In February, Adrian Tan, the new president of the Law Society of Singapore, called on the legal industry to modernize in order to staunch the flow of lawyers leaving the profession, saying it was “tougher to be a young lawyer now, than at any time in history.” While firms are adjusting policies to be more accommodating, senior practitioners advise junior lawyers to enter the profession with a game plan and make finding their passion a priority.

 

SINGAPORE IS CURRENTLY FACING AN EXODUS OF JUNIOR LAWYERS. WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR YOUNG LAWYERS CONSIDERING THEIR CAREER PATH?

 

DANIEL LEVISON, partner, Morrison & Foerster

The reported exodus of junior lawyers to other careers concerns everyone in the Singapore legal sector. Our Singapore office, though, has been growing rapidly. In addition to actively recruiting the best talent, training, advancing, and retaining those important junior team members is critical to us.

My advice for young lawyers:

1. Find an area of law and an industry sector that excites you and take every opportunity to advance your learning.
2. Develop authentic relationships with colleagues, clients, and others to make your work more enjoyable and to progress your career - new opportunities often arise from your network.
3. Take (appropriate) risks and volunteer for “stretch” assignments that will accelerate your development and lead to the next great opportunity.
4. Practicing law is demanding, so learn what “refills your tank” – exercise, meals with friends, hobbies – and do your best to plan so that you can reliably get time for those restorative activities.
5. Make time to identify your career goals (which may change over time) and what you need to do to accomplish them – only you can steer your career. You are always pursuing some outcome so make sure it is an outcome that you have consciously chosen.

 

KELVIN TAN, director, Drew & Napier

Young lawyers in Singapore have a world of opportunities before them. They should follow their hearts and minds to find a career that they will enjoy and find fulfilment in, because that is the bedrock for any successful career.

I hope every law student and young lawyer I meet will have a long and fulfilling career in law. Being a lawyer is not the only occupation that is challenging to begin in, but it will yield rewards. Starting in legal practice is hard work, stressful and consuming, because you take your client’s problems, make them your own, and do everything you can to find the best way to help them. And if you want to do complex work, that work by definition does not lend to easy solutions. But find the right firm, mentor and colleagues and you will find a guide and an environment to head in the right direction, do a good job, and find your equilibrium. It is often said that it is a marathon, and as you consider your path, think carefully whether, past the initial bumps, you will open up your strides, ease into the rhythm, and enjoy it.

But if your path leads you away from legal practice, see your time in practice as a building block for your future career, and don’t look back with regret. The skills you learnt in marshalling information, reasoning, analysis, and the ability to advocate, will stand you in good stead for many career paths.

 

HANIM HAMZAH, regional managing partner, ZICO Law

Young lawyers today have a lot of choices. It’s not like when I entered the profession more than 25 years ago where it’s either private practice or you join the judiciary. Because there are so many choices, it can be confusing, so my advice would be two things. One, focus on your craft and keep learning as you go along. As lawyers, we learn a lot of theory at school, but it’s in the job that you learn most of all. Find that passion, you can be an in-house lawyer, a private practice lawyer, you can be a contract lawyer in any industry. A law degree is a good foundation for almost any kind of job. It’s about figuring out where the passion is — what kind of lawyer you want to be, and what kind of organisation you want to work in.

Once you identify that, then it’s time to put in the hours and learn the craft. The second would be consistency. We have been through quite a few changes as a profession in the past couple of years, so resilience and consistency are very important in order to withstand challenges in the future.

Another point is communication — this is also important, in this world we’re so interconnected, so having open communication with all your stakeholders will make it easier for you to move forward in your career. A lot of my early career was shaped by good mentors, I was lucky to have good leadership in the firm that I joined.

Considering the perspective of a leader — they should also be more flexible in thinking about how to recruit and retain good talent. The time of lawyers joining and staying for years on the partnership track is no longer there. Being open and agile and making sure you give opportunities is also very important.