Bachelor of Laws
Student Handbook
(2013 & 2014 cohort and 2012 & 2013 transfers)
Table of Contents
OVERVIEW ............................................................................................................................................................................ 3
CURRICULUM ....................................................................................................................................................................... 3
UNIVERSITY CORE (5 COURSE UNITS) .................................................................................................................................. 3
LAW CORE (18.5 COURSE UNITS) ...................................................................................................................................... 3
LAW ELECTIVES (CHOOSE 7.5 COURSE UNITS) ....................................................................................................................... 4
LAW-RELATED COURSES (5 COURSE UNITS) .......................................................................................................................... 4
FINISHING TOUCH (FT) PROGRAMME (7 COMPULSORY WORKSHOPS) – GRADUATION REQUIREMENT .................................................... 5
INTERNSHIP PROGRAMME (10-WEEK ATTACHMENT) – GRADUATION REQUIREMENT ......................................................................... 5
COMMUNITY SERVICE (CENTRE FOR SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY) ..................................................................................................... 7
PRO BONO SERVICE FOR LAW STUDENTS .................................................................................................................... 8
COURSE SEQUENCE .............................................................................................................................................................. 9
DOUBLE DEGREE PROGRAMME (DDP) .............................................................................................................................. 10
SECOND MAJOR ................................................................................................................................................................. 11
OASIS .................................................................................................................................................................................. 12
IMPORTANT TO NOTE ........................................................................................................................................................ 12
SCHOOL CONTACT .............................................................................................................................................................. 12
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OVERVIEW
The SMU School of Law undergraduate curriculum leads to the award of the degree of Bachelor of Laws.
The objective of this programme is to produce law graduates who have contextualized legal expertise and
the ability to think across disciplines and geographical borders. In terms of pedagogy, SMU's seminar-style
learning will be put to good effect to nurture students who are confident, articulate and analytically agile.
CURRICULUM
The Bachelor of Laws (LL.B) programme is a 4-year programme. You are required to complete a total of 36
course units and an internship programme.
University Core (5 course units)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Analytical Skills (0.5 course units)
Creative Thinking (0.5 course units)
Business, Government & Society
Ethics & Social Responsibility
Leadership & Team Building
Technology & World Change
Law Core (18.5 course units)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
Commercial Conflict of Laws
Comparative Legal Systems
Constitutional & Administrative Law (1.5 course units)
Contract Law 1^
Contract Law 2
Corporate Law
Criminal Law (1.5 course units)
Economic Analysis of Law / Law & Regulation (choose 1)
Law of Business Organisations^
Law of Equity & Trusts (1.5 course units)
Law of Evidence
Law of Property (1.5 course units)
Law of Torts (1.5 course units)
Legal Research & Writing
Legal System, Legal Method & Analysis
Legal Theory & Philosophy
^ Please note that filing an I-grade can have serious implications for your progression in respect of the
LLB studies, even if you have successfully filed for I grade for a Core course, particularly where the Core
course is a pre-requisite for an advance course. For instance, if you successfully file for an I grade for
Contract 1, you will not be able to proceed to read Contract 2 (without having successfully passed
Contract 1) unless special dispensation is obtained. Likewise, if you successfully file for an I grade for
Law of Business Organisations, you will not be able to proceed to read Corporate Law (without having
successfully passed Law of Business Organisations) unless special dispensation is obtained.
For related information on examination regulations, please refer to OASIS > Study > Regulations and
Policies.
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Law Electives (Choose 7.5 course units)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
36.
37.
Advocacy
Banking Law
Comparative Law of Sales
Complex International Litigation
Competition Law
Contract Negotiation and Drafting
Corporate Crime
Corporate Insolvency Law
Economic Analysis of Law
Entertainment Law
Family Law
Financial & Securities Regulation
Foreign Direct Investment Law & Practice
Information Technology & the Law
Insurance Law
Intellectual Property Law
International and Comparative Criminal Justice
International Commercial Arbitration
International Commercialisation of Intellectual Property
International Moots
International Patent Law and Policy
Islamic Commercial Law
Jurisprudence: Modern & Critical Theories of Law
Law and Policy of Ethnic Relations in Singapore
Law & Regulation
Law of Corporate Finance
Law of Confidential Information, Trade Secrets and Privacy
Law of International Trade
Law of Mergers & Acquisitions
Law Study Mission
Negotiation & Mediation for Lawyers
Principles of Singapore Income Tax
Public International Law
Shipping & Admiralty Law
Trade & Investment Law
WTO : Law and Policy
Directed Research
(Other electives may be offered from time to time)
Note: Only LLB electives with LAW as the prefix in the course codes are counted as law electives. Courses
with course codes e.g. LGST, FNCE, etc as prefix cannot be used to fulfil the requirement of law electives.
