My 3-week internship with OTP Law Corporation during my short winter break was truly an eye-opening and nourishing experience. I rekindled my passion and interest in family law and felt uplifted by the people I was working with.

I am sure a lot of law students can relate to this, but law school can be quite daunting sometimes (if not, all the time). The readings, assignments and finals are intense, and the competition is fierce. Given this, I often question my decision to take this degree and whether law is the right career path for me.

Although I am still not 100% sure whether law is right for me, I found myself gaining more interest in the practice during my internship. I was fortunate to have had a more hands-on approach where I was given the opportunity to interact with clients and draft correspondence and legal documents. I even managed to sit in a meeting with a Child Representative as well as a case conference.

Throughout my internship, I worked closely with Isabel, the associate director. I really admire the way she juggles all her responsibilities from mom duties to legal work and the way she handles clients. As I watched her in action, a seed inside me started to grow. I started to develop a strong desire to better myself and work on becoming a great lawyer. She inspired me, and gave me the motivation to leave the rut I was in.

Apart from being amazing role models, the people at OTP made this entire experience nourishing for me because they truly cared about my well-being and growth. I remember feeling a little nervous and apprehensive before meeting Susan, the co-founder of OTP. I was worried that she would ask me a law question that I cannot answer as I barely had the time to look at the news to see if there were any changes in the legal landscape. However, my worries were for nothing. Instead of grilling me with law questions, she spent an hour and more getting to know me. To my pleasant surprise, I was able to be completely myself when I spoke to her about the struggles I faced in law school and the things that I am passionate about. A lot of my fears regarding the legal industry were quashed after the conversation I had with her. The most life-changing thing that she said to me was that I have to take care of myself first before I can take care of others. As clients often come to lawyers when they are in distressing situations, lawyers need to have the capacity to hold space for them and this can only happen if they take care of themselves first and foremost. It matters a lot that this is something that the firm believes in, as it makes the working environment that much more fulfilling and warm.

All in all, my internship experience with OTP was a pivotal moment in my life. I am immensely grateful that my friend recommended me to this firm knowing that I would enjoy my time here, which I did. I am also extremely thankful to have crossed paths with the people at the firm, and look forward to coming back.

If you are just like me, lost and confused as to whether law is for you, take this as sign to give OTP a try.

Year 4 Law Student at Singapore Management University, Eileen Lim