Adrian Tan | |
---|---|
President of the Law Society of Singapore | |
In office 1 January 2022 – 8 July 2023 | |
Preceded by | Gregory Vijayendran SC |
Succeeded by | Lisa Sam Hui Min |
Personal details | |
Born | Singapore | 4 February 1966
Died | 8 July 2023 Singapore | (aged 57)
Alma mater | |
Occupation |
|
Chinese name | |
Traditional Chinese | 陳錦海 |
Simplified Chinese | 陈锦海 |
Hanyu Pinyin | Chén 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]
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]
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]
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]
After his death, a collection of essays by Tan on the issues he cared about and commented on, was published in a book entitled, "If I were King of Singapore." [36]
Adrian Tan | |
---|---|
President of the Law Society of Singapore | |
In office 1 January 2022 – 8 July 2023 | |
Preceded by | Gregory Vijayendran SC |
Succeeded by | Lisa Sam Hui Min |
Personal details | |
Born | Singapore | 4 February 1966
Died | 8 July 2023 Singapore | (aged 57)
Alma mater | |
Occupation |
|
Chinese name | |
Traditional Chinese | 陳錦海 |
Simplified Chinese | 陈锦海 |
Hanyu Pinyin | Chén 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]
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]
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]
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]
After his death, a collection of essays by Tan on the issues he cared about and commented on, was published in a book entitled, "If I were King of Singapore." [36]