Interview with: Jessie Tan Shin Ee, Managing Partner

1) What has been your greatest achievement, in a professional and personal capability?

Juggling the dual role of being a mother and managing a busy firm over the past decade has been an achievement I am grateful for. Both roles demand a great deal of time and effort, and it has been a challenging balancing exercise, albeit one that is greatly rewarding.

 

2) What do you do differently from your peers in the industry?

We don’t just see ourselves as mere lawyers. We actively partner with our clients with the end goal being to facilitate the transaction while protecting clients’ interests. We also make it a point to be commercially aware and immersed in the TMT space by attending conferences and markets that clients themselves would attend. This provides us with a better commercial understanding and context of the various transactions and circumstances that clients are involved in and allows us the ability to create opportunities for clients.

 

3) What advice would you give to your younger self?

You’re going to make many mistakes along the way. It is part of being human and life but it’s important not to make the same mistake and not to be held prisoner by your mistakes. Treat your mistakes as life lessons and move forward.

 

4) Can you give me a practical example of how you helped a client add value to the business?

In the everchanging world of media and technology, being able to respond promptly to pivot and re-strategise is crucial.  During the pandemic, when businesses had to implement sudden business plans, we stepped in to connect the client with potential investors, funding opportunities as well as tapping into our network of international law firms via the CICERO network to service their international needs.

 

5) Within your sector, what do you think will be the biggest challenge for clients over the next 12 months?

Clients will need to navigate turbulent economy combined with rapidly evolving technology. Clients should anticipate and prepare to need to manage the emergence of AI and Web 3.0 technology and utilise these technologies to facilitate business. Technology’s impact will certainly be far greater than the products currently being released.