From the CBD to a temple: NUS Law alumna brings pro bono service to the heartland

“I wanted to be in a helping profession, and felt law would allow me to give back to the community in a meaningful way,’’ explained alumna Cai Chengying ’11, recalling her childhood ambition. Today, as the Head of Strategy and Impact Evaluation at Pro Bono SG, it looks like her ambition has become a reality. Which is a bit of an irony given that Chengying was not accepted in the Pro Bono Club back in her undergraduate days, as the club was oversubscribed.

Instead, she joined the Law Club as the Academic Secretary. As it turned out, she gained an insight into the practice of law from this role. One of her tasks was to organise the annual Law Careers Fair to help students to get to know what private practice was like. This role gave her a better understanding of the different aspects of becoming a successful lawyer.

The study of the law and the practice of it are quite different, Chengying noted. Referencing her discouragement with her Criminal Law grade in her first year, she said with a laugh, “Even though I got a C, it didn’t prevent me from being able to do litigation work.” And criminal legal aid cases did end up forming most of the pro bono work she took on. That verve for helping others was evident in her six years at Allen & Gledhill, before becoming a partner at Shook Lin & Bok for about two years. During this journey, she made a personal commitment to always handle at least one pro bono case.

Community Law Centres

After embracing full-time motherhood in 2019, following the birth of her child the previous year, she took on a full-time role at Pro Bono SG in 2020. She started off as an in-house counsel also looking after fundraising and communications, before making the switch to become Head of Community Lawyering.

The first Community Law Centre under Pro Bono SG was set up at Tian De Temple in Hougang Avenue 5 in January 2023.

That was a pivotal moment. In January 2023, she oversaw the launch of the Community Law Centre at Tian De Temple in Hougang, the first such facility under Pro Bono SG. “It’s designed to make it easier for persons to connect to legal services when they already have a lot of other vulnerabilities,” she said. To date, Pro Bono SG has set up three centres: the second Community Law Centre is located at the Realm of Tranquility charity in Woodlands, and the first Transnational Family Care Centre is integrated with the South Central Community Family Service Centre in Delta Avenue, to help primarily with issues that transnational families face.

“In my time as a volunteer, I had a client borrow money from me to take the bus home, because they couldn’t afford the bus fare.”

Feeling a strong sense that she is exactly where she is meant to be, Chengying mused over how her current role can have a multiplier effect. As Head of Strategy and Impact Evaluation, a role she took on in June this year, she researches the needs on the ground and examines the bigger development strategy. “I enjoy being in a role that will create opportunities for others in the profession to fulfil their aspirations to give back.”

And that’s why Chengying is all for the mandatory 20 hours of pro bono work that aspiring lawyers need to fulfil during their student years, something that took effect from 2014. She shares that Pro Bono SG places