Law-related Courses (5 course units)
•
Financial Accounting
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•
•
•
Finance for Law
Any 1 course from the undergraduate curriculum in SMU (may also be a law elective)*
Any 2 courses from the General Education electives
*Exempted course or course taken overseas cannot be mapped to the SMU elective
To hone the legal writing skills of the students, from Year 2 onwards, each student will be required to submit
a substantial individual written assignment of about 2,000 to 3,000 words for one of the law courses read in
each term. The total number of research papers required for graduation is 4.
Finishing Touch (FT) Programme (7 Compulsory Workshops) – Graduation Requirement
The Finishing Touch (FT) programme, administered by Dato’ Kho Hui Meng Career Centre (DKHMCC),
consists of a series of Career Preparation & Enrichment workshops to prepare students for internships, job
applications and necessary skills for future career success.
Programme Outline:
Year One Compulsory FT Workshops
FTW 101
Self-Discovery and Awareness
FTW 102
Career Planning
Note: FTW101 and FTW 102 are pre-requisites for enrolment into Year Two FT Workshops.
Year Two Compulsory FT Workshops (a series of five consecutive workshops)
FTW 201
Job Search Strategies
FTW 202
Résumé and Cover Letter writing
FTW 203
Social Etiquette and Groom for Success
FTW 204
Personal Branding and Networking Skills
FTW 205
Interviewing Skills
Year Three/ Four Optional FT Workshops
FTW 301
Advanced Résumé and Cover Letter Writing
FTW 302
Competency-based Interviewing Skills
FTW 303
Mastering Case Interviews
FTW 304
Acing Assessment Centre
Students must successfully complete the compulsory Year 1 and Year 2 FT workshops as part of the
fulfilment of their graduation requirements.
For more information, please refer to OASIS> Career Devt & Comm Svcs> The Finishing Touch Programme
Internship Programme (10-week Attachment) – Graduation Requirement
Dato’ Kho Hui Meng Career Centre (DKHMCC) manages all internship placements for students at SMU. All
students from LL.B Programme are required to undertake a 10-week (full-time) compulsory internship with:
•
Law Firms; and/or
•
Legal Department of Government -linked Corporations, Multi-national Corporations, Public Sector or
Public Sector Regulatory Body, etc
(NOTE: LL.B students are not granted internship exemptions.)
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The Internship aims to acquaint students with the practical workings of the legal system and the realities of
law practice in the private and public sectors.
Students will be allowed to intern with a maximum of 5 partners to satisfy the 10-week legal internship
requirement. However students are encouraged to consider internships with firms/organizations that allow
a period of 4 weeks as it allows continuity and an opportunity to understand the workings of the firm and
practice.
Only internships undertaken after completion of the second year of the LL.B. programme (4 terms) will be
counted towards the 10-week graduation requirement. Double Degree students are to ensure that they
satisfy the criteria of internship set for both primary and secondary degree programmes as part of the
fulfilment of their graduation requirements. Students from LL.B.-Acc and LL.B.-ISM, can undertake
internships that reckoned towards graduation requirement after completion of Year 2, Term 1 LL.B.
Programme.
The law school has partnership with many law firms and organizations for internship and is currently in the
progress of negotiating with additional firms for the internship programme.
For list of partners for the internship programme, visit http://law.smu.edu.sg/programmes/internship-law
DKHMCC Internship Guidelines
Full-time matriculated students can start their internship after successfully completing four terms and
having attended an internship briefing.
To have a successful internship, do prepare and plan ahead. Below are some points to note:
• Students may source for their own internship, or browse through the internship opportunities on
OnTRAC II.
• Prior approval must be attained for all internships before embarking on the stint.
• For self-sourced internships, students must submit a self-proposal via OnTRAC II for DKHMCC’s approval.
The same guidelines and process will apply to students with internship obligations as part of their
scholarship.
• Overseas Internships require valid visa and travel insurance before DKHMCC’s approval is granted.
