Bucking the Trend

It’s all in the news and commentaries from our own Law Society President Mr Adrian Tan – the “Great Resignation” is underway. As the world adjusts to new ways of life under the pandemic, workers are leaving their jobs in record numbers – and the legal industry is no exception.

Last year, the Singaporean legal community witnessed an alarming drop in numbers. In conjunction with a record high of junior lawyers quitting their jobs, 2021 saw a record low of new entrants to the profession. With only 6000 lawyers in the country to begin with, this is ominous news for our industry, and for the Singaporeans who rely on our services.

For the team at Yeo & Associates LLC, these are surprising numbers. Why? They don’t reflect our own statistics. With a 100% staff retention rate last year, we haven’t been caught up in the outgoing tide. We need more people only because our firm is expanding.

A New Generation of Family Lawyers

Tan says his focus will be on building up the legal profession, in terms of keeping lawyers feeling engaged and fulfilled in their jobs, which he hopes will go towards retaining talent within the industry. But how?

Rather than leaving it to Law Society to find the balance for the young ones, we at Yeo & Associates LLC already knew that the “old school” status quo isn’t working for the new generation of legal talent. What we lawyers know of Law Society (at least for Beatrice Yeo), is that Law Society puts in many resources on attending to frivolous complaints against lawyers from the public, and maybe annual sports games.

Unless you are keen to put in long hours to learn the rope, our work culture is that lawyers are not supposed to be plagued with the exhaustion and burnout that result from outdated systems of work.

At Yeo & Associates LLC, we take care of our lawyers through the following manner:

1. Providing a supportive environment- lawyers are encouraged to raise issues relating to their preference on the type of work they wish to work on and type of clients they wish to work with. We believe a positive team work relationship could nurture better results for the clients’ case. As opposed to traditional idea that “customers are always right”, we politely shut that outdated mantra out;
2. Providing first-class resources- lawyers are free to research on the courses or seminars that interests them the most be it law or otherwise and the firm will pay for them. In addition, if lawyers think that a book could improve their knowledge in law and life, we support by paying for them;
3. Grab in and Grab out- the firm agrees that no one should work overtime but in times of need, taxi or Grab fare will be fully reimbursed, no questions asked;
4. Every reason for a celebration- the firm remembers all big and small festive and each and every one’s birthdays. There is a cause of celebration with food, wine and cake almost every week;
5. Freedom to focus on the work that truly interests them- although Yeolaw is a family law firm, we seek out other practice areas for each lawyer to complement their passion and for their professional growth in the long run;
6. the firm continuously embarks on certain projects with each lawyer without requiring them to invest a cent in the projects, When earnings/profits come, all to have a share in it.

By keeping our people happy, we keep our profession thriving.

Why is Yeo & Associates LLC different?

For us, there’s nothing more rewarding than seeing our team fulfilled. So we’ve spoken to a number of our lawyers to get some insight into why they have stayed with us, year after year. The resounding theme is a recognition of the genuine investment that we put into creating a workplace which allows our people to grow – particularly when it comes to the mentorship and human touch.

Mentorship

One of the most common sources of discontent amongst junior lawyers is lack of support and quality training. Our industry is built on a top-down, hierarchical system which often fails to pay enough attention to making sure that new recruits receive exposure to high quality work.

At Yeo & Associates LLC, we will invest our lawyers’ your growth and development. There will always be a senior to turn to. This is not a repetitive workplace; no two of our cases are the same, and we make sure that our lawyers receive exposure to real and varied on-the-job experience. We don’t forget the soft skills, and take the time to mentor our people in the “human” side of our business – from managing client expectations to dealing with difficult outcomes.

Working at Yeo & Associates LLC

We asked some of our associates to share their thoughts on why they stick with Yeo & Associates LLC. Here’s what they said:

“What I love most about being part of Yeolaw is the amount of exposure I get within my specialism. It’s not one of those ‘jack of all trades’ firms. Instead, you really get to invest in your niche, which is an incredibly rewarding experience”. – Xavier Lim, Associate Director

“I commenced my family law practice with Yeo & Associates LLC shortly after being called to the bar and it is my 7th year here. I have felt the prestige of the firm and I am honored to be valued and respected by clients as a Yeolaw Family Lawyer.” – Pang Peck Ki, Associate Director

Our commitment to our people comes straight from the top. Our Founder and Managing Director, Beatrice Yeo Poh Tiang, said:

“At Yeo & Associates LLC, we know that our young lawyers are the building blocks of our firm – and our future leaders.”

Join Our Happy Team

Due to our continuing growth, we are looking for talented, committed and smart lawyers to add to our expanding team.

If you are a qualified family lawyer at any stage of your career, we want to hear from you. For a confidential discussion, get in touch.

Submit your application: yeo@yeolaw.com.sg