1. Tell us something people don’t often know about you.

 For anyone who has not met my twin brother before, it is always a surprise for them to find out that I not only have an identical twin brother, but he is also studying law in the same law school and the same batch as me. What they don’t often know is that even before law school, we have also been in the same school and the same class (except for 1 year) throughout our entire education. The next question people often ask me is whether we can read each other’s mind or if we have ever swapped places in school and the answer to both questions is no.

2. What did you learn from the internship – best takeaway?

An internship is the best opportunity to learn about the culture of the firm. While law firms can describe their culture on their website, it is not the same as being able to experience it first-hand. It is safe to say that AEI Legal has lived up to its expectations and offers a welcoming and positive environment where you can learn and grow. The non-hierarchical structure of the team means that you can approach anyone in the team with any topic, whether it is related to work, career, or personal life.

Despite a short 2-week internship with the firm, I was given the opportunity to work on a broad range of work, for example, proofreading service agreements, the company constitution, and an employee share option scheme (ESOS). Additionally, I was involved in drafting a board resolution and a client update on a recent amendment to the Companies Act, as well as conducting research on company and trust law.

Two matters particularly stood out to me. Firstly, being able to attend a client meeting with Andrea is truly an eye-opening experience. She is an effective communicator who can deliver sound and structured advice while weighing the feasibility of different solutions and taking into account the client’s needs to provide them with the best possible solution. I also learnt that in legal practice, the facts are not static and are constantly changing. As a lawyer, it is therefore essential to be agile and hone your ability to think quickly on your feet to address the client’s concerns.

Secondly, it was interesting to work on a client update on the amendments to s 215 of the Companies Act. Even though I have seen publications by law firms on different areas of the law while I was in law school, I found it interesting to take a different role this time by being in the position of the law firm in drafting these publications.

3. What challenges did you face and how did you overcome them?

I was assigned a research task by Darren on a trust law issue which I found to be challenging because I could not find a direct authority to address the research question. I found it useful to seek guidance from my mentors who are more than willing to spend some time explaining how I can expand the scope of my research, for example, using different keywords, exploring different academic sources, or looking to a foreign jurisdiction. I also found it useful to keep a log of the sources which I have used and what I have found. Lastly, I sought feedback from Darren after submitting the task where I learnt that in some cases, the authority on an issue of law may not always be clear. In such a scenario, you have to exercise your judgment in how you phrase your advice to the client.   

4. What advice would you give future interns?

As you will be involved in corporate work, it will be advantageous to do corporate law-related modules in school. For example, having done company law and corporate finance made it easier for me to understand different concepts like shareholders agreement, board resolution, different classes of shares, and the company constitution.

However, whether you have a corporate law background in school or have no prior experience, you will realise, as with all internships, that you have to learn a lot on the job. For example, corporate law modules in school will not give you the same exposure to documentation as legal practice. Therefore, my advice would be to be a sponge, take notes and ask questions if in doubt. Each member of the AEI Legal team whether it is the staff, or the lawyers is extremely capable and is well-equipped to handle your questions.

5. Did you enjoy your time?

Absolutely. It was a pleasant surprise to be invited to the firm’s anniversary gathering on the second last day of my internship. It made me feel like I was a valued member of the team despite only being an intern.

I also enjoyed the flexible working arrangement where I was allowed to work from home 4 days a week. The time saved on commute helped to increase my productivity as I could get adequate sleep in the morning and have more personal time after work. I also appreciate the opportunity to come to the office every Thursday to meet the team in person and get to know them, as well as coming to the office on a day where there was an important client meeting to observe the team in action.

Overall, I found the scope of work that I was offered, the patience and guidance provided by capable mentors, and the tightly knit culture at this firm made this internship an invaluable experience. 

1.     Tell us something people don’t often know about you.

Despite being deficient in height, I often try to use it to my advantage. Many of my fun-sized counterparts may feel inferior and upset when compared to their taller peers, but I acknowledge that there are perks that come with being small. For example, I can sleep comfortably in airplane seats by curling up while everyone else has to contort their bodies in some weird way. It is easy to connect with others when their first instinct is to tease me for my height. In fact, cracking height jokes about myself before someone else does brings me great satisfaction. Buying clothes is a breeze because the kids’ section is much cheaper. And most importantly, I will look young (albeit like a child) forever.