• The approved internship(s) must be carried out on a full-time basis for a total of 10 weeks completing
400 hours.
Internship Periods
Students are recommended to embark on their internship during Summer/Winter vacation break or during
term-time*.
*During term-time, students embarking on full-time internships to apply for Leave of Absence (LOA),
restrictions however apply to student pass holders. Please read up the LOA policy via OASIS-> Study -> Info
on Leave of Absence and the refund policy via OASIS -> SMU Undergraduate Regulations & Procedures ->
Leave of Absence. Students need to initiate the application for LOA as this process is not automatic.
Internship Grading
• Internship Report
At the end of the internship, students must submit an internship report within one month from the last day
of the internship stint. Graduating students are to note the cut-off date for graduation and work out the
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internship report submission deadline accordingly; bearing in mind a 2 week lead time is required for the
evaluation of the internship report. To complete the internship report, students are to access the report via
OASIS>Career Devt & Comm Svcs > Participation and Grading Details.
• Performance Appraisal
A performance appraisal will also be required of the Supervisor / Reporting Officer, under whose supervision
the student completed the internship to give feedback on the students’ performance.
Where a student scores below average in his/her "Overall Grading" in the Performance Appraisal, that
internship placement will not be recognised towards the fulfilment of the required 10-week internship
requirement.
Students’ Internship will be graded and considered complete only when submitted documents are assessed
to be satisfactory and meeting the objectives of the internship programme, in which case the internship will
be given an overall “pass” grade.
For more information, visit ontrac.smu.edu.sg; alternatively you may refer to OASIS > Career Devt & Comm
Svcs> Internship
Community Service (Centre for Social Responsibility)
Students are required to be actively involved, to serve and give back to society with a minimum of 80 hours.
This is to inculcate in students the value of being responsible and civic-minded citizens of society. Thus, they
are encouraged to start their community service attachment early, preferably in the first year of their study.
The Centre for Social Responsibility (C4SR) oversees the community service initiatives of SMU students and
guides and mentors them to undertake local or overseas service learning projects that are meaningful and
sustainable.
As preparation for Community Service Projects are essential, students must first attend the compulsory
Community Service Briefing conducted by C4SR. This briefing is to set the tone for community service as an
SMU graduation requirement; without which the community service rendered will not be acknowledged as
part of the fulfilment of the graduation requirements.
Students may work with a maximum of three Organizations to fulfil the first 80 hours. At the end of the
attachment, the Host Organizations are required to appraise the students’ performance.
After completing the first 80-hour requirement, students must submit a written report through SMU Oasis.
Students' Community Service will be graded and considered complete only when submitted documents are
assessed to be satisfactory and meeting the objectives of the community service programme, in which case
the Community Service will be given an overall "pass" grade.
For more information, please refer to OASIS >Career Devt & Comm Svcs> Community Service.
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PRO BONO SERVICE FOR LAW STUDENTS
All law undergraduates, LLB and JD students matriculating from academic year 2013/2014 onwards are
required to serve minimum of 20 hours of SILE approved pro bono, as part of their 80 hours OR 50 hours of
community service, respectively .
These hours will be reckoned towards the graduating requirement after the completion of Term 2, year one.
Pro bono hours committed prior to term 2, year 1 of the LLB and JD program will not count towards the
graduating requirement.
Students who do not comply with this requirement will not graduate till compliance is achieved.
Mandatory pro bono service is exclusive of the community service graduating requirement. Hence hours
committed in excess of 60 or 30 hours of approved community service projects, by LLBs and JDs
respectively, will not be reckoned towards the graduating Pro bono service requirement. For example, an
LLB student does 70 hours of approved community service. The additional 10 hours of community service
will not be reckoned towards service of the mandatory Pro bono requirement.
Please note that SMU imposes a pro bono black period during the exams months of April and November.
During these “pro bono black-out periods” recruitment or participation in pro bono placements will not be
done.
For more information, as well as the list of Core Agencies that currently offer SILE approved Pro bono
opportunities to SMU students, please refer to http://centres.smu.edu.sg/pbc/
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COURSE SEQUENCE
Please follow the sequence below when you bid for Year 3 (Junior) & 4 (Senior) LLB courses.
