Lawyer Darren Tan, once 10 years in jail; S'pore CJ advises new lawyers: do criminal and family law

Mr Darren Tan with his proud parents - Mr Tan Chon Kiat and Madam Ong Ai Hock. The new lawyer changed the course of his life while he was behind bars. -- PHOTO: EDWARD TEO FOR THE SUNDAY TIMES

10 years in jail, now a lawyer

Darren Tan, 35, is finally a full-fledged lawyer.

He reached that milestone yesterday when he was called to the Bar during a mass ceremony at Nanyang Technological University.

It was a far cry from his shaky start in life when drugs and gang activities led to over 10 years behind bars and 19 strokes of the cane.

"This is the culmination of what I've been working towards for the last 10 years," he told The Sunday Times. "It's like waking up from a dream and finding out your dream has become reality."

His life of crime began at the age of 14, and he was in and out of prison for offences that included robbery and drug trafficking.

It was only when he was 25 and behind bars for the third time that his transformation took place. He found God, and decided to make something of himself.

He resumed his studies with help from the prisons programme, re-learnt English, a language he had forgotten, and aced his A levels, scoring four As and a B, including an A1 for General Paper. He was still in prison when he applied for law school, and became the first student with a criminal past to be admitted to the National University of Singapore law school.

Now, he has a job waiting for him. He did so well during his six-month practice training at TSMP Law Corporation that the firm has given him a permanent position as a commercial litigation and dispute resolution lawyer.

The firm's joint managing director, Mr Thio Shen Yi, said that while he had initially decided to take a chance on Mr Tan, it had only been a six-month risk.

"He still had to earn his job. And he has," said Mr Thio. "He is sincere; he has street smarts, maturity and EQ. You can see his transformation through his actions, and this resonated with us because we're very much a firm that believes in giving back to the community.

"If I had ever thought there was any risk of the firm's reputation being besmirched, I would not have taken him on."

Said Mr Tan: "This is my first real job. I enjoy what I'm doing and the bonus is I get paid for it. I'm learning new things every day."

He spends long hours at work, but tries to leave early every Monday. He and former inmate Kim Whye Kee, an artist, have set up an outreach initiative, Beacon of Life, based in Taman Jurong, to help at-risk boys and youths. On Monday and Saturday nights, they play football.

Mr Tan dined with Britain's Prince Edward in a 16th-century castle earlier this year, when he was invited there to speak about the National Youth Achievement Award which he has received, and how its programmes could benefit others.

Mr Thio is hoping to rope in Mr Tan to work on the Yellow Ribbon Project to help former prisoners, a scheme which his firm supports.

"He will be able to give us direct insight into where the need is greatest," he said.

The Singapore Academy of Law, which has supported the Yellow Ribbon Fund since 2011, is in talks with Mr Tan to be part of its upcoming corporate social responsibility programme, which aims to get more in the legal fraternity to join forces to help former offenders.

An only child, Mr Tan has a girlfriend and lives with his parents in a four-room flat in Jurong West.

With a steady pay cheque, he can finally help with family expenses and has promised to take his parents and godfather on a cruise.

His father, Mr Tan Chon Kiat, 67, who does not work, and mother, Madam Ong Ai Hock, 62, a production operator, could not be prouder.

Said Madam Ong: "I didn't think he would have these opportunities but he has changed his own future. I used to be very worried for him, but now I'm very happy.

"It goes to show that if you work hard, the past is the past."

Looking forward, her son said: "I have a mantra of sorts - 'Be good in what I do and do good with what I do'. I used to take drugs because there was a void in my heart and my life. Now, I have something to get hooked on apart from drugs. My life is a good enough substitute."

By Chang Ai-lien Straits Times/Asia News Network Sun Aug 24 2014

Once in jail, but he's now a law grad

For the first three years in law school, Mr Darren Tan kept to himself.

Now he wishes he hadn't.

