Adrian Tan
President of the Law Society of Singapore
In office
1 January 2022 – 8 July 2023
Preceded byGregory Vijayendran SC
Personal details
Born(1966-02-04)4 February 1966
Singapore
Died8 July 2023(2023-07-08) (aged 57)
Singapore
Alma mater
Occupation
  • Lawyer
  • author
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese陳錦海
Simplified Chinese陈锦海
Hanyu PinyinChén Jǐnhǎi

Adrian Tan Gim Hai (4 February 1966 – 8 July 2023) was a Singaporean lawyer and author. Known for writing the Teenage Textbook series of books in the 1980s, he was the 27th president of the Law Society of Singapore and a partner at TSMP Law Corporation.[1]

Early life and education

Tan was born in Singapore to an ethnic Chinese family of Hainanese descent. His parents were both teachers, and he grew up in a Housing Development Board (HDB) flat.[2]

As a child, Tan attended the Anglo-Chinese School and Hwa Chong Junior College. Tan was later conscripted into the army as a writer for Pioneer, the MINDEF magazine.[3][4] After his A-levels, he was offered a teaching scholarship to study English at the University of East Anglia. He turned down the scholarship to study law at the National University of Singapore (NUS).[2] While in university, Tan represented NUS as a debater in international competitions and televised debates in Singapore.[5] He later completed a second, joint-honours degree in computer science and psychology from the Open University in 2004, while working as a lawyer.[6]

Career

While an undergraduate law student at NUS, Tan wrote the novels The Teenage Textbook (1988) and The Teenage Workbook (1989), which became bestsellers that sold over 50,000 copies.[7][8] The Teenage Textbook was also made into a stage play by The Necessary Stage in 1997;[9] a film in 1998, which topped the box office in Singapore for four weeks;[10] a 2017 musical titled The Teenage Textbook Musical;[11] and a 2021 TV series on Channel 5.[12] In 2015, The Teenage Textbook was listed by The Business Times as one of the top 10 English Singapore books from 1965 to 2015.[13] Tan also was a consultant for the Channel 5 television legal drama The Pupil.[14] Tan was invited to a National Library Board festival but later boycotted it over the board's decision to withdraw from its libraries children's books that depicted same-sex families.[15]

After graduating from NUS with a Bachelor of Laws degree, Tan began his legal career in 1991 at Drew and Napier, a large Singaporean firm. He initially practiced conveyancing law, but switched over to litigation thereafter, where he worked under Davinder Singh.[2][16] In 1999, Tan left Drew for a two-year stint as general counsel of a technology firm, following which he returned to Drew.[16] Eventually, after 22 years at Drew, Tan left to work for Stamford Law (now Morgan Lewis Stamford) in 2013. In 2018, Tan resigned from Stamford to work at TSMP Law.[2][17] Tan practiced litigation, and specialised in intellectual property, information technology, real estate, and shareholder oppression disputes.[18] He was also the honorary counsel of the Singapore Association of the Visually Handicapped, where he advocated for voting rights for the blind.[19][20] He was also a member of the boards of the Law Society Pro Bono Services,[21] Maxwell Chambers,[22] and Arts House Limited,[23] and was a member of the Speak Good English Movement committee.[24]

From 2013 to 2021, Tan was a member of the Law Society Council, serving as treasurer in 2016 and vice president in 2017.[25][26][27] In 2022, he was appointed president.[2] As president of the law society, he was known for his public outreach on legal issues,[28] such as the HDB's ban on cats,[29] the 2022 bar exam cheating scandal,[2] and Richard Branson's comments on the death penalty in Singapore.[30] Tan gave his only Opening of the Legal Year speech as Law Society president in 2023, where he addressed attrition rates in the legal profession.[31]

Personal life and death

Tan was married without any children.[32] He was diagnosed with cancer in March 2022,[33] and died on 8 July 2023, at age 57.[34] At a memorial service celebrating his life, Tan was said to be someone who "had very little ego", was a champion of the legal profession and who "cared for the less fortunate."[35]

Notable cases

  • Wee Shuo Woon v HT S.R.L. [2017] SGCA 23[36]
  • Turf Club Auto Emporium Pte Ltd v Yeo Boong Hua [2018] SGCA 44[37]
  • Singsung Pte Ltd v LG 26 Electronics Pte Ltd (trading as L S Electrical Trading) [2016] SGCA 33[38]
  • Y.E.S. F&B Group Pte Ltd v Soup Restaurant Singapore Pte Ltd (formerly known as Soup Restaurant (Causeway Point) Pte Ltd) [2015] SGCA 55[39]
  • Acted as counsel in proceedings concerning Gilstead Court,[40] Thomson View,[17] and Shunfu Ville[41] collective sales.

