Experience of the one-month attachment in Alex Chang & Co.

I have always wondered what is it like to work in a legal firm as I spent a significant amount of time in the business and commercial line. Indeed, I was able to gain a lot of  exposure through the experience especially when joining a crisis management team in dealing with the business communication strategy for some reputable organisations.

Nevertheless, the downside of it is that I have never experienced working in legal firm.  Through the one-month attachment in Alex Chang & Co, I was able to  experience  the working environment  in a legal firm particularly in a boutique firm.

I would say that the working environment and the compliance of the working instructions are quite stringent especially for someone who previously only had  experience working in the business line. Therefore, the first thing I learnt at Alex Chang & Co is that the legal practitioner would expect you to follow the instruction closely to make sure that things are carried out in the way it is supposed to be carried out.

The rationale of this is that in  litigation, we plead facts and law only, but not arguments. It altered my thinking and I would expect myself to be more specific and detailed-oriented in my future legal career.

In a  litigation firm, I also appreciate the fact that litigation can be illustrated as an art of war.  Although outside the court room, we are all the officers of the court, mates or even allies who help each others, it is different in the court room. We represent our clients and we need to do our best to uphold the interest of the clients, which most of the time it is a matter of winning and losing.

Therefore, the preparation beforehand is essential in order to be well-equipped for the war. This is the part where I learn the importance of following the instruction rigidly. For instance, if I were asked to bomb Libya on Sunday, I need to make sure I bring the bomb and bomb Libya on Sunday. This is the mindset I learned from Mr Alex through the experience.

Secondly, I finally got to experience the long hours of legal learning process including weekends. In order to be very good at something, investment of time and effort are essential in order for you to hone the skills. Therefore, especially in a litigation firm, you would need to expect some early mornings and late nights as well as some weekend’ learning processes.

To summarise on the tasks that I have done:

Administrative work

Active listening at the court

Legal Research

Do case commentary

Analytical skill by reading the bundle of documents

I think the best part of my attachment experience is that I had the privilege  to follow Mr Alex and the legal assistant to the court. I appreciate a working place that promotes exposure.

Overall, it was my first baby step in my legal career. By having an overview insight, I am looking forward to see myself to learn and grow as a lawyer in my Pupillage and as a qualified lawyer.

“Who dares, wins. Who sweats, wins. Who plans, wins.” – British Special Air Service (SAS)

“Discipline is the soul of an army. It makes small numbers formidable; procures success to the weak, and esteem to all.” – George Washington

Thank you Mr Alex.

Khor Yin Fang