The 35-year-old, one of over 10,000 to graduate from the National University of Singapore this year, was afraid that he would not be accepted because of the more than 10 years he spent in jail for drug and gang-related offences.

But last July, he told his story to the media. "After I went public, I received messages of support from my classmates," said Mr Tan, who will receive his law degree on Thursday.

He has secured a practice training contract with TSMP Law Corporation, but hopes to continue helping lawyers with pro bono work.

Fellow graduand Chua Koon Ting, the first polytechnic student to enter the Faculty of Dentistry, also said that he was not treated differently by fellow students.

"What I learnt is that in university, no one cares where you came from, it's in the past," said the former Singapore Polytechnic student, 27, who is now practising at the National Healthcare Group Polyclinics.

This year, 10,282 will be graduating from NUS. They will include the first graduates from five programmes, including the master of Social Work and Public Health doctorate.

President Tony Tan Keng Yam presided over the main commencement ceremony yesterday, in which 160 students from the University Scholars Programme received their scrolls.

One of them was valedictorian Ow Yeong Wai Kit, 25, who received first class honours in English literature.

He will be heading to University College London to do a masters in literature on a Ministry of Education scholarship.

"It's not so much about whether one has a degree. What's more important is that we have certain intangible skills that can be used regardless of one's vocation, such as a sense of curiosity," he told reporters.

The ceremony was also attended by Education Minister Heng Swee Keat. During his address yesterday, NUS President Tan Chorh Chuan spoke about former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, who last month received an honorary Doctor of Laws from NUS.

Said Prof Tan: "The qualities and values he exemplifies, and in particular, his deep sense of purpose, these serve as a powerful beacon not just for all of us in NUS, but for the broader community in Singapore and beyond."

By Stacey Chia, Debbie Lee The Straits Times/Asia News Network, Friday, Jul 12, 2013

CJ advises new lawyers to do criminal, family law

SINGAPORE - Singapore's newest lawyers have been urged to begin their careers in family and criminal law to hone their skills, instead of heading straight for corporate law, which is getting more competitive than ever.

The legal community yesterday welcomed 430 newly appointed advocates and solicitors at this year's mass call to the Bar, up from 411 last year and 363 the year before.

The expansion in the number of lawyers means the newcomers will enter a market where the generous salary packages and multiple job offers their predecessors enjoyed will be harder to come by, said Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon.

This is also because other major legal centres around the world, such as New York and London, are cutting back in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, he added.

A week ago, Law Minister K. Shanmugam highlighted how Singapore could face a glut in supply of lawyers in the next three years as more aspiring lawyers pursue a law degree here and overseas.

During yesterday's ceremony at Nanyang Technological University, the Chief Justice said the legal industry is adjusting from one of "undersupply" - when there were more jobs than law graduates - to one where supply and demand are more balanced now, especially in commercial law.

"This means that you will not be running with the wind to your back," he told the new lawyers hoping to enter corporate and commercial practice. Instead, they can expect "more competition, fewer guarantees and less room for negotiation". This is a trend that is happening not only in Singapore.

After a period of sustained growth in New York and London "in the later decades of the 20th century", the pace of recruitment there has slowed down.

Singapore, which benchmarks lawyers' salaries with those paid by New York and London firms, is no exception to these market forces, especially given how "we also compete in a South-east Asian market where starting salaries are generally lower". Instead the Chief Justice challenged the new lawyers to take the plunge into family and criminal law - where there is a shortage - and cut their teeth there.

While he admitted that there may be a "good deal less glamour" in these areas of the law, there is no better place than community law for young lawyers to get into the thick of the action, said the Chief Justice.

New lawyers The Sunday Times spoke to said while the market may be getting tighter now, it is their juniors who will feel the pinch. Mr Asik Ali Sadayan, 26, a Singapore Management University graduate, said: "My juniors have told me that it has become a lot harder to get training contracts.

It was easier for my batch and we did not feel the competition as much." Every year, about 400 local law graduates, along with a growing number of foreign-educated ones, apply for about 500 training contracts offered by law firms.

