Hello everyone back in St. Louie!
My name is Aaron Rifkind, I am a rising 3L at WashU Law, and have been in Singapore since December and because it is already mid-May, I really have a lot of catching up to do. Let’s start with how I even got here in Singapore. I had been frustrated with my experiences thus far at WashU. The funny thing is, I love WashU, and I truly don’t believe I could have been happier anywhere else. WashU was by far my number one choice of law schools when I was an undergrad and still is! WashU is known for giving each student a unique law school experience through so many of its programs. So what’s the deal you might ask? Well, I came to WashU perhaps a little behind, I didn’t know what I wanted to do, and came straight from undergrad. Although I am extremely goal oriented, sometimes to much, I also have the ability to think of the big picture very easily. The 1L year, although it was never out-right stated, my peers and professors all made it seem as if grades were all that mattered. Being new in law school, I followed the trend and worked my butt off to “follow the trend” and act as if that was all that mattered. Yes, I was involved in many extra-curricular activities, in fact, I received honors in public service in that first year. But, I also felt empty. Something wasn’t right and I could feel it all year. I was taking the 1L curriculum, I really enjoyed Contracts, but nothing else suited me. I had a propensity for corporate law and lets face it, criminal law, property law, they are quite far from that. When you don’t take an interest in something and it happens to be extremely difficult, and competitive, your obviously going to have a tough time doing well.
At the very end of my first year I had heard about a study abroad meeting going on. I was busy studying for a Property exam and had to miss it, but the idea did seem intriguing. Because I graduated early from college I never had the chance to go abroad. So, I went online and saw that Singapore was an option. My parents had been there two years prior which also furthered my initial intrigue. When I looked at it closer, it seemed to be the chance of a life time. I needed a change from my current situation at school, I grew up in an environment that greatly admires Asian culture, I had never traveled to Asia before, and above all, the school specialized in international business law. I couldn’t believe this opportunity that I hadn’t heard one student talk about! The NUS school literally offered more corporate law classes by itself then WashU or any other US school that I know of’s combined semester courses. I applied, got accepted, and looked forward to heading out to Singapore. Of course, I did have to wait another semester since I wasn’t leaving until the following Spring, but it was well worth the wait.
I started off my experience in Singapore fairly shakey. I hadn’t really gotten any information about what I’d do about housing, my student visa, when to be there, when school started, and I didn’t know anyone in the new and foreign country. It turned out to be a major problem when I arrived with no where to stay. When I finally got a place to stay, it was nothing more then a bathroom sized room with an iguana in my closet and the heat of a smoldering furnace. I didn’t have internet for a week or a cell phone. Things were tough, I got there a little too early and NUS doesn’t really have the best management system in place. I still believe that the only possible negative of the entire experience here has been the school management.
My first semester turned out great. I took all international law and corporate law courses, all of which were new and exciting to me. I took international law, international labour law, regulating the corporation, and legal thory and emergencies. Everyone from WashU and NUS constantly asks me, what’s harder WashU courses or NUS courses? I always give them the same answer, they are completely different. Some may completely dissagree with me, but my feeling is that WashU has done a really good job of using the Socratic method, especially the first year, to help you learn the black letter law. You study nose deep in cases and learn how to develop your critical reading skills. I think the problem with the method is that sometimes it fails to give a good macro perspective of the law and how it ties into other segments of society. At NUS it was the complete opposite. The school did a remarkable job tying corporate regulations and statutes into the bigger context. The students are very bright, as a country that plays the international economic hub of all of Asia, the people are forced to pay attention to business much more then the average person in the US. I think the weaker point in the NUS teaching system was the deeper analysis and critical reasoning that I had developed at WashU my first three semesters. So, both schools teaching systems are completely different, but both great methods in their unique ways. Either way, I learned soooo much in one semester, I was astonished to comprehend just how much I know about corporate law now only a semester later.