Publications

  • "Dear Adam, Help!" (1988, Hotspot Books), ISBN 981-3002-35-2
  • The Teenage Textbook (1988, Hotspot Books), ISBN 981-3002-21-2
  • The Teenage Workbook (1989, Hotspot Books), ISBN 981-3002-28-X
  • "What Practice Has Taught Me" Archived 8 July 2023 at the Wayback Machine in The Practice Of Law (2011, LexisNexis), ISBN 978-981-4753-48-7

References

  1. ↑ Quah, Michelle. "New Law Society president to help lawyers feel inspired again, prevent exodus of talent". The Business Times. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Profile: Law Society President Adrian Tan's First Media Interview after Cancer Diagnosis – Dare to be your truest self". www.singaporelawwatch.sg. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  3. ↑ "PIONEER – To Enlighten and to Entertain". www.mindef.gov.sg. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
  4. ↑ Giving Strength to Our Nation: The SAF and Its People (PDF). Ministry of Defence. pp. 344–347.
  5. ↑ "Double honours for NUS team in Asean debate". The Straits Times. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  6. ↑ "Mr Adrian Tan". The Legal 500. Archived from the original on 14 June 2021. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
  7. ↑ "He fries sushi..." The Straits Times. 5 June 1990. p. 3.
  8. ↑ "Second Teenage book proves a fast-selling winner". The Straits Times. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
  9. ↑ "The Teenage Textbook". The Necessary Stage Archives. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
  10. ↑ "The Teenage Textbook Movie | Singapore Classics Reignited". Peatix. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
  11. ↑ "The Teenage Textbook Musical". National Arts Council, Singapore. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
  12. ↑ "Mui Ee, Sissy and Tom are back: Teenage Textbook TV series to premiere in March". CNA Lifestyle. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
  13. ↑ Yusof, Helmi. "Tomes that show us how we live". The Business Times. Singapore Press Holdings. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
  14. ↑ "Rebecca Lim Might Have Quit Showbiz If Not For The Pupil". 8days. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  15. ↑ "Writers boycott NLB event over book ban". The New Paper. 12 July 2014. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
  16. 1 2 Hui, Eva Teh Jing (4 August 2022). "Both Sides Now: In Conversation with Mr Adrian Tan and Mr Anil Changaroth". The Singapore Law Gazette. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  17. 1 2 Quah, Michelle. "Law firm sharpening its edge in digital age". The Business Times. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
  18. ↑ "Adrian Tan". TSMP Law Corporation. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
  19. ↑ "Minutes of the 67th Annual General Meeting held on 26 June 2021". Singapore Association of the Visually Handicapped. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
  20. ↑ "Giving Starts with Awareness". www.psd.gov.sg. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
  21. ↑ "Charity Info". Law Society Pro Bono Services. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
  22. ↑ "Maxwell Chambers | Board of Directors". Maxwell Chambers. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
  23. ↑ "Arts House Limited | About Us | Our Board". Arts House Limited. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
  24. ↑ Lim, Paul. "'Speak Good English' campaign to focus on common mistakes". Today. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
  25. ↑ "Media Release – Law Society of Singapore Election 2022" (PDF). Retrieved 23 November 2021.
  26. ↑ "Annual Report 2016" (PDF). The Law Society of Singapore. p. 4. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
  27. ↑ "Annual Report 2017" (PDF). The Law Society of Singapore. p. 4. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
  28. ↑ "'A true Renaissance Man': Shanmugam leads tributes to late Law Society president Adrian Tan". CNA. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
  29. ↑ "Lawyer, advocate for cats: New LawSoc president Adrian Tan vows to remain vocal on public issues via social media". TODAY. Retrieved 28 July 2022.
  30. ↑ "LawSoc president Adrian Tan calls out Richard Branson's 'feeble excuse' for declining debate on death penalty". www.singaporelawwatch.sg. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
  31. ↑ "'Noticeable' rise in breaches of standards in legal profession: Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon". CNA. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
  32. ↑ "The Multi-Hyphenate Holds Court". E-Magazine. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  33. ↑ "'Until the clock runs out': Law Society president Adrian Tan reveals he has cancer, says will fight illness and continue his work". CNA. Retrieved 28 July 2022.
  34. ↑ "Law Society president Adrian Tan dies aged 57". CNA. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
  35. ↑ Correspondent, Theresa TanSenior Social Affairs (31 July 2023). "Late Law Society president Adrian Tan had a 'good legal mind and a good heart': Shanmugam". The Straits Times. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
  36. ↑ Wee Shuo Woon v HT S.R.L [2017] SGCA 23
  37. ↑ Turf Club Auto Emporium Pte Ltd v Yeo Boong Hua [2018] SGCA 44
  38. ↑ Singsung Pte Ltd v LG 26 Electronics Pte Ltd (trading as L S Electrical Trading) [2016] SGCA 33
  39. ↑ Y.E.S. F&B Group Pte Ltd v Soup Restaurant Singapore Pte Ltd (formerly known as Soup Restaurant (Causeway Point) Pte Ltd) [2015] SGCA 55
  40. ↑ Lim Li Meng Dominic and others v Ching Pui Sim Sally and another and another matter [2015] SGCA 54
  41. ↑ Ramachandran Jayakumar and another v Woo Hon Wai and others and another matter [2017] SGCA 36
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