6 days is often too short for one to learn anything. What’s more when it comes to picking up skillsets that might be important in our “future” or even gathering the most amount of information in the shortest time possible for what could be deemed as our “dream job”.
However, my experience here at OTP Law Corporation has really expanded my horizons and given me the chance to learn and grow in various ways. Through the past 6 days here, I was able to get a glimpse of what working in a smaller start up law firm will be like — lawyer or not.
Through the past 6 days, I was assigned to Mr Lim Seng Siew who gave me the various opportunities to sit in with him and his clients to experience what a meeting between the lawyer and their clients would be like. The two one-hour sessions that I got to sit in for were very eye opening for me as it was interesting to see the dynamics and teamwork between both parties played out as they attempt to get a full understanding of the situation and prepare for their upcoming “battle”. These sessions were beneficial for a JC student like myself who are still figuring out what we want to do in the future to have a better understanding about the jobscope of a lawyer.
Besides being able to tag along Mr Lim’s meetings and understand his client’s cases, I was given the opportunity to follow Ms Susan Tay on one of her case conferences at the Family Justice Court, where I was able to interact with her and understand more about her line of business and her own personal experience as a lawyer. Being able to interact with Ms Tay on a personal level has allowed me to gain insights that I otherwise would not have been able to. The chance to understand more about the job of a lawyer and what it takes to be a lawyer from someone who has experience in this industry is rare and I am grateful that Ms Tay was very willing to share her knowledge with me.
Most of the time, I was with Ms Sandra, Ms Melissa, Ms Serene and Ms Lynnette with Ms Sandra constantly guiding me along and teaching me skills such as doing up documents of Affidavits, Admin Oaths and Statements etc. I was also exposed to various divorce cases, probates and wills as well as deedpolls. The chance to sit alongside paralegal staffs such as Ms Sandra herself has allowed me to understand the job of these often-overlooked jobs that actually play a large role in ensuring the progress of a lawyer’s case and the sustainability of the law firm.
Despite just learning about matters regarding the law, my short stay at OTP Law Firm has also given me the chance to grow as an individual, allowing me to experience what being in the working world would potentially look like.
Throughout the 6 days here, there were times where I felt that I was not being of much help or that I was troubling and disturbing the rest from their work. However, my experience here at OTP has been nothing short of eye opening and educational as I have learnt a lot about the law, the working world as well as myself while I was here and this experience would not have been possible if not for the hospitable environment and the guidance of the lawyers and paralegal staffs here.
Naomi Low
JCLP Intern