My experiences were priceless, once in the lifetime opportunities that I wish everyone at WashU could experience. I really made the most of my experience here and can honestly say I’ve utilized every opportunity given to me. First of all I must say that the hawker food in Singapore that costs around $3 US is absolutely incredible! I also traveled a lot. I spent time on the beautiful beaches in Thailand, the craziness of Hong Kong, the amazing food, hostiry and culture of Taiwan, and the uniqueness of Malaysia. I made friendships that I believe will last a lifetime. Those friendships are not just with my peers, but with professors as well! I also became both a research assistant during the semester and editor for two law reviews. Looking back at the semester, it’s hard to believe that all of this was done in just one semester of school. One semester spent at NUS has opened my eyes completely. I will be able to illustrate the extent of it later in this blog. If you like amazing food from all over the world, to travel, experience new cultures, corporate law, and to expand your own views on the world, Singapore is by far the best experience you can get. Actually, I’ve recently taken up learning Mandarin since I have been here and I must say, you can learn the extremely difficult language fairly quickly in this environment. And you know what, if you are unable to study abroad here, I implore you to at least travel here sometime in your lifetime. Actually, the most expensive casino in the world is being built currently and will be completed in 2 years, so if you do go in the future, I’m sure the feel will be different then my experiences as well.
After such an amazing semester in Singapore, I realized two things I never could have imagined when I first applied to come study at NUS; 1) I love Corporate law, not just any corporate law but specifically securities, finance law, and mergers & acquisitions, that is my path and, 2) I’m truly touched by Asian culture and may practice out here in the near future. Those are two major comments considering where I was before I left, lost, confused, and frustrated.
To pursue those two realizations I applied to firms in Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Singapore the economic central markets of Southeast Asia. While the lingering voice of not having the grades to pursue some of my dreams was still prevelent, I decided, I’ll just go ahead and do it and see what happens. Although I knew what I wanted to practice and where, I still had no idea whether it’d be for a mediam sized firm, large international firm, or in house council. So, I just applied to all of them. Sometimes at Washu, the most reminiscent being during On Campus Interviewing, I feel everything and everything becomes really narrowed. Your given a list of law firms in St.Louis to apply to, which are all in one small part of the country, and the jobs are typically given to the the people with the highest grades, and thats that, forcing everyone to constantly compete for one thing, the grade. A softer version of Paper Chase? But, there really is a world out there outside of St. Louis, and even the U.S. And, there is a world of firms that look well beyond grades to character, work ethic, writing ability, and people skills. It did take courage to look outside of the box, but to anyone who feels how I feel, frustrated by the narrowed focus sometimes at school, and more specifically the atmosphere surrounding the field in general, I’m here to tell you that for me that outside the box moment came when I decided to go to NUS for a semester. And, it was because of WashU, which offers soo many unique opportunies for its students that I found it! Other great opportunities at WashU also include besides other study abroad programs, the acclaimed clinical programs, you just have to see what fits you and go for it I guess.
Tomorrow is my last day working at a mediam-sized specialty firm. The Singaporian law firm only does IPO’s and mergers & acquisitions. I took the job because quite frankly, I thought it would be the best opportunity to further my knowledge in those areas. And it has! I’ve helped produce three due diligence reports, two corporate circulars, edited two corporate perspectus’ for major companies, went to integrated person transactions and corporate annual general meetings, and even created a securities contract (some of that stuff like circulars I had no clue what it even was when I first arrived). The atmosphere here is incredible, everyone works extremely hard, but is also very friendly and they will always stop to give you a hand. The hours have been 9AM-6PM, and while you have to stay longer to finish project deadlines, its definitely very manageable. I have nothing but the best compliments for this first internship experience that has lasted April and half of May.
Monday will be a completely different experience for me. I’m working at an international British law firm in the “Magic Circle” that is not only huge in size, but I’m expecting a very different type of atmosphere. Bigger, different atmosphere and different types of clients. I’ll make sure to update you as I go! Wish me luck! This first blog is definitely very log, and if you were able to sit through the whole thing, maybe you can even read my next one, haha. I also think part of you will hopefully feel the excitement I felt during my stay here and just maybe, will get you out here as well!
Aaron Rifkind
May 29th, 2007 by 
Kyu Chang Oh
No Comments »