This came out of a lunch-time chat I had with Lim Wei Jiet, Associate at Sreenevasan Advocates & Solicitors.
Wei Jiet chambered at Sreenevasan Advocates & Solicitors and was the pupil of the esteemed lawyer Ms. Ambiga Sreenevasan. Wei Jiet has been retained as an associate of the firm and is currently awaiting his long call. In the meantime, he is currently actively assisting in the firm.
Wei Jiet graduated from the University of Malaya. When asked why did he choose to read law, he said that reading law was actually not his Plan A. He wanted to be a doctor initially but later realised that given his skills and talents as well as his interest in political and social issues, the legal profession appears to be a better fit. No doubt, it does seem like a wise choice so far.
I first came to know Wei Jiet through his popular article titled – “7 tips for a meaningful pupillage” published here.
In the article, Wei Jiet suggested 7 tips for his peers in order to make the best out of the pupillage phase. The article was well-received and widely shared even by senior lawyers. Most readers are in agreement that not only are those tips practical, the article also pointed out the criticisms commonly given by seniors against junior lawyers/ pupils, i.e. the lack of initiative and effort.
As such, albeit at the time of writing Wei Jiet was only 7 months into his pupillage, his ability to identify the crux of the issue and suggesting practical ways to its solution, is certainly an indication of his potential as a competent lawyer.
Needless to say, I was immensely impressed with that article. Not only have I chosen to adopt his suggestions myself for my own pupillage, I knew I had to meet Wei Jiet wide variety of topics – ranging from his reason for choosing his firm for pupillage to his experience working with Ms. Ambiga.
However, despite our impromptu conversation, there were several nuggets of wisdom that are worth sharing.
Firstly, he emphasised on the need to remain open-minded and “absorbent”. Many, including myself, would assume that the firm he is working for would handle a majority of public interest or criminal cases given that’s what his Master is known for. However, to my surprise most of the cases the firm handles are actually Intellectual Property disputes and Commercial disputes.
Wei Jiet said that he nevertheless enjoyed his time working on these files and has learned a tremendous lot. Wei Jiet said that while it is fun to be involved with high-profile / human rights / public interest cases, he emphasised that that is not a reason to excuse oneself from learning everything else, as during pupillage one should explore as widely as possible.
Further, Wei Jiet also advised me on managing expectations. Not all partners or colleagues are able to dedicate full-time to guide a pupil during the 9 months. However, that did not stop him from learning as he found a way to seek guidance in accordance with their respective schedules.
Finally, Wei Jiet also advised that seniors colleagues in the firm understand that our abilities as pupils are limited. Nevertheless, we must be able to instill their confidence in us should we wish to be entrusted with more substantial work. For example, he said that one mistake that he regretted was misstating that something was done in a file when in actual fact it was not. He said that he believes these mistakes, though minute, would plant a seed of doubt in senior colleagues as they may question themselves the next time “hmm can I trust him? He did make a mistake that one time.” Hence, even if what we as pupils do will never be that high in stakes, we must nevertheless, for the benefit of the firm we work for and for ourselves, double-check our work and constantly be on top of our files.
Overall, it is certain that Wei Jiet enjoyed his pupillage. However, I couldn’t help but ask him what is the one thing which he thought could have been better with his pupillage experience. Wei Jiet confessed that sometimes he wished he had the company of more pupils during his pupillage, similar to big firms with several pupils undergoing pupillage at the same time. He thought that building a network early on would certainly benefit one’s legal career and therefore he urges those in big firms to appreciate this advantage which small firms rarely possess.
I am certain Wei Jiet will go far in his career. As for myself, I am glad I managed to be acquainted with someone as eager as him.
All the best Wei Jiet.