As the legal sector in Singapore experiences growth that is likely to outpace demand, many of the firms servicing clients internationally are beginning to look to outside jurisdictions, including Australia, to fill the talent shortage.  “Singapore’s economy is expanding at a rate legal services can’t keep up with. It’s also very different to Hong Kong, where there is a big expat crowd. Singapore traditionally sustains its economy through local talent,” said Sam Chong, sponsorship vice president for Melbourne University’s Global Law Students Association.

For Chong, a final year law student who has completed internships in Hong Kong, Singapore and Melbourne, Singapore holds the greatest attraction because there is  a better variety of work on offer, ranging from corporate, finance and IPO type work, which is also prevalent in Hong Kong, to diverse areas such as employment law, commercial law, litigation and criminal law – the firms are nearly all full service there, according to him.

Chong also said that the training is unparalleled in his experience. “The lawyers and partners are from the best schools and law firms in the world. People come back to Singapore from Harvard, NYU and other prestigious universities and you don’t get that in other places. For example when I was on my internship with Allen & Gledhill in Singapore I was with a litigation partner and was able to meet clients, attend court with the partner and learn the different etiquette rules lawyers in Singapore must observe. “In Singapore it was really refreshing to observe more personally all the details about client management. It was a real eye-opener for me,” he said.

Melbourne University is currently organising for a Singapore focused networking event to encourage students at Australian universities to seriously consider launching their career in Singapore, as that’s where the opportunities will be. “I think students are not aware of the firms in Singapore and the amount of transactions that they are doing,” concluded Chong.