Elaine Beh, Head of Corporate and Commercial Practice and Co-head of the Corporate Finance Practice Group at Colin Ng & Partners LLP (CNP) is living proof that lawyers really can have it all if they set their mind to it. She has been at Colin Ng & Partners LLP since 1991, where she has not only advised on some of the most interesting and varied corporate transaction work in Singapore, but also found the time to raise three children without compromising on either area of her life. “I believe parenting, like work, is not something you do by the way.  I was always clear in my mind that I would be there for my children and working at Colin Ng & Partners has enabled me to do that,” she said.

The secret for Beh is to devote complete concentration to what she is doing and staying “in the moment.” “When I’m in a transaction, I give myself 100% to that transaction. As long as the work gets done properly, I am not restricted by having to be at the office at certain hours.  And when I’m with my children I can give all my attention to them,” she said.

Having begun her career in the property practice group of another firm, Lee & Lee, Beh received a good grounding for REIT work which has come in handy as she is able to advise on the property aspects as well as the corporate aspects. She also cited a large REIT transaction completed in 2007 as her career highlight with CNP. “It was a very large transaction where there was tremendous pressure and tight deadlines but we did the work in good spirits,” Beh said.

Currently her group is working on Catalist sponsorship for the second board of the SGX, which Beh says helps her group get more involved with the smaller companies which are now required to be sponsored and supervised. “The work is a great learning experience, as we grow to understand the problems smaller companies face, which  are quite different from those of larger corporations” she said. "The firm's decision to go into Catalist work has been a fruitful one as it provides a good niche for the firm and ensures work will keep coming in."

Beh does not seem to have felt constrained at all by working in a mid-sized firm. Beh also offered some advice to lawyers who want to develop a career in corporate and commercial law: “Get involved in as many transactions as possible, the first few years are the best time to learn.  By being involved in different transactions you learn different styles and you will get much more variety, especially at a firm such as Colin Ng & Partners, she said.