2.     What did you learn from the internship – best takeaway?

Seeing whatever I learnt in school being applied to real life situations was the biggest takeaway for me. It is easy to forget that whatever we learn as students is applied in real life since we typically learn about concepts in abstract. Being able to sit in on client meetings and draft agreements gave everything a human touch that is hard to attain from textbooks or lectures. It was particularly eye-opening to see how Andrea, Yuho, Zhi Tian and Dana interacted with the clients warmly and paid attention to their needs. Even though they were handling the same type of agreement, each transaction was tailored to the context and what the clients wanted. I realised how much thought goes into the drafting of agreements when the team easily spotted underlying nuances in clauses that may adversely affect their clients’ positions and advised their clients accordingly. The level of attentiveness and skill really left me in awe and fuelled my want to help others in the same way.

3.     What challenges did you face and how did you overcome them?

As I have not done corporate law modules in school yet, many terms and documents were foreign to me. I struggled with determining what was expected of me, and whether I was doing the work given to me properly. Nonetheless, everyone at AEI Legal was willing to answer my questions, no matter how entry-level they were and regardless of their busy schedules. They also provided me with precedents for reference so that I could see how the documents should be structured, which aided me in suggesting amendments. Constructive feedback was also given, which helped me to improve and learn a lot. Although it was rather difficult to understand these foreign concepts from the beginning, being thrown right into the transaction taught me how to navigate unfamiliarity and grasp concepts quickly.

4.     What advice would you give future interns?

If you are unsure as to whether you should apply for an internship here, be it summer or

winter, I strongly encourage you to just shoot your shot! Internship is about learning and exposing yourself to real work, and that is something that AEI Legal can provide. If this is your first internship, the team at AEI Legal is friendly and helpful, so do not be afraid to ask questions or seek feedback from them.

Take whatever feedback you have received and improve on it for the next task you are given. As mentioned by the seniors who interned here before me, it is helpful to keep a log of what you have learnt throughout the internship – you may never know when it might be useful in the future. Most importantly, keep an open mind, have fun, and absorb all the new information like a sponge!

5.     Did you enjoy your time?

I definitely enjoyed my time here! Despite it being a virtual internship, I really learnt a lot. I applied for this internship with the aim of learning about corporate work and interning here has certainly opened my eyes to the corporate world. It was particularly helpful that the associates gave me work from all sorts of different transactions so that I could be exposed to the various documents in many contexts. I am immensely grateful to everyone at AEI Legal for giving me 3 weeks full of learning, guidance and for making me feel valued for whatever I could offer.

1. What were some of the challenges you faced?

The greatest challenge I faced was comprehending what was happening with any particular file I was placed on. The work is fast-paced and having had little experience in corporate work, it took a fair bit of effort trying to understand the clients’ interests and what to look out for in the drafting of agreements. I also had to quickly get up to speed on financial and accounting terms, which up until my internship had remained mostly a foreign language to me.

2. What was the highlight of your internship experience?

The highlight of my internship was being roped into an ongoing deal involving the acquisition of a company. During calls, I observed that the team was always ready to ask the right questions and make the necessary clarifications and suggestions to ensure the clients’ concerns were suitably addressed. This was made even more exciting when I was given the opportunity to revise a draft letter of intent following a call to incorporate the relevant changes. While I was keen to apply my skills, I was more deeply impressed by how the team valued the input of their interns and was genuinely invested in their learning experience.

3. What did you learn?

Perspectives matter. This principle manifests itself in two ways.

First, what is reasonable in one party’s eyes may appear unreasonable to the counterparty. Parties can have differing understandings of a deal and thus come in with vastly different expectations of what each other’s obligations should entail. This can be tricky to navigate and a corporate lawyer’s expertise is needed to guide the parties to their end-goal of making the deal happen.

Second, the fine print is important – and so is the big picture. It is crucial to pay attention to the details, but one should also have the ability to assess a deal holistically to achieve an outcome that is acceptable to all parties.

For example, an incident that was particularly eye-opening for me was when Andrea distilled the essence of a potential deadlock between the parties, which allowed the clients to take a step back and approach negotiations from a fresh perspective.

4. What advice would you provide to future interns?

Ask why you’re doing what you’re doing. Understanding the rationale of any given task saves time and helps you deliver better quality work. Remember to also ask about timelines to ensure that you prioritise your time wisely. Lastly, don’t be afraid to try new things! This can be daunting, but trust that you’re working under close supervision and that you have excellent mentors to turn to for feedback and guidance.

5. Did you enjoy your time?

I definitely did. The people at AEI value interns as members of the team and are interested in shaping fruitful and fulfilling experiences. I benefitted greatly from the strong culture of mentorship and am grateful to have met kind and able mentors.

