The Jones Day Foundation establishes Professorship of Commercial Law at Singapore Management Universit
19 September 2012, Singapore - The global law firm Jones Day, through its non-profit foundation funded by donations from attorneys and staff, today announced a donation to Singapore Management University (SMU) of US$500,000 to establish the Jones Day Professorship of Commercial Law for a term of seven years. Professor Adrian Briggs has been appointed as the first Jones Day Professor of Commercial Law at SMU and will oversee the development of Commercial Law concepts at SMU.
The Jones Day Foundation plays an integral role in implementing pro bono initiatives globally, an achievement which is only possible through the donation of both time and resources from lawyers and staff. Each Jones Day office has a designated partner-in-charge of pro bono to further develop the reach of activities and encourage the participation firm-wide. The full-time, firm-wide Partner-in-Charge of pro bono, oversees and directs pro bono efforts worldwide.
The donation exemplifies Jones Day’s commitment to Singapore and the Asia Pacific region, which are an integral part of Jones Day’s Asian presence. The appointment follows the establishment of the Jones Day Chair Professorship for Globalization and Rule of Law at Peking University, China in May 2012.
The donation is the largest gift received by SMU from a law firm and will facilitate increased focus on the development of Commercial Law in Singapore, a market which is in continuous development and increasingly plays a global role as a hub for legal services to both regional and international clients in Asia.
Professor Yeo Tiong Min, Dean of SMU School of Law, said:
“We are a comprehensive law school within a business and management university, situated in close proximity to where deals are brokered, where disputes are resolved, and where laws are made. We have a natural strength in commercial laws. We are deeply grateful to Jones Day for the gift to further advance the development of commercial laws in Singapore.”
He added, “We are also very happy to be able to appoint as our first Jones Day Professor of Commercial Law an internationally renowned scholar who has cast much light on the intricate workings behind the resolution of cross-border commercial disputes.”
Stephen J. Brogan, Jones Day Managing Partner, commented:
"Our commitment to helping others is central to the Firm's institutional character. As our global reach has extended further and deeper, we have looked for new and significant ways to serve and improve all of the communities that have been instrumental to our success. As a law firm with seven offices in the Asia Pacific, we take great pride in investing in the communities we operate in, helping to advance the legal profession, and furthering the advancement of legal education in Singapore”.
Brogan continued “as we look to the future, we will continue to identify and respond to the demands for pro bono service that are presented by an increasingly integrated world. Our commitment to serving the less fortunate and advancing the rule of law is as critical to the Firm's institutional character as our successful representation of the paying clients that give us our financial strength”.
Sushma Jobanputra, Partner in Charge of the Singapore office, added:
“We are very excited to have this opportunity to work with Singapore Management University, and play a part in the development of the legal profession in Singapore. It is very satisfying to be involved in furthering the growth of Singapore as a hub for legal services in Asia and contributing to the increase in commercial and economic benefits this growth brings for the country”.
About Professor Adrian Briggs
Adrian Briggs is a Fellow and Tutor at St Edmund Hall and has been teaching in Oxford since 1980. He was appointed Professor of Private International Law at the University of Oxford in 2004. Professor Briggs will deliver his public lecture as the Jones Day Professor of Commercial Law in April 2013 at SMU. His bio can be found here: http://www.law.ox.ac.uk/profile/briggsa.
About Jones Day
Jones Day is a global law firm practicing in the major centers of business and finance throughout the world. Ranked among the world's best and most integrated law firms, and perennially ranked among the best in client service, Jones Day acts as principal outside counsel to, or provides significant legal representation for, more than half of the Fortune Global 500, Fortune Global 500 and the FT Global 500.
To learn more about the firm’s commitment to pro bono, please visit the Jones Day Pro Bono web site http://www.jonesdayprobono.com.
About the SMU School of Law
SMU School of Law proudly welcomed its first cohort of 116 students in August 2007. Taught by a dynamic faculty with postgraduate degrees from renowned universities such as Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Oxford, Cambridge, Bristol and London, the School aims to nurture its students to become excellent lawyers who will contribute significantly to society. Trained with the ability to contextualise legal expertise and to think across disciplines and geographical borders coupled with SMU’s interactive pedagogy, SMU’s law graduates are confident articulate and analytically agile.
The Law School offers a four-year full-time Bachelor of Laws programme, a five-year double-degree programme which combines law with Accountancy, Business, Economics, Information Systems or Social Sciences, and a Master of Laws programme. The School has also launched a full-time graduate programme, the Juris Doctor Programme which can be completed within three years, and in some cases, accelerated for completion within two years.
For more information, please visit http://www.law.smu.edu.sg/
