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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.

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.

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. 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). While in university, Tan represented NUS as a debater in international competitions and televised debates in Singapore. He later completed a second, joint-honours degree in computer science and psychology from the Open University in 2004, while working as a lawyer.

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. The Teenage Textbook was also made into a stage play by The Necessary Stage in 1997; a film in 1998, which topped the box office in Singapore for four weeks; a 2017 musical titled The Teenage Textbook Musical; and a 2021 TV series on Channel 5. In 2015, The Teenage Textbook was listed by The Business Times as one of the top 10 English Singapore books from 1965 to 2015. Tan also was a consultant for the Channel 5 television legal drama The Pupil. 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.

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. In 1999, Tan left Drew for a two-year stint as general counsel of a technology firm, following which he returned to Drew. 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. Tan practiced litigation, and specialised in intellectual property, information technology, real estate, and shareholder oppression disputes. He was also the honorary counsel of the Singapore Association of the Visually Handicapped, where he advocated for voting rights for the blind. He was also a member of the boards of the Law Society Pro Bono Services, Maxwell Chambers, and Arts House Limited, and was a member of the Speak Good English Movement committee.

From 2013 to 2021, Tan was a member of the Law Society Council, serving as treasurer in 2016 and vice president in 2017. In 2022, he was appointed president. As president of the law society, he was known for his public outreach on legal issues, such as the HDB's ban on cats, the 2022 bar exam cheating scandal, and Richard Branson's comments on the death penalty in Singapore. 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.

Personal life and death

Tan was married without any children. He was diagnosed with cancer in March 2022, and died on 8 July 2023, at age 57. 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."

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."

Notable cases

• Wee Shuo Woon v HT S.R.L. SGCA 23
• Turf Club Auto Emporium Pte Ltd v Yeo Boong Hua SGCA 44
• Singsung Pte Ltd v LG 26 Electronics Pte Ltd (trading as L S Electrical Trading) SGCA 33
• Y.E.S. F&B Group Pte Ltd v Soup Restaurant Singapore Pte Ltd (formerly known as Soup Restaurant (Causeway Point) Pte Ltd) SGCA 55
• Acted as counsel in proceedings concerning Gilstead Court, Thomson View, and Shunfu Ville 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. ^ "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 (January 2015). "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. ^ 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. ^ 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. {{cite news}}: |last= has generic name (help)
36. "If I Were King of Singapore". Epigram. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
37. Wee Shuo Woon v HT S.R.L SGCA 23
38. Turf Club Auto Emporium Pte Ltd v Yeo Boong Hua SGCA 44
39. Singsung Pte Ltd v LG 26 Electronics Pte Ltd (trading as L S Electrical Trading) SGCA 33
40. Y.E.S. F&B Group Pte Ltd v Soup Restaurant Singapore Pte Ltd (formerly known as Soup Restaurant (Causeway Point) Pte Ltd) SGCA 55
41. Lim Li Meng Dominic and others v Ching Pui Sim Sally and another and another matter SGCA 54
42. Ramachandran Jayakumar and another v Woo Hon Wai and others and another matter SGCA 36

External links

• Adrian Tan at TSMP Law Corporation
• Internet Movie Database profile of The Teenage Textbook Movie
• The World According to Adrian Tan – Inkpot Interview

• Biography

• 1966 births
• Hainanese people
• 2023 deaths
• 20th-century Singaporean lawyers
• 21st-century Singaporean lawyers
• Anglo-Chinese School alumni
• Deaths from cancer in Singapore
• National University of Singapore alumni
• Singaporean people of Chinese descent
• 20th-century Singaporean writers
• 21st-century Singaporean writers