My internship experience with VanillaLaw LLC has been an extremely memorable and insightful one that has taught and exposed me to aspects of practice that law school has been unable to teach me in full. On top of being allowed to shadow lawyers to court, sit in during client meetings and draft basic legal documentation, I was allowed to participate in VanillaLaw’s booth exhibit during SME Technology and Innovation Day. It was during this event that I was granted the opportunity to pitch the firm’s innovative legal tech, VanillaLaw Docs, to SME and Business owners. The event really broadened my horizons as it shattered my initial belief that a lawyer’s skillset is confined to advocacy and legal expertise.
With a relatively flat organisational structure, the staff were very willing to answer any questions I had during the course of my internship, and provided genuine feedback where appropriate. This contributed greatly to making my experience here a very meaningful and enjoyable one.
With a law firm and business enterprise operating under one roof, VanillaLaw and Vanilla Resource actively challenged my preconceived notions of legal practice. The firm’s fundamental belief that business and law have to come together to optimise legal solutions is underscored by the provision of well-tailored business advice during consultations which prioritise the business interests of VanillaLaw’s diverse clientele.
Collectively, the two arms of business and law work together to support SMEs at varying stages of maturity. The personal opportunity to witness and experience such synergies during an internship program has definitely been an unparalleled and arguably non-replicable experience.
Ong Boon Chong
Singapore Management University
Law Undergraduate
