1. Tell us something people don’t often know about you.
Despite being deficient in height, I often try to use it to my advantage. Many of my fun-sized counterparts may feel inferior and upset when compared to their taller peers, but I acknowledge that there are perks that come with being small. For example, I can sleep comfortably in airplane seats by curling up while everyone else has to contort their bodies in some weird way. It is easy to connect with others when their first instinct is to tease me for my height. In fact, cracking height jokes about myself before someone else does brings me great satisfaction. Buying clothes is a breeze because the kids’ section is much cheaper. And most importantly, I will look young (albeit like a child) forever.
2. What did you learn from the internship – best takeaway?
Seeing whatever I learnt in school being applied to real life situations was the biggest takeaway for me. It is easy to forget that whatever we learn as students is applied in real life since we typically learn about concepts in abstract. Being able to sit in on client meetings and draft agreements gave everything a human touch that is hard to attain from textbooks or lectures. It was particularly eye-opening to see how Andrea, Yuho, Zhi Tian and Dana interacted with the clients warmly and paid attention to their needs. Even though they were handling the same type of agreement, each transaction was tailored to the context and what the clients wanted. I realised how much thought goes into the drafting of agreements when the team easily spotted underlying nuances in clauses that may adversely affect their clients’ positions and advised their clients accordingly. The level of attentiveness and skill really left me in awe and fuelled my want to help others in the same way.
3. What challenges did you face and how did you overcome them?
As I have not done corporate law modules in school yet, many terms and documents were foreign to me. I struggled with determining what was expected of me, and whether I was doing the work given to me properly. Nonetheless, everyone at AEI Legal was willing to answer my questions, no matter how entry-level they were and regardless of their busy schedules. They also provided me with precedents for reference so that I could see how the documents should be structured, which aided me in suggesting amendments. Constructive feedback was also given, which helped me to improve and learn a lot. Although it was rather difficult to understand these foreign concepts from the beginning, being thrown right into the transaction taught me how to navigate unfamiliarity and grasp concepts quickly.
4. What advice would you give future interns?
If you are unsure as to whether you should apply for an internship here, be it summer or
winter, I strongly encourage you to just shoot your shot! Internship is about learning and exposing yourself to real work, and that is something that AEI Legal can provide. If this is your first internship, the team at AEI Legal is friendly and helpful, so do not be afraid to ask questions or seek feedback from them.
Take whatever feedback you have received and improve on it for the next task you are given. As mentioned by the seniors who interned here before me, it is helpful to keep a log of what you have learnt throughout the internship – you may never know when it might be useful in the future. Most importantly, keep an open mind, have fun, and absorb all the new information like a sponge!
5. Did you enjoy your time?
I definitely enjoyed my time here! Despite it being a virtual internship, I really learnt a lot. I applied for this internship with the aim of learning about corporate work and interning here has certainly opened my eyes to the corporate world. It was particularly helpful that the associates gave me work from all sorts of different transactions so that I could be exposed to the various documents in many contexts. I am immensely grateful to everyone at AEI Legal for giving me 3 weeks full of learning, guidance and for making me feel valued for whatever I could offer.
