Anybody who’s worked in the Asian Legal Market will know his name..
Mr Thean Lip Ping was one of the first two judges to be appointed to the Court of Appeal in post-independence Singapore in 1993.
Former appeals court judge Thean Lip Ping, known for his exacting standards and sense of fair play, died on Jan 12 at the age of 90.
Appointed a judge of the High Court in 1984, he would spend 18 years on the Supreme Court bench, including almost a decade as a judge on the Court of Appeal.
He was one of the first two judges to be appointed to the Court of Appeal in post-independence Singapore in 1993, alongside Mr Mootatamby Karthigesu.
Mr Thean left his mark on many areas of Singapore law in his 18-year career on the bench, from administrative and constitutional law to commercial and matrimonial law. This included that matrimonial assets should be divided based on the just and equitable principle.
At his retirement in 2002, then Attorney-General Chan Sek Keong said Mr Thean was part of several significant appeals court judgments that would likely remain influential into the future.
They include Chng Suan Tze v Minister of Home Affairs in 1988, a landmark case on the constitutional limits of preventive detention under the Internal Security Act.
A line within the judgment that affirmed that all power has legal limits has become one of the most frequently referenced in Singapore’s public law, while its principles remain a centrepiece in the Republic’s jurisprudence.
On his legendary work ethic, RHTLaw Asia managing partner Azman Jaafar noted that Mr Thean insisted on going into work every day despite his frail health, and difficulty walking in his 80s.
After changes such as dress-down Friday were introduced, he would urge co-workers to consider the ramifications, such as their conduct and duty as officer of the court.
“In today’s legal profession, I think there are very few like him,” he said.
Born in Kuala Lumpur, Mr Thean crossed the Causeway in 1964 to set up the Singapore office of law firm Shook Lin & Bok.
Together with Mr Chan, who later became Chief Justice, he developed the firm into one of the Republic’s biggest banking and corporate practices by the early 1980s.
While work was synonymous with L.P., as he was known within legal circles, those who knew him personally said he was also a dedicated family man.
https://www.singaporelawwatch.sg/Headlines/former-court-of-appeal-judge-lp-thean-dies-at-90
