early legal years as told in the words of some of its earliest lawyers. Through a series of overlapping stories and perspectives, their tale is told with ? for the most part ? minimal intrusion, thus allowing readers to glean for themselves the tenor of the times.


Curator: Eleanor Wong

Date of Publication: Jan 2014