I studied at Queen Mary University of London and graduated in 2024 with a first class in LLB Law.
I then studied at University of Law and graduated in 2025 with a distinction in LLM Legal Practice (SQE1&2) and passed SQE 1 and 2.
My path to law was shaped by a deeply personal experience. Growing up, my family and I were closely involved in caring for my grandparents - one was a cancer patient and the other a double-leg amputee as a result of diabetes. During one hospital visit, a dialysis concierge pushed my grandfather's wheelchair negligently, causing him to fall and knock his head on the ground. Witnessing that incident was my first real encounter with the concept of negligence, and it left a lasting impression on me. It made me realise that the law has a very tangible impact on people's lives, and that motivated me to pursue it as a career.
As I began to explore the profession more, my interests evolved. In my first year of university, I attended the firm's First Year Insight Day, which introduced me to commercial law and opened my eyes to an entirely different dimension of legal practice - one focused on business, transactions, and strategy. I then interned at a Malaysian commercial law firm, Rosli Dahlan Saravana Partnership, as a residential real estate transaction student, which was my first experience in real estate.
To explore that interest further, I entered a commercial negotiation competition, which I was thrilled to win. The competition centred on a commercial sale and purchase transaction, covering negotiation points such as purchase price, material adverse change clauses, and title issues. It was fast-paced, intellectually stimulating, and enormous fun.
I then completed a vacation scheme with Taylor Wessing, now Winston Taylor, in the corporate real estate team, where I had the opportunity to assist on a joint venture deal involving a property company. That experience brought everything together for me - it reinforced my passion for commercial law and made me certain that this was the career I wanted to pursue.
I chose to train with the firm because of its distinctive sector-focused approach to legal practice. Rather than operating as a generalist firm, Winston Taylor organises its work around key pillars: private wealth, major litigation, critical transactions and strategic IP, which I find intellectually compelling. It means that as a solicitor you develop not just legal expertise but genuine commercial insight into the industries you serve, which I believe makes you a far more effective adviser to clients.
Winston Taylor embraces and amplifies "key defining moments" both in and outside of work – critical moments in a transaction, pivotal evidence in a case, life-changing personal events etc. The firm's philosophy resonated with me on a very personal level, given how much those early experiences had shaped my own path.
The firm was present at every formative moment in my journey into commercial law - from the First Year Insight Day that first introduced me to the field to the vacation scheme that gave me hands-on experience. Each of those experiences reinforced my conviction that Winston Taylor was the right environment for me to begin my career. Training here felt less like a calculated choice and more like a natural continuation of a journey that had already begun.
I am currently in my second seat, real estate - and I am absolutely enjoying it. The training contract at Winston Taylor is structured so that you work closely under a supervisor. I am mainly assigned tasks from my supervisor and a partner in the team. There is also a wonderful sense of community in the wider team, with ad hoc tasks and opportunities arising organically, which keeps every day interesting and varied. These are tasks that I find genuinely valuable, as they give me client-facing experience as well as opportunities to learn the law.
The firm also has a training programme which is a bespoke approach to professional development. Alongside the hands-on legal work, there is a dedicated soft skills training programme - with approximately one session each month - designed to help trainees grow not just as lawyers but as well-rounded professionals. It is a thoughtful investment in our development, and I find those sessions helpful.
One of the things I enjoy most about my role is that no two days are exactly the same. That said, there are some wonderful constants that form the rhythm of my working day.
A significant part of my time is spent on client-facing correspondence - emails are a big part of life as a trainee, whether that is communicating with clients directly or corresponding with counterparty solicitors. I also spend a great deal of time drafting, reviewing, and marking up documents, as well as attending calls, which I find a great way to stay connected to the bigger picture of a transaction.
Reporting is another core part of my role. I regularly produce lease reports and reports on title, which require careful analysis and clear, precise writing - skills that I am developing all the time. I also handle a variety of Land Registry procedures, including completing Land Registry-compliant forms, swearing statutory declarations, and ordering and reviewing official copies. It sounds technical, and it is - but there is a real satisfaction in getting the details right and knowing that my work is contributing meaningfully to a transaction.
Being a solicitor has genuinely been very rewarding, and I feel that more and more as my training progresses.
One of the tasks I really enjoy during my time in Real Estate is lease reporting and reports on title. The process is very satisfying - combing through the detail, spotting issues that might otherwise be overlooked, raising the right enquiries, and then watching the report take shape step by step into a polished, well-considered piece of work. It is the kind of task that rewards careful thinking and attention to detail, and there is a real sense of accomplishment when I get it right.
More broadly, what I enjoy about law is that it sits at the intersection of two very different worlds - the legal and the commercial. We are not just applying rules in isolation; we are constantly weighing legal considerations against clients' real-world business objectives and helping them find the best path forward. That balance keeps the work intellectually stimulating and ensures that what we do genuinely matters to the people we are advising.
