 He earned his Bachelor of Laws ( LL.B. ) from the National University of Singapore ( NUS ) , graduating in 1981 with first class honours . That same year , he also topped the postgraduate practice law course , winning the Aw Boon Haw and Aw Boon Par Memorial Prize . He joined the teaching staff of the NUS Faculty of Law that year , focusing his teaching and research on company law and securities regulation . In 1983 he graduated with a Master of Laws ( LL.M. ) degree with first class honours from St. John 's College , Cambridge , which he completed on a Commonwealth Academic Staff scholarship . 
