Senior Associate
My path to law was sparked by philosophy. A teenage me picked up Michael Sandel’s Justice: What’s the Right Thing to Do? by chance and became captivated by the competing schools of thought and intriguing dilemmas it explored. Following the trail of the trolley problem, I soon came across readings such as The Case of the Speluncean Explorers, a fictional judicial decision in which five judges, all confronting the same set of facts, arrive at entirely different conclusions about law, morality and justice. What started as curiosity gradually grew into a broader interest in jurisprudence, history, global politics and debate in high school, making law a relatively intuitive choice when it came to university.
Soon I realised that, unsurprisingly, the practice of law does not bear that much resemblance to philosophical thought experiments. Yet what I found equally intriguing was how these man-made rules and norms get woven into the very fabric of society. Whether it is how businesses navigate their corporate lifecycle, how geopolitical developments and shifting trade policies reshape commercial structures, or how regulators intervene in private markets, my training at Baker McKenzie has allowed me to see how law descends from the ivory tower and helps hold together an increasingly complex and interconnected world.
As someone who stepped into a law firm with an open mind about specialisation, Baker McKenzie’s breadth across practice areas was a significant draw. But what has kept me here is the culture. Partners and senior lawyers never treat juniors as merely an extra pair of hands. They walk you through transactions, challenge your thinking, encourage you to articulate your views, and provide feedback that helps you grow personally and professionally. I qualified into PE funds, a practice where there is rarely a definitive rulebook, and where negotiations tend to revolve around market experience, commercial sense and a genuine understanding of the underlying investment. Developing those skills requires meaningful client exposure and experience across a wide variety of transactions, and I have been fortunate to find exactly that within the Baker McKenzie funds practice.
To anyone considering a career with the firm: stay curious, and free yourself from thoughts that cap your own potential, such as “I’m only an intern” or “I never studied this at university.” We are here to help you acquire technical knowledge over time, but what will take you far in your legal career is the willingness to venture into unfamiliar territory, ask questions, and remain genuinely interested in understanding how things work.
