Judge Lai Siu Chiu joined the Supreme Court of Singapore as Judicial Commissioner in 1991 and became Judge in 1994. Judge Lai was the first woman to be appointed to the Supreme Court of Singapore. She retired in 2013 before returning to the Supreme Court as Senior Judge in 2015.
Born in Malaysia, Judge Lai holds a Bachelor of Laws from the National University of Singapore and a Master of Laws from University College, University of London. In 1973, she was admitted as advocate and solicitor in Singapore. The same year, Judge Lai began her legal career at Sim Teow Gok & Co and then, within the same year, moved to Allen & Gledhill where she became Senior Partner. In April 1991, Judge Lai left the firm to join the Supreme Court. Currently, she is the only woman appointed to the Presidential Council for Religious Harmony and is a member of the executive board of the Yellow Ribbon Fund, which charity caters to ex-offenders. Judge Lai is also a board member of the Academy of Chinese Medicine in Singapore.