You are to note that the law school will not add extra sections of designated junior and senior core courses
to cater to backlogs. Students who do not follow the course sequence will have to extend beyond their 4th
year of study to complete the required core courses. This will impact their continuation to the Part B
examination and the start of their training contract with the law firms. There will also be no extension of
tuition grants for students who extend beyond their 4th year of study due to non-adherence of the course
sequence.
Double-degree programme (DDP) students (whether direct or transferred) are strongly advised to follow the
course sequence, especially in their 3rd and 4th year of law study.
Year 1 (Freshman) & 2 (Sophomore) LLB courses are pre-assigned.
COURSES
LAW101
LAW103
LAW104
LAW102
LAW105
LAW106
LAW201
LAW202
LAW203
LAW204
LAW205
LAW301
LAW307
LAW302
LAW303
LAW304
or
LAW305
LAW001
LAW4XX
LAW4XX
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CONTRACT LAW 1
CRIMINAL LAW
LEGAL SYSTEM, LEGAL METHOD & ANALYSIS
ANALYTICAL SKILLS
CREATIVE THINKING
BUSINESS, GOVERNMENT & SOCIETY
LEADERSHIP & TEAMBUILDING
CONTRACT LAW 2
LAW OF TORTS
LEGAL RESEARCH & WRITING
TECHNOLOGY & WORLD CHANGE
LAW OF BUSINESS ORGANISATIONS
LAW OF PROPERTY
COMPARATIVE LEGAL SYSTEMS
FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING
CONSTITUTIONAL & ADMINISTRATIVE LAW
CORPORATE LAW
FINANCE FOR LAW *
GENERAL EDUCATION ELECTIVE 1
LEGAL THEORY & PHILOSOPHY
LAW OF EVIDENCE
COMMERCIAL CONFLICT OF LAWS
GENERAL EDUCATION ELECTIVE 2
LAW OF EQUITY & TRUSTS
LAW AND REGULATION or ECONOMIC ANALYSIS
OF LAW
ETHICS & SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
LAW ELECTIVE 1
LAW ELECTIVE 2
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UNIT
1
1.5
1
0.5
0.5
1
1
1
1.5
1
1
1
1.5
1
1
1.5
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1.5
YEAR OF STUDY
FRESHMAN
FRESHMAN
FRESHMAN
ANYTIME
ANYTIME
ANYTIME
ANYTIME
FRESHMAN
FRESHMAN
FRESHMAN
ANYTIME
SOPHOMORE
SOPHOMORE
SOPHOMORE
SOPHOMORE
SOPHOMORE
SOPHOMORE
SOPHOMORE
ANYTIME
JUNIOR
JUNIOR
JUNIOR
ANYTIME
SENIOR
1
1
1
1
SENIOR
SENIOR
JUNIOR/SENIOR
JUNIOR/SENIOR
OFFERED
TERM
T1
T1
T1
T2
T2
T2
T1
T1
T1
T1
T2
T2
T2
T1
T1
T2
T2
T1/T2
T2
T1/T2
T1/T2
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LAW4XX
LAW4XX
LAW4XX
LAW4XX
LAW4XX
LAW4XX
LAW ELECTIVE 3
LAW ELECTIVE 4
LAW ELECTIVE 5
LAW ELECTIVE 6
LAW ELECTIVE 7
LAW ELECTIVE 8
ANY SMU COURSE
TOTAL UNITS
1
1
1
1
1
0.5
1
36
JUNIOR/SENIOR
JUNIOR/SENIOR
JUNIOR/SENIOR
JUNIOR/SENIOR
JUNIOR/SENIOR
JUNIOR/SENIOR
ANYTIME
T1/T2
T1/T2
T1/T2
T1/T2
T1/T2
T1/T2
* DDP students with BBM or BAcc, students with an intention to enrol in a second major in Finance or
accounting, or LLB students who wish to enrol in courses which have FNCE101 Finance as a pre-requisite,
must enrol in FNCE101 Finance in place of FNCE103 Finance for Law.
DOUBLE DEGREE PROGRAMME (DDP)
The School of Law offers an opportunity for outstanding SMU students to enrol in the law double-degree
programmes (DDP). The law DDP is only available to a small number of very good students on a competitive
basis. It entails five years of full-time study, and the number of law electives that the students must read
will be the same as for the single degree. Some law DDP students may have to undertake two internships to
meet both degrees' requirements. For example, a LL.B – BAcc DDP or a LL.B – BSc (ISM) DDP student would
have to undertake a law internship as well as an accountancy or an information systems management
internship respectively. Law students applying for DDP would require a good pass in Mathematics at H1
level.
