Internships at AEI: Clarine See

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

I’m a fan of ice hockey, so much so that I took a sports law and policy module in school! The sport itself is heart-stopping, but once you start looking at it through a legal lens, there are so many entertaining issues that arise as well – negotiating contracts with athletes, their image and privacy, and doping rules and regulations galore.

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

Learning truly never ends, and what you take away from the classroom is only the beginning. So much of the minutiae of corporate work cannot get fleshed out in school – from learning how to manage clients, to knowing what clauses should or should not be in an agreement.

I am grateful to have been granted a peek into the behind-the-scenes work, where every phrase and sentence in a document passed through multiple pairs of discerning eyes before making it to the client. At the same time, I also appreciated the diversity of clients that AEI has, as I had learned about industries that I would normally not give a second thought about in ordinary life, such as pest controllers.  

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

The main challenge I faced was my relative lack of foresight and acumen, compared to the experienced lawyers in the firm. It is intimidating at times to be given an agreement to vet, if you do not know what you should be looking out for.

But in a way, figuring things out for yourself as you go along is also what makes the work satisfying. Being provided with precedents for reference and knowing that my mentor would be willing to answer my questions gave me the assurance and confidence to dive into each document I was given, and the knowledge that any mistakes made would ultimately be a lesson to learn from kept the hesitation at bay as well.

4. What advice would you give future interns?

To have no fear in asking your mentor or the other lawyers anything – whether it’s related to work, practice, the firm or even their own lives. While the work was engaging, it was the process of learning from the lawyers through talking to them that was even more rewarding.

Also, to keep an open mind and trust in yourself – there will always be work that you have not encountered before, but your mentor will have provided you with the figurative map for you to find your way to the end point, so just try your best!

5. Did you enjoy your time?

I had a great time in my 2 weeks here! While it was mainly a virtual internship, I still had the chance to meet my mentor and associates in the office on certain days, and had no issue reaching out if I needed any guidance along the way. I appreciate that the associates were friendly and always willing to provide some context to the work they gave, and that I was given the opportunity to try my hand at a whole range of work.