Adrian Teh received a job offer from a top UK law firm in August 2023, two years before graduating. But instead of taking a vacation, Tee interned at a bank in the United States during her last summer vacation. He secured a return offer and is now choosing to seek employment. Go for a career in investment banking instead.
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This told essay is based on a conversation with Adrian Teh, 24, a dual degree graduate in law and business from the Singapore Management University. The following has been edited for length and clarity. Business Insider has verified his educational and work history.
Before entering university, I wanted to become a lawyer.
I was not able to get into a law school in Singapore because I didn’t do well enough in my A-level exams. Instead, I decided to attend business school, where I developed an interest in finance.
However, after doing well in my first year, I was given the opportunity to pursue a second degree in law. I accepted the offer and ended up pursuing two degrees as an undergraduate.
Looking back, I was actually lucky that I didn’t enroll in law school sooner. I’m more interested in finance now, but I never would have encountered it.
“Magic Circle” Get a job at a law firm and participate in an internship at a top bank in the United States
In August 2023, I received a training contract offer from one of the UK’s top five law firms, also known as the ‘Magic Circle’ firm.
For most people, that will mean the end of their job search.
But that wasn’t my case. I had also applied for a summer internship at a bulge bracket bank in the US. I also secured an internship at an investment bank.
I could have chosen not to spend my last summer interning at the university, but it didn’t make sense for me to do nothing.
Since I had never worked at a major investment bank, I thought interning there would give me more exposure. Additionally, I thought I could apply what I learned about investment banking to my future job, even if I ended up working as a lawyer.
And since corporate lawyers work closely with bankers on transactions, we thought it wouldn’t be a bad thing to network.
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Ms Teh said her internship at a US bank made her decide to pursue a career in finance rather than law. adrien teh
After experiencing a summer internship, I became clearer about what I wanted to do.
During my internship, I learned that when M&A transactions take place, bankers are ultimately the ones closest to the action.
Bankers essentially execute transactions for their customers. They drive the entire process, coordinating between commercial due diligence providers, consultants and lawyers.
Seeing this up close made me realize that I don’t want to be stuck in the mindset of reviewing term sheets and contracts.
Apart from that, I thought the skills I would gain by becoming an investment banker would be more transferable. That was the biggest consideration for me in my career. I wanted to keep my options open. That way, if you decide to join a company or a management position in the future, you can get some idea of how things work.
In comparison, I thought that working at a law firm provides relatively few opportunities for retirement. If I pursue that path, I could potentially stay at a law firm for the rest of my career or end up working as an in-house lawyer.
So when the bank made me a second offer to join the company full-time in 2025, I accepted.
Banking and legal fields both pay well. I think your long-term earning potential as a lawyer is as good or better than what you can earn as an investment banker.
However, pursuing finance doesn’t mean your time in law school was wasted.
During my internship, I realized that managing directors are also usually familiar with the legal aspects of transactions. In some cases, we may suggest and cooperate with a lawyer based on the terms of the contract.
Looking back, I am glad that I took part in the internship because it made my future path clearer. For now, I will do my best in the world of finance.
