Choosing Skrine
I chose to practise in Skrine, one of Malaysia’s top-tier and largest law
firms, for three main reasons. First, I would be able to challenge myself
intellectually by working on high-end, complex legal work for a diverse
clientele. Second, the firm encourages professional development and
business development at all levels of practice. Senior lawyers within the
firm, and guest speakers, often conduct talks and workshops on
substantive and practical topics. Third, I enjoy participating in the firm’s
extra-curricular activities and pro bono initiatives. I have represented
Skrine in an international mooting competition for young practitioners,
coached children from refugee backgrounds with debating and public
speaking, and paddled with the Skrine Dragons, our very own dragon
boating team, at an international dragon boating championship in Hong
Kong!
A career on the other side?
I flirted with the idea of being a photojournalist at one time. That said, I
have no regrets with my decision to pursue my career as a dispute
resolution lawyer.
Thoughts on the legal profession
Legal practice is not all about the fancy suits, glamourous dinners and
lucrative pay. As dispute resolution lawyers, we often spend long hours
working on tedious tasks such as researching the law and reviewing
documents. We sometimes have to roll up our sleeves, cufflinks or not,
to get the job done. But as the saying goes, “when the going gets tough,
the tough gets going”. We put in the hard work and attention to detail
to ensure that we deliver excellent results for our clients. Ultimately, we
have to be proud of our work, and what we stand for.
My advice to you
If you have set your mind on legal practice, you could consider
participating in mooting, negotiation, and essay writing competitions to
develop your skills; taking specialised subjects to develop your niche;
and gaining work experience as an intern at a variety of law firms. Your
internship experience would help you to determine whether you would
want to practise law in a large, mid-sized or small law firm, and in which
area(s). You could also choose to do an internship with a regulatory
body, an alternative dispute resolution centre or a legal department in a
business to gain a head start in understanding your future clients and
their stakeholders.