2020 Commencement Speech—LL.M. Student Speaker Jonathan Koh

A very good day to China’s Most Innovative Law School in China’s Most Innovative City! A big congratulations to STL’s Class of 2020. I am Jonathan Koh, and I am very lucky today to be able to share with you some of my thoughts about STL as an institution and what it means for us as a graduating batch.

Given my current job scope, I’ve been putting a lot of thought lately into what kinds of lawyers we want to see moving into the future. And the more I think about it, the more I gain insight into STL’s unique value proposition. Now, more than ever, we need lawyers who are not only familiar with the content of law across different jurisdictions but are also cross-cultural and comfortable engaging deeply with people all around the world.

Can you be cross-cultural without having gone to STL? Sure. But the advantage that our time at STL has provided is really confidence and familiarity through deep understanding and broad exposure.

Because when we take the time to sit down and discuss complex legal issues from different jurisdictions with experts in their fields, it is not only about learning the content of law as if it were a static subject. It is about learning how the discourse has developed, sensitive to its social context. It is about studying the present situation, thinking about how it may affect the interests of different segments and different stakeholders.

It is about scanning the horizon, looking at how things may unfold as we move along. And there is no better place to do this than at STL, where the faculty consists of a diverse group of professors that are each endeavoring to push the envelope in their respective fields.

During my time here, I witnessed the strong push for thinking outside of the traditional confines of the legal discipline and legal profession. For instance, the International Workshop on Soft Law held last year placed emphasis on the soft power of the law and how it was vital for lawyers to identify trends across jurisdictions through an inter-disciplinary lens.

From a professional standpoint – contract drafting workshops and negotiation courses at STL ensure that students are well-equipped for the more practical aspects of future practice.

Our geography is another advantage. The frequent visits on campus by representatives from some of the most cutting-edge tech firms inShenzhenalso help students to better understand the industry’s direction for growth and upcoming legal issues.

On top of this – students will understand what I mean when I say that we often look forward to the final terms of the academic year, because that is when many visiting professors conduct courses on the frontier areas of law they have been working so hard on. These lessons are very specialized and can go from 0 to 100 in a very short span of time.

To their credit, STL students possess that capacity and zeal to go along on these wild rides to explore the subjects in great depth, adding to their already-wide range of intellectual interests and professional repertoire. So overall, I have no doubt that STL students are well-equipped to go out into the world not only to thrive but also make changes for the better.

I take this opportunity to also thank the faculty and administrative staff of STL for creating such a welcoming school environment for all students, both local and international. You have been such great teachers and friends to us. I look forward to visiting the campus again on my next trip to China.

Once again, a huge congratulations to the graduating class of 2020. I wish you nothing but the best.