And that, ultimately, is what I find most meaningful - doing work that matters. Whether it is helping a client navigate a complex transaction or flagging an issue that protects their interests down the line, there is a real sense of purpose in knowing that every contribution, big or small, makes a difference.
One of the realities of working in a busy legal practice is that the environment is inherently dynamic and, at times, unpredictable. Transactions rarely run to a perfectly clean script. Deadlines shift, urgent matters land without warning, and you often need to reprioritise at short notice. That can be demanding, particularly when you are juggling multiple matters at once. I found this challenging, especially at the start of my training contract.
What has made a real difference for me is learning the value of proactive communication. Throughout my time in Real Estate, I have been fortunate to work with a supervisor who is wonderfully understanding and open to communication. That experience taught me the importance of giving sufficient advance notice - keeping my supervisor informed of how I am prioritising my workload and ensuring that any personal/family commitments are communicated early and clearly. It is a simple habit, but it has transformed how I manage the demands of the role.
I think that is one of the most valuable lessons the training contract has given me so far: that clarity and two-way communication are just as important as legal knowledge. When everyone is on the same page, even the busiest periods feel manageable - and that is something I will carry with me throughout my career.
My approach to work/life balance comes in the form of two hobbies. The first is badminton - I play every Friday evening after work, and it has become one of the highlights of my week. My supervisors know about this commitment and have been wonderfully encouraging about my keeping it up, which I think says a lot about the culture at Winston Taylor. Having that support makes a real difference.
My second hobby is the piano. Unlike badminton, which is a fixed weekly appointment, the piano offers a more flexible and spontaneous kind of joy. Having one at home means I can sit down and play whenever I need to unwind - whether that is for a few minutes after a busy day or for a longer session over the weekend. It is endlessly restorative.
A common myth I would love to debunk is that being a solicitor means spending your days buried in dusty textbooks, working in silence, and rarely speaking to another human being. The reality could not be more different.
Commercial legal practice is, at its heart, a deeply people-facing profession. On any given day, I might be on a call with a client, exchanging emails with a counterparty's solicitor, collaborating with colleagues across different teams, or presenting work to a partner. Relationships and communication sit at the very centre of what we do. The law is the framework, but it is people - clients, colleagues, and contacts - who bring that framework to life and connect long sentences to humans.
An exciting development that is very close to home for me is the recent merger between Taylor Wessing and Winston & Strawn to form Winston Taylor. Mergers of this kind represent a significant and energising moment in the life of a firm - and I feel genuinely privileged to be part of it at this early stage of my career.
It is a time of positive change and real momentum. The integration of two outstanding firms brings together exceptional talent, broader geographic reach, a richer blend of expertise, and an expanded network of clients and relationships. For trainees like me, that means more opportunities, more exposure, and more ways to grow. Watching two great institutions come together and build something new is both fascinating and inspiring - and I think the legal sector more broadly benefits when firms are bold enough to evolve and grow in this way.
Diversity is a topic that is personal to me. Growing up as a Malaysian Chinese, I have always been aware of the value that different backgrounds, perspectives, and life experiences bring to any environment.
Law is, fundamentally, a people-facing career. Clients come from every conceivable background, culture, and corner of the world - and I believe that a diverse legal team is far better equipped to understand, connect with, and serve those clients effectively. When a client sees a lawyer who shares aspects of their background or understands their cultural context, it builds trust and rapport in a way that is genuinely powerful.
Personally, I have found that the skills and perspectives I bring as a Malaysian Chinese solicitor - including language abilities and a familiarity with different cultural norms - are not just interesting extras but genuinely useful professional assets. I think that is something the sector is increasingly recognising: that diversity is not just a moral imperative but a commercial advantage.
The more the legal profession actively embraces a broad mix of people - in terms of ethnicity, socioeconomic background, nationality, and beyond - the more it will reflect and serve the society it operates within.
I have developed a real passion for real estate during my time in my current seat, and I am thrilled to be moving into corporate real estate in my next seat. At this stage of my career, my ambition is to qualify into one of these practice areas at Winston Taylor - and to continue building deep expertise in the commercial property space.
In the longer term, I am excited by the possibilities that come with a career in a firm with such a strong international platform. I look forward to growing into a solicitor who can advise clients with confidence, contribute meaningfully to cross-border transactions, and perhaps one day help inspire the next generation of aspiring lawyers - particularly those from backgrounds that are underrepresented in the profession.
My advice is do not give up. The journey to qualifying as a solicitor can feel long and, at times, uncertain - but it is worth every step.
The application process for training contracts is competitive, and rejection is something almost every solicitor has experienced along the way. My biggest piece of advice is to treat it as a numbers game and keep going. Each application teaches you something, each interview sharpens your confidence, and each experience - whether a vacation scheme, a mooting competition, or a law fair conversation - brings you one step closer to where you want to be. Every experience, no matter how big or how small, counts.
All the best and good luck!
