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Remembering My Father, Nathan Isaac
1937-2009

My father, Nathan Isaac, was born on 24 January 1937, the second of three sons - all of whom ultimately read law.

After his Senior Cambridge examinations, he joined the Police Force. His old friends still speak of his bravery in 1970 when he continued to lead his squad to apprehend a gunman despite having just been shot in the leg.

My father enjoyed his time in the Poilce Force and worked hard, rising through the ranks to Assistant Superintendent of Police. But wanting more from life, he enrolled himself as a mature student in the University of Singapore. He had developed a keen interest in the law and joining the legal profession seemed a natural progression for a police officer. For six years he juggled family life, police work and his studies.

In 1971, he did his pupillage under David Marshall and subsequently secured a position as a legal assistant in Marshall's office. He sharpened his skills as a criminal lawyer during this brief but important time.

The following year marked a significant milestone in my father's life with the founding of Nathan Isaac & Co. A long-held dream had become a reality for him and his legal career was now in full swing.

In addition to my father's ability to understand his clients and their challenges, his greatest asset, as a lawyer, was his skill in cross-examination, a process that he believed was the best opportunity for reaching the truth and understanding the elements of any case.
During his career as a criminal lawyer, my father defended many accused persons - with notable trials before the High Court and the Court of Criminal Appeal/Court of Appeal. A good number of these appeared in the Law Reports.

One of the more infamous cases he took on was the 'Adrian Lim ritual murders' in which he acted for Lim's mistress. She pleaded diminished responsibility but was sentenced to death by the Court. My father was deeply saddened by the verdict, believing that his client had been manipulated by Lim and did not deserve the same penalty. Yet, despite the pain and doubt such cases and judgments brought, he continued in active practice.

One of my father's better known civil cases was Pang Ko Fu v Lim Djoe Phing [1993] 3 SLR 317. Essentially a medical malpractice case, it was then the only one of its kind to be argued. My father's client (the mother) sued her daughter's neurosurgeon for negligence. The doctor's actions resulted in a shock induced psychiatric illness and in turn, death. Judicial Commissioner Amarjeet Singh awarded general damages of $300,000 and special damages of $7,400 plus costs. I recall how, during the matter, some friends and lawyers were pushing for my father to win as the plight of the mother was more than many could bear. You could well feel my father's empathy for the mother.

After a successful and eventful career, the mid-nineties saw my father shifting to a slower pace and moving on to a well-deserved retirement. He never let his health issues get the better of him and he continued to enjoy regular games of golf, hunting wild boar in Malaysia and the company of family and friends. My father retained his great sense of humour and had a presence and warmth that would help even the quietest and shyest of persons open up and feel welcome.

He complained of feeling unwell on the afternoon of 10 January 2009. That night he slipped into unconsciousness and his passing came quickly. His devoted wife was by his side and he was surrounded by family and friends. It was a shock to many, but we, the family, believe he would have wanted it this way, without any period of suffering or disability.

The funeral was well-attended and his friends spoke of a fiercely loyal and kind man whom they could always depend on. He had a respect for persons of all faiths and his personal convictions led him towards the 'doing' rather than the 'teaching and preaching'. While he never spoke of this himself, he was a generous man who helped many, not just his family or those within his circle of friends but often also the less fortunate, complete strangers and clients in need.

But of all the lives he touched, none were more influenced and shaped than the lives of my three brothers and I. And while we all mourn his loss and cling to our memories of him, I know that he lives on through us: his four sons and two grandsons.

Tito Isaac
Tito Isaac & Co LLP