Foo Chee Hock
Foo Chee Hock | |
|---|---|
| Judicial Commissioner of Singapore | |
| In office 1 April 2015 – 31 March 2018 | |
| Appointed by | Tony Tan |
| Personal details | |
| Alma mater | |
Foo Chee Hock PBS SC is a Singaporean jurist and a former Dean of the Singapore Judicial College.[1]
Education
Foo graduated from St Joseph's Institution in 1976,[2] where he is recognised as a "distinguished alumni",[3] the National University of Singapore in 1984[4] and a Masters of Laws from Cambridge University in 1989.[5]
Legal career
Foo joined the Singapore Legal Service in 1984 and served in a variety of legal and judicial posts during that time, including as a Magistrate and District Judge in the then-Subordinate Courts, and as an Assistant Registrar and Deputy Registrar in the Supreme Court of Singapore. In 2009, he was appointed Registrar of the Supreme Court.[6] In his time as Registrar, Foo assisted the Courts with the implementation of the “docket system” of case management and end-to-end e-Litigation systems and also was the “driving force that helped to demystify the judiciary and (make) the courts more accessible to the general public”.[7] Foo has also previously spoken out about burn-out in the legal profession, given the real pressures of legal careers.[8]
Foo was subsequently appointed as a Judicial Commissioner by President Tony Tan in April 2015.[9] He served a three-year term during which time he also oversaw the development of the Singapore Judicial College, serving as its founding Dean, and in which capacity, he was tasked to "oversee the development of a new college for the training of judges".[10] Upon his appointment as a Judicial Commissioner, he was replaced as the Registrar of the Supreme Court by Vincent Hoong.[6]
At the conclusion of his term as Judicial Commissioner in 2019, Foo assumed full-time leadership of the Singapore Judicial College.[11] He was also, during his time as Judicial Commissioner, Editor-in-Chief of Singapore Civil Procedure.[11] He is also a senior mediator at the Singapore Mediation Centre.[12] Foo retired from his position as Dean of the Singapore Judicial College in April 2023.[13]
Academic career
Foo is currently an Adjunct Professor at NUS Law School, where he teaches Pre-trial Advocacy in Civil Litigation and Reform of Civil Procedure.[14]
Awards
Foo received the Long Service Award in 2007.[15] He was also appointed Senior Counsel (Honoris Causa) in 2019[16] in recognition of his “special knowledge in law and contributions to the development of the law and legal profession”.[17]
References
- ^ "Singapore Judicial College". Default.
- ^ "Distinguished Alumni". www.sji.edu.sg. Retrieved 2023-01-08.
- ^ "Alumni". www.sji.edu.sg. Retrieved 2026-02-24.
- ^ "NUS - Faculty of Law : Asia's Global Law School". law1.nus.edu.sg.
- ^ "New Judicial Commissioner sworn in today at Istana". AsiaOne. April 2, 2015.
- ^ a b "Vincent Hoong appointed as Registrar of Supreme Court, replacing Foo Chee Hock | The Straits Times". www.straitstimes.com. January 5, 2015.
- ^ Yi Wen, Chan. "Vincent Hoong named new registrar of Singapore's Supreme Court". www.businesstimes.com.sg. Retrieved 2022-05-27.
- ^ Koh, Fabian (2019-01-07). "Junior lawyers should work hard but be wary of burnout, says newly appointed Senior Counsel". The Straits Times. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 2024-06-23.
- ^ Huang, Claire. "Foo Chee Hock named judicial commissioner of Singapore High Court". www.businesstimes.com.sg. Retrieved 2022-05-27.
- ^ Lee, Amanda. "Ex-Chief Justice Chan among five senior judges appointed". TODAY.
- ^ a b "Dean". Default.
- ^ "Senior Mediator". Singapore Mediation Centre. Retrieved 2022-11-28.
- ^ "Singapore Judicial College on LinkedIn: Tribute to Dean". www.linkedin.com. Retrieved 2023-11-30.
- ^ "FOO Chee Hock". law.nus.edu.sg. Retrieved 2025-12-22.
- ^ Singapore, Prime Minister's Office (November 22, 2021). "PMO | Recipients". Prime Minister's Office Singapore.
- ^ "Annex A" (PDF). Singapore Academy of Law.
- ^ Koh, Fabian (January 7, 2019). "Junior lawyers should work hard but be wary of burnout, says newly appointed Senior Counsel | The Straits Times". www.straitstimes.com.