6. How was your work-from-home internship experience?

I felt that my internship experience was diminished by the lack of physical interaction due to the COVID-19 restrictions, as there were fewer opportunities to get to know the team and my fellow interns, although this was through no fault of the firm. Everyone remained highly approachable and easily contactable, and the close-knit character of the team was palpable. I also appreciated that the internship continued to be held despite the less than ideal circumstances, and that the process was a smooth one, with the firm providing office laptops for our use.

1. Tell us something people don’t often know about you/something you do differently from most other people

In addition to my Law major, I am working towards a minor in Anthropology at Yale-NUS College. I am intensely fascinated by how Anthropological theories offer insight into cultural systems. I also thoroughly  enjoy research in the field. Thus far, all my Anthropology classes have been research paper-based. Applying an Anthropological lens helps me be more sensitive to and appreciative of the cultural aspects of my social environments.

2. What did you learn from the internship - what was the best takeaway?

Andrea shared that one exciting aspect of corporate law practice is being in the position to support business ventures and entrepreneurial ambitions. 

My internship offered a broad range of exposure. I helped draft a novation agreement, corporate governance report, sales agreement, reserved matter approval, letter of resignation, extraordinary general meeting notice, announcement and circular as well as client meeting minutes. I also did research into common seals and dispute resolution forums in Singapore. 

3. What challenges did you face - how did you overcome them?

This was my first corporate law firm internship, so I was not familiar with the nature of many of the documents and the clients’ needs. I had to do research on these documents to better understand the assignment. 

Due to COVID-19, the internship was conducted mostly on a work-from-home basis. However, I did not feel that the quality of my internship experience was compromised because I could easily and frequently communicate with the others. Andrea and Zhi Tian also checked in on me periodically.

4. What advice would you give future interns?

I think it is important to consider the client’s perspective and understand the background of each file. People at AEI are very approachable, so if you have tried your best to figure out your assignment on your own but still feel unsure on how to go about the assignment, you should consider asking your mentor about it. I think it is important to ask for and be open to feedback as well. 

5. Did you enjoy your time?

Most definitely! AEI has a fantastic mentorship culture and collegiate environment. The Associates, especially Zhi Tian, my assigned mentor, were very generous with their guidance and feedback. They also took time to check in on my progress on the assignments and share about legal practice in general. I felt that I was exposed to ‘real’ work during my internship and I am grateful for the opportunity to intern with AEI.

1. What were some of the challenges you faced?

One main challenge I faced was not knowing what to look out for when reviewing agreements as I had no experience reading agreements. This made it hard for me to research and understand the transactions from the clients’ perspectives. However, Andrea, Zhi Tian and Yuho, were always ready and willing to help me improve my work – they entertained questions, explained foreign concepts, and gave lots of constructive feedback. 

2. What was the highlight of your internship experience?

The entire internship was very enriching and memorable, despite us having to work from home due to COVID-19.

One highlight of my internship was when Andrea gave the interns a crash course on the mechanics of a term sheet. She briefed us on the transaction before explaining what the client wants, how can we achieve it and why a term sheet is needed. She then went through the term sheet clause by clause, occasionally cueing Zhi Tian and Yuho to share their thoughts and making sure that we were following her. That was a valuable discussion not just because of the knowledge I gained, but also because I saw how the team worked seamlessly together.

Another highlight for me was attending clients’ meetings. The meetings allowed me to understand clients’ needs and the mechanics of the transactions. What also inspired me was how the lawyers proposed solutions to clients’ concerns and advised them effectively. This showed me that the lawyers really put a lot of thought into each transaction and wanted to provide the best advice to the clients. 

3. What did you learn?

I was fortunate to be involved in a variety of legal work during my short stint with AEI. I learnt a lot from drafting to research. While these skills were taught in school, applying them to each transaction did not come easy as every transaction is unique and we had to customise the drafting to each client’s needs. This made me realise that being a good corporate lawyer requires adaptability, wits and dedication. The lawyers at AEI possessed these qualities and more. Interacting with them also made me realise that their dedication stems from a love for what they do. This was different and inspiring as seeing them enjoy what they do encourages me to pursue my areas of interest.

4. What advice would you provide to future interns?

• Keep a daily log to maximise learning. This will help you to reflect on your work and avoid repeating the same mistakes.

• Don’t be afraid to ask questions or seek feedback.

• Read up and read often to keep abreast of new developments. This will help you to understand why certain regulations are in place and anticipate future needs and challenges.

5. Did you enjoy your time?

Definitely. Apart from being great mentors, the people at AEI are welcoming and helpful. I felt included and comfortable learning from everyone and really enjoyed the learning process. I am thankful that I got to experience AEI’s nurturing, collaborative and passionate culture and am sure the experience I gained will stay with me for a long time.