Under the double degree programme, a student can graduate in five years with two degrees in:
•
•
•
•
•
Law & Accountancy (LL.B & BAcc)
Law & Business Management (LL.B & BBM)
Law & Economics (LL.B & BSc (Econ))
Law & Information Systems Management (LL.B & BSc (ISM))
Law & Social Sciences (LL.B & BSocSc)
Please refer to OASIS (the student portal) on the ‘Policies on Double Degree Programme’.
A DPP student must complete a minimum number of courses to fulfil the degree requirements for both
programmes. Please refer to the table below on the minimum number of course units required.
LL.B +Secondary Degree in:
BAcc
BBM
BSc (Econ)
BSc (ISM)
BSocSc
Minimum Number of Course Units Required
55
50
54
56
54
Refer to the Student Handbook of the respective programmes for the detailed curriculum. Go to OASIS >
Study > Advisement & Curriculum to keep track of your progression. Make use of the Curriculum Worksheet
as well as the Degree Progress Report (Course List What-if) to work out your study plan.
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SECOND MAJOR
All SMU students enrolled in a single degree programme may opt to do a second major in any of the
following:
Offered by Lee Kong Chian School of Business
• Corporate Communication
• Finance with tracks in:
1) Wealth Management
2) International Trading
3) Investment Banking
4) Financial Risk Analysis
• Strategic Management with track in Entrepreneurship
• Marketing
• Operations Management
• Organisational Behaviour & Human Resources
• Quantitative Finance
Effective from AY 2013-14, students taking Finance as 2nd major, a minimum of grade B in FNCE101 Finance
is required. For LLB students, a minimum of grade A- in FNCE103 Finance for Law is required.
Offered by School of Accountancy
• Accounting
Offered by School of Economics
• Actuarial Science with tracks in Actuarial Analyst or Risk Analyst
• Applied Statistics
• Economics
Offered by School of Information Systems
• Advanced Business Technology with tracks in:
1) Business Intelligence and Analytics
2) Banking Processes and Technology
3) Enterprise Systems and Solutions
4) Service Systems and Solutions
5) Technopreneurship
• Advanced Business Technology without track
• Information Systems Management
Offered by School of Social Sciences
• Political Science
• Psychology
• Sociology
• Arts and Culture Management
• International and Asian Studies
• Public Policy and Public Management
All students MUST declare their First as well as Second (if any) Major within their first 4 regular terms of
study (inclusive of term on leave of absence and/or international exchange) via OASIS > Study > Enrolments
& Withdrawals.
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Students who intend to pursue a second major that requires Introductory Statistics (e.g. Finance major) may
wish to take the Statistics Waiver Test. This test is open to all freshmen and it is conducted once by the
School of Economics before the commencement of Term 1 of each academic year.
For details on the second major requirements, please refer to OASIS > Study > Curriculum.
OASIS
OASIS (Online Access to Student Information System) is the student portal that hosts various self-service
functions under different categories such as Study, Personal & Finances, Resources, Career & Jobs, Student
Life and Schools & Community. It is a one-stop self-service centre for all things related to your student life in
SMU.
Simply log in to OASIS at https://oasis.smu.edu.sg and explore all the available functions. We encourage you
to read and be familiar with the University’s Undergraduate Regulations & Procedures and Online
Registration of Courses by BOSS (Bidding Online SyStem). Do check for updates or announcements which
will be posted in OASIS from time to time.
IMPORTANT TO NOTE

Prior permission must be obtained from the relevant instructor before taking photographs or
making audio or video recordings during classes and consultations, even if such photographs and
recordings are only for personal use.

Unless specified to the contrary, instructors reserve the right to alter the course outlines from time
to time and updated outlines will be posted on e-Learn as and when they are revised. You are
required to take note of these changes. You are also responsible for completing the reading as set
out in the course outline, seminar outlines and reading lists, even if the relevant instructor did not
go through particular items during class, and you may be examined on any of that content.
SCHOOL CONTACT

Mr Tan Teck Kiang
Assistant Dean (Administration)
Tel: 6828 0363
Email: tktan@smu.edu.sg

Ms Serena Yue
Manager
Tel: 6828 0179
Email: serenayue@smu.edu.sg
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