Steven Ng, Associate Director of Leadership & Learning APAC

“I could work in Hong Kong for two to three years and then move back to Chicago.”

I remember saying this to my friends and family when a recruiter contacted me about relocating to Hong Kong to take on a learning & development role at Baker McKenzie back in April 2014. Fast forward to March 2022 and I am still living in Hong Kong and working for the Firm.

Why? I often ponder this question as I reflect on my career journey and consider “what’s next?”

I don’t often think about sharing my story with others because I feel like my story is such an average tale, especially since I am surrounded by smart people that have really impressive experiences and diverse backgrounds. I do think there are a few life lessons that really helped me throughout my career. As you consider how and where you want to begin your career in the fast evolving legal industry, perhaps some of these lessons could be helpful to you.

If you look at my CV, I guess you can say that my work experience is “all over the place”.

I was born in Hong Kong and grew up in the US. I have a finance degree from an excellent university, but I never worked in finance a day in my life. My first job out of college brought me opportunities to travel to every single state in the US and subsequent jobs allowed me to explore many more countries and cultures around the world. I’ve worked in the accounting, consulting and legal industries in a variety of external client-facing and in-house business support roles.

When the pandemic started, “going virtual” felt normal to me because I’ve been working remotely with people across the globe and learning from them since my college days. I’ve always enjoyed working with smart people and working in the professional services industries gives me the opportunities to do so. But that still doesn’t really explain why I am heading toward my eighth year at Baker McKenzie and still living in Asia.

The world was a different place when I attended college in the 90s. The internet was just getting popular and problems were less complex. The career advice I received were usually along the line of “know your stuff, specialise in an area of expertise and work your way up”. As we move from a knowledge based economy to a digital economy and beyond, this career advice becomes less and less relevant.

The world is now much more dynamic and career paths are no longer linear. Sure, you still have to “know your stuff” (building a solid legal foundation is a must), but knowing just the law is no longer enough. Having a growth mindset, being thirsty for new experiences, collaborating well with others to solve problems are all important attributes that can help you better navigate and thrive in today’s complex world. Underpinning all of these attributes are two very important skills that can be learned: openness to change and adaptability.

Keeping an open mind about change has really helped me professionally and personally. Let’s face it, change can be scary. Sometimes, these fears are irrational (such as switching to a new toothpaste and not knowing if my gums are still well-protected). Other times, the fears are well justified. I do not consider myself a “lucky person” generally, but I am fortunate enough to always have really supportive family members, friends, mentors and bosses who challenged me to look at change from different perspectives and see beyond my fears. With enough practice and encouragement, seeing beyond fears and spotting possibilities became a habit.

Adjusting your mindset to embrace change helps you see more possibilities and adaptability is about taking actions to explore those possibilities.

The legal industry is fast evolving. AI/legal-tech, inclusion & diversity and sustainability are all important issues we hear about on a regular basis. As I reflect on my time at Baker McKenzie, I feel really proud about working for a dynamic firm that not only thinks about these issues, but is actively taking actions in these areas. I feel even more proud about the Firm’s culture of encouraging everyone to get involved.

You don’t have to be a senior partner in order to lead innovative projects. You are not “just a lawyer” here because your work makes a real world difference, especially in helping our clients navigate a complex world. And it’s not all about work. We are very focused on giving back to the communities and you are encouraged to join some of these CSR initiatives. And, as part of the Firm’s People Deal, there’s nothing standing in your way if you want to access the various learning programs and resources available to develop your skills and grow your career.

I’ve had a few roles here in the Firm and I am constantly being engaged, challenged and involved. These are some of the reasons that keep me here and I hope that some of these reasons may draw you to begin your career with us.