The six-month contract gives would-be lawyers the real world training they are required to complete before they are called to the Bar. In his speech yesterday, Law Society of Singapore president Lok Vi Ming said his organisation is considering various initiatives to ensure that every graduate eligible for a training contract will get it.

Other new lawyers told The Sunday Times that they had their hearts set on corporate law, and would prefer to give back to society through pro-bono work - something the Chief Justice said was important for lawyers to be involved in.

Not only does such work keep lawyers connected to the community, it also helps them to avoid thinking that their worth is reflected by how much they bill and little else.

Sources: The Straits Times/Asia News Network Sun Aug 24 2014

Are Malaysian salaries enough to draw our talents back?

 Click on graphic for larger view.

FOR Daniel Chew, Brisbane a city of modern skyscrapers but known for its laidback lifestyle has been “home” for the last 10 years.

Even before graduating with a degree in Commerce from the University of Queensland, Chew, 29, remembers having secured a job offer. The fact that his qualifications entitled him for permanent residence in Australia only made his decision to stay on so much easier.

His career path was set out in 2005, with him joining KPMG as an auditor, and later moving on to its corporate finance division where he specialised in business valuations. His years in professional practice also saw him qualify as a chartered accountant.

Today, Chew is a commercial analyst in the oil and gas industry, and he says the salary range for such a role can be anywhere from A$80,000 (about RM255,000) to A$140,000 (about RM446,000) per annum, “depending on the level and type of experience”.

“I don't think I could be earning in Malaysia what I earn here. Just the exchange rate alone already makes the salary here three times more than what it is in Malaysia,” he says.

Opportunity and lifestyle are two other factors that are keeping him Down Under, but he does not discount the possibility of returning to Kuala Lumpur if a good opportunity presents itself.

“Right now I have a girlfriend here, which means that if I were to go back, it must also mean that there is a good job prospect for her as well.

“Having a good salary package would definitely be a good motivator (to move back), but I'm also looking at career growth opportunities. And being close to my family would be a plus point,” he says.

Norman: ‘Salaries in Malaysia in the mid-tier management are generally about 10% to 30% lower compared with that found in our Asia Pacific counterparts such as Singapore, Hong Kong and Australia.’

Another Malaysian, who only wants to be known as Justin and who has been in London for about nine years, says he is apprehensive about coming back.

Justin works in the finance department of an investment bank. The market rate for his role is roughly between £50,000 (about RM248,000) and £60,000 (about RM297,000) per annum, one which he isn't sure Malaysia can match.

“I don't know if Malaysia would be able to offer a better salary package but for me, the main question is whether Malaysia will be able offer the same opportunities.

“London is a world hub for foreign exchange (FX) and other investment banking products such as credits, equity, rates, etc, whereas the products traded in Malaysia are considered vanilla'. What I do in investment banking is quite specific. Even if I were to move into a different product area, there might not be a lot of opportunities for my career development in Malaysia,” he says.

However, Justin adds that taking care of his ageing parents in Kuala Lumpur is also an important consideration, and if push comes to shove, “Singapore might be a feasible option”.

Chew and Justin are just two examples of the many Malaysian talents living abroad, and to pull them back, salary and career opportunities are two factors which need to be seriously looked into. It has been reported that at present, as many as one million Malaysians are living abroad.

Interestingly though, according to Kelly Services managing director Melissa Norman, salaries in Malaysia in the mid-tier management are generally about 10% to 30% lower than that in our Asia-Pacific (Apec) counterparts such as Singapore, Hong Kong and Australia.

“It varies depending on the functions and skills, but for the mid-tier level, the difference is between 10% and 30%. When it comes to the C-suite executives, the difference could be much higher (where salaries overseas could double that in Malaysia),” she says, adding that the exchange rate alone is a pull factor for Malaysians to work overseas.

Money issues: It has been reported that as many as one million Malaysians are living abroad. To pull them back, salary and career opportunities are two factors which need to be seriously looked into.

 

(Refer to the chart, which is derived from the Kelly Services Asia Pacific Professional and Technical Salary Guide 2012. The salary guide is based on the actual transactions between Kelly's clients and candidates.)

Currently, positions that are in high demand in the Apec region are in the engineering and information technology industries.

“Where it shows (in the chart) that Malaysia is offering a higher salary compared to, say, Singapore, it means that those are skills which are highly in demand. They are niche skills, and companies are willing to pay a higher salary to bring in talent from abroad,” she says.

Generally, Norman says, fresh graduates in Singapore are commanding a starting salary of about S$2,500 (RM6,200), while many Malaysian graduates are “still hovering between RM1,800 and RM2,000”.

“You need to go one step further and ask Why are they getting paid a little more, and why are we paid a little less?' This brings you to the quality of the students. The majority of graduates here come out lacking in skills.

Sure, Malaysia is moving towards a high-income economy, but if wages go up and productivity remains the same, it would be a recipe for disaster. - Shamsuddin Bardan, MEF executive director

“When you talk about Singapore graduates, you're talking about universities like NTU (Nanyang Technological University), which are the cream of the crop. So the package they earn is warranted based on the quality of their background.
 
“Over here, you have the cream of the crop too, but naturally they get picked by all the big boys' (major firms and MNCs) even before they graduate. And you will have a pool of students who study overseas, but they don't come back,” she says.

Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) executive director Shamsuddin Bardan adds that when it comes to salaries, one has to look at the productivity aspect as well.

“When you talk about whether Malaysian salaries are competitive, you have to factor in productivity. According to the MPC's (Malaysia Productivity Corporation) 2012 report, Malaysia's productivity is 3.8 times lower than Singapore's productivity.

“In simple terms, what takes one employee to do in Singapore takes 3.8 employees here to accomplish the same task,” he explains.

According to the report, Malaysia's employee productivity value (the value of productivity of one Malaysian employee) is at US$14,217, lower than Hong Kong at US$65,174 and Singapore at US$55,702.

“So to look at wages on its own, that would not be fair. Sure, Malaysia is moving towards a high-income economy, but if the wages go up and productivity remains the same, it would be a recipe for disaster,” Shamsuddin says.

But the fact remains that brain drain and talent scarcity in Malaysia are very real issues that challenge employers.

Norman says that organisations are definitely “feeling the pinch of scarcity of skilled talent” which is prevalent today as people are very open to the idea of changing jobs and moving countries.

Since 2010, the Government has also been trying to woo talent back via TalentCorp, and more recently, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak announced the Talent Roadmap 2020, a nine-year time frame designed to address the underlying issues affecting talent availability in Malaysia.

So what will it take to bring our Malaysian talents back?

“Motivation is different for different people, but I would say the top three things would be the total package (salary, compensation plus benefits), the type of role these talents will have here (roles will have to be better, as no one moves laterally), and the policies that are involved (how easy it will be for talents to come back with foreign spouses, for example),” Norman says.

She adds that in trying to attract Malaysian talents back, the “rewards and the opportunities must be fairly presented so there's a nudge for people to make that move”. “To a certain extent, having Malaysians abroad is good for Malaysia, because of the exposure that they will have. But if we can bring them back, they can do so much for the country.

“Today when you look for talent, organisations need to pitch. If the talent is extremely great, some companies even have an attraction bonus just to get them to sign on. Package jumps when you're doing head hunting is fairly high,” she says.

Talent retention is equally important.

“We must recognise the fact that we must do something to retain the talent we already have here, so we don't also lose them eventually,” she says, likening it to a leaking bucket.

Ultimately, Norman says, the talent that Malaysians want back are “skilled workers who are in demand with niche expertise”.

To bring them back, the question which will need answering is “What's in it for them?”

BY LISA GOH  lisagoh@thestar.com.my/Asian News Network