Being a pre-law student made me both thrilled yet apprehensive about applying for an internship – would the experience be less fulfilling because I lacked rudimentary legal knowledge? My doubts turned out to be unfounded as I had an incredibly valuable two months with OTP Law Corporation.

I was thrusted into foreign territory on my first day, as I was to attend Mr. Lim’s High Court trial. At that point, I couldn’t even tell the difference between all the bundles. Fortunately, Mr. Lim was very patient with my incessant questions, and helped me understand all the complications in the case. Sitting in all sorts of court matters after that wasn’t daunting anymore, what with the kind guidance I received. OTP is definitely the place to be interning at if you want good exposure to family and commercial litigation!

Another major learning opportunity was the client meetings I sat in and helped to take minutes for. I could observe the dynamics between lawyers and their clients, trace the development of their questions and see the story weaving together. The people at OTP ensured I was as involved as possible, tasking me with research and the drafting of documents such as affidavits. The partners gave me feedback on my work, and were very understanding with regards to whatever shortcomings I had. They helped me be familiar with how a case is handled right from the start to how it proceeded to trial.

I also looked forward to attending monthly volunteering sessions at AWARE’s legal clinic with Ms. Susan Tay. She provides legal counselling to women who might not know where else to turn to for help – seeing their emotional concerns be practically addressed was both heart-warming and inspiring. Within the office, I had close contact and conversations with Ms. Sandra Yong, the paralegal, and Ms. Serene Ee, the finance executive. I learnt a lot by tapping on their wealth of experience in the running of a law firm, from drafting correspondence, to scheduling meetings and managing clients’ accounts. Never was a day dull with so many new things to learn and pick up!

It was an action-packed, fun-filled two months with the warmest and most patient people. I’m really thankful for their willingness to teach someone as inexperienced and young as me. It was the continuity of my involvement in the various cases, and the tight-knit community I found here that made my internship stint such a lovely one. I am glad my first foray into the world of legal practice was with OTP Law Corporation, as I prepare to embark on law school.

Awaiting Admission to University of Oxford in Sep 2016
Internship period Jan to Feb 2016