1. On 3 December 2021, I was granted in-principle approval for my law practice (JinHuang Legal LLC) application. While I take steps to incorporate and start operations from my own firm, I thought it useful to take stock of how I got here, and set my sights on the journey ahead.
A.The Early Days
2. Sometime into my 1st year of NUS Law School, I started questioning my direction. I liked the study of law, but I wondered whether I would like working in the law. Naturally, I explored the different types of laws that are typically practiced in Singapore. Family Law piqued my interest because itinvolved dealing with more than just the law, and I could see how my practice would directly impact my future clients as well as their loved ones. At this stage, everything I thought was just “theory” and I needed a reality check.
3. My friend’s tutor for Torts was none other than our current Presiding Judge of the Family Justice Courts, then known as Prof. Ong. During a pre-exam consultation with her tutorial group, my friend agreed to sneak me into Prof. Ong’s office. What a brilliant plan. I stood out like an elephant in the room.Like is usually done to elephants in the room, I was ignored for the whole meeting which lasted a good 30 mins or so. Also, like an elephant, I had really thick skin. But it was all worthwhile. After, the consultation, I stayed back and mustered the courage to speak to Prof. Ong. She spoke to me for another 20+ mins, not so much about the law but rather about the values and mindset that I would require to be a good Family lawyer. This talk has been ingrained as part of my DNA ever since.I am grateful Prof. Ong did not hesitate to speak to me.
4. The rest of my time in law school was spent mostly being clueless about the future. When asked in interviews for a Pupilage place, “Where do you see yourself in 5 years’ time?”, I answered, “I can’t even see past 2 weeks, so I’ll just take things as they come!” Along the way, during an internship, I passed the Family Court and saw a few Family lawyers walking out with thin files and thought “Great! Family lawyers do not lug around huge bundles of documents”.
5. Against my interests, I joined a shipping firm as I did not want to regret not having a crack at the “corporate world”. The training was great, and I enjoyed my time there as a Pupil and 1st year lawyer, but I decided that shipping was not my cup of tea. So, I set sail on my current journey. I joined several firms, during which I constantly maintained my family law practice. It sure was not smooth sailing but it turned outalright I guess.
B.Baptism of Fire
6. Very early on in the journey, I went through a baptism of fire. On the personal front, I faced an acrimonious breakdown of a short marriage. For several years, I felt like juggling many heavy dumbbells at once – solely bearing the financial burden from the ended marriage, the long hours and pressures as a junior lawyer, and handlingFamily Court proceedings. This was also when I learnt about the other intangible challenges faced by persons undergoing a breakdown of marriage. Social stigma and stereotypes are very real. What is even more real is how people act on these social stigmas and stereotypes. Perhaps 1 day I will muster the courage to openly write about these, but an example of which is a vivid memory I have of calling 999 when my ex threatened me with 2 knives. One of the first police officers arriving on the scene (a nice senior male Sergeant) asked me “Son, are you sure she used knives or not?”. Still in shock from the actual incident, I showed the police officer photos I snapped from a distance. It was then that he took me seriously.
Read more : Divorce Lawyer Singapore
