Seven is a number of completion, perfection.

We've made it to our 7th anniversary!

Instead of taking a break though, we're pushing out of our comfort zone this year. New hires and a serendipitous move by the neighbours means we're now colonising the entire floor. Scrutinising architectural drawings was not on our 2025 bingo card especially amidst all of this geopolitical turmoil, but here we are, and what a happy problem to have!

So many people have recommended us, advocated for us, insisted on us.

We are deeply honoured by the trust, and determined to continue holding us to the highest standards, for all of our clients and partners.

Our goal has always been to build a firm that we are proud of, to do good work, with great people. We are so incredibly glad that we’re doing just that.

1. What’s something surprising or fun about you that people wouldn’t guess? 

The extent of my fruit consumption. I love fruits so much that I started a habit tracker just last month to track every time I ate a fruit, and I’ve logged 63 times so far.

2. What did you learn from the internship – best takeaway?

Every little detail is vital! A lot can hinge on the smallest elements in a legal document, be it inconsistencies in names, dates, abbreviations, or even punctuation. What stood out to me was how the team here holds themselves to exceptionally high standards of precision. Their attention to detail ensured that documents were drafted with utmost clarity, accuracy, and protection of the client’s interests. This level of care at the granular level left a deep impression, and will be a lesson I carry into future experiences.

3. What was the biggest learning curve for you, and what helped you through it?

It was quite daunting to navigate different types of agreements for the first time. I was tasked to read through Simple Agreements for Future Equity (SAFEs) and Employee Share Options (ESOPs) and to identify any provisions that might raise concerns from the client’s perspective. It felt like there were a lot of things to consider at once, and I did not feel fully confident in my understanding of commercial terms. 

What helped me manage this challenge was breaking down the tasks into smaller, more manageable issues, and clarifying the terms I was unfamiliar with. The lawyers I worked with were incredibly supportive, providing clear instructions, patient answers, and context where needed. Their guidance was truly integral to my learning process, which I’m very grateful for.

4.  Has this internship changed your perception of legal work? 

Yes, it has. The workplace definitely functions very differently from law school, so this internship provided meaningful exposure to corporate law.

Assignments in school are all about demonstrating legal knowledge, but I’ve learned that in corporate practice, legal concepts are often just one part of a much broader picture. The work they do is also driven by client needs, commercial realities, and practical constraints, sometimes to the point that it doesn’t feel very much about the law at all.

This broadened my understanding of what it means to “think like a lawyer”, and I’ve come to appreciate the versatility of corporate legal practice as well.

5.  What advice would you give future interns?

Don’t treat work like school. You’re not just here to complete tasks, but also to gain insights about the profession. Take every chance to observe how the lawyers think, work and communicate, and don’t hesitate to ask them about their law school stories too! Everyone here is really patient and approachable, all you have to do is ask.

6. Did you enjoy your time?

Of course! My past 3 weeks have been both enriching and eye-opening. The culture here is one of excellence without ego, and the team shares a genuine camaraderie that made each day highly enjoyable. I think internships like this are rare and valuable, so I feel really lucky to have been a part of this firm, even if just for a little while.

1.     Tell us something people don’t often know about you.

My friends know me to be a pretty artsy person, but some of them don’t know the extent of my hobby!  I have tried my hand at almost every art form: oil paintings, digital art, murals, animations, UV resin, knitting, crocheting, sewing, clay sculpting – you name it, and I’ve probably attempted it before (to varying levels of success). Having a creative passion project rejuvenates something in me and is my favourite way to occupy my time outside of school. My recent fixations have been doing gel manicures (my mom was my first customer!) and knitting a pair of shorts!

2.     What did you learn from the internship – best takeaway?

From the various tasks the associates had me help out with, I have learned bits and pieces of useful information that I will carry for life—for one, how to maximise the cross-reference functions in a Microsoft Word document—but the best takeaway would probably be the culmination of the disparate pieces of knowledge, which is that you will constantly be encountering unfamiliar and elusive subject matter and topics given the vastness of the law (hopefully less so as time goes on). One’s career will be filled with continuous learning and growth which should be approached with openness and humility. Especially as a young intern, I realised that you learn more when you make mistakes and clarify them, rather than from being deathly averse to missteps and holding yourself to an unrealistic standard of perfection.

3.     What challenges did you face and how did you overcome them?

This may be an anticlimactic answer – there were small hiccups, but the AEI team, with their ready explanations and steady guidance, made sure none of these hiccups ballooned into actual challenges.

For example, when I was tasked with researching for something quite specific in a rather unexplored area of law and came up with what I felt was hardly of any use, my mentor had patiently redirected me to terms that I should be paying more attention to. Or when I was asked to determine the average delisting duration and could not find a source stating any, I was once again gently instructed to look through the company announcements on SGX-ST to obtain that data myself.

Perhaps the challenge is my lack of knowledge and experience, and the process of overcoming it reaching out to ask the team members for guidance – something made a lot easier with how non-judgmental and warm everyone is.

4.     What advice would you give future interns?

I would say for future interns not to be daunted by the highly specialised work AEI embarks on, and instead treat it as a valuable learning experience – all the team members, when delegating tasks to you, will painstakingly take the time to explain to you the context and requisite knowledge. With their wealth of knowledge and nurturing attitudes, this is truly one of the best places to learn, so keep an open mind when you come in! In fact, the members would happily arrange for you to be given tasks in specific areas you are interested in, so you could also research and convey any inclinations you have to the team.

Another practical advice, inspired by one of the associates, is to note down and reflect on the tasks you were given each day so as to retain the knowledge! This is particularly pertinent given the broad and diverse array of tasks you could be delegated – at the end of the internship, my brain was so saturated with new things I’d learnt that I would not have been able to delineate one completed task from another without some notes!

 5.     Did you enjoy your time?

I definitely did, thanks to the work and the people!

There is a palpable sense of purpose to work at AEI, and that is what has made this internship so fulfilling to me! It is evident that the team cares deeply about their clients in how they exhaust all possible, highly innovative options, in their clients’ interests; or how determined they are to provide top-notch services by keeping abreast of legal developments and regularly circulating them within the firm – as an intern, you get to share with the team’s electric energy to make progress and see the tangible impact of your efforts (the team members are eager to give you feedback and update you on your contribution in the team effort), which is such a rewarding feeling!

That said, what made the internship truly a joy would no doubt be the people – everyone at AEI is super dedicated to making sure you enjoy your time there, from helping you get coffee in the morning, treating you to delicious meals around Raffles Place, and instructing you not to work past 6 pm – even while they themselves toil away in the office – these are the instances that paint the picture of the loving and caring family the members have forged in AEI, for which I am genuinely very grateful for experiencing! My fellow intern and I also got to witness the team’s birthday celebrations, which was super wholesome.