WHAT’S IT LIKE TO INTERN AT SAL?
A recipient of the SAL Undergraduate Scholarship shares her story.
Jane (seated, right), with other recipients of the SAL Undergraduate Scholarship
BY FOO KIM LENG
"Not every intern can claim to have worked directly with the Chief Executive of a company.” Ms Jane See, a 4th-year law student from the Singapore Management University and recipient of the SAL Undergraduate Scholarship, had what she called an 'incredible’ experience during her 4-week internship with SAL.
Working under SAL’s Chief Executive Mr Rama Tiwari, Jane was exposed to how business and law come together in the legal industry. “I can confidently say that this internship was like nothing I have ever done before.” Tasked with helping Rama research both legal and non-legal topics, Jane was pushed out of her comfort zone. “There were almost no case precedent or legal articles that I could use,” and “no guidelines”, she recalls.
Jane also had the opportunity to sit in at meetings that Rama had with various internal and external stakeholders. “Besides understanding the interaction between technology and law, I was also exposed to the business aspect of law… how law firms were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and how we can leverage change to build back.”
“I am extremely impressed with the work that SAL does. It is intriguing how SAL is so open to readily integrate technology.” Besides Rama, Jane also worked closely with SAL’s Professional Affairs and Membership team. “I am heartened by how welcoming SAL is. Everyone is so friendly … and happy to teach newcomers.”
One of the valuable lessons that Jane learned from this internship is that law does not operate in a vacuum. “Not only does the client want to know if it is legally permissible, but he also wants to know whether it is feasible.” This will definitely be something that she will take with her when joins litigation practice after her graduation.
Find out more about the SAL Undergraduate Scholarship here.
