Ms Malathi Das

Ms Malathi Das assumed the presidency of LAWASIA on 12 October 2011, at its 24^th Conference in Seoul. In doing so, she became the first Singaporean and the first woman to occupy LAWASIA’s leading role.

Holding an LLB (Hons) from the National University of Singapore, Ms Das is admitted as an Advocate and Solicitor in the Supreme Court of the Republic of Singapore.

She is partner at Singapore boutique law firm, Joyce A Tan and Partners, heading its litigation and dispute resolution department. In addition, she has a special interest in family and gender issues and a robust track record in supporting the work of legal professional bodies, both in Singapore and internationally.

Her links with legal professional bodies are strong, as she has served as vice president at the Law Society of Singapore from 2006 to 2010, and has contributed to numerous Law Society committees and other initiatives over many years. She has served as Singapore’s representative on the Bar Issues Committee on Pro Bono and Access to Justice of the International Bar Association.

In October 2011, shortly before assuming the LAWASIA presidency, Ms Das was awarded the Pro Bono Ambassador Award for 2011 by the Law Society of Singapore. Her support for pro bono legal work is underpinned by tenure as Board Member of Pro Bono Services, Learning and Support Services Management Committee of the Law Society of Singapore since 2007 and as a member of the Singapore Ministry of Law’s Steering Committee on Pro Bono Services.

Ms Das writes and speaks extensively on legal ethics, pro bono, gender, children and elder issues as well as intellectual property law, and teaches at post-graduate level at the Singapore Institute of Legal Studies (SILE) and the National Institute of Education. She is a member of the Faculty Panel and Family Law Subject Co-ordinator of the SILE.

She sits on the Editorial Boards of the Singapore Law Gazette and the Singapore Academy of Law Journal. She has volunteered at free legal clinics, which provide pro bono advice to the public, since 1994.

Ms Das is currently 2^nd Vice-President of the national co-ordinating body of women’s groups in Singapore, Singapore Council of Women’s Organisations (SCWO), and team-leader of SCWO’s shadow report on the Convention to Eliminate All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), which was presented to the CEDAW Committee of the United Nations in July 2011.

In the LAWASIA context, Ms Das has been a member of the Executive Committee of LAWASIA since 2003, was elected to the vice presidency in 2006 and to the role of president-elect in 2009.

Her frequent contribution of papers to LAWASIA and other conferences and seminars on material ranging from intellectual property through family law to legal professional issues makes her well-known amongst the region’s legal community.

She chaired three of the four very successful LAWASIA Children and the Law Conferences, the last of which saw the development of the LAWASIA Siem Reap Declaration of Children’s Rights, which has contributed significantly to LAWASIA’s work in this area.

In addition to sharing her legal expertise, Ms Das has lectured in professional responsibility, ethical, legal and professional issues in counselling and legal practice management at various institutions in Singapore and at LAWASIA events.

Ms Das, who is proud of her mixed Indian and Vietnamese parentage, has a keen interest in diverse languages and cultures and is effectively bilingual in English and Mandarin.

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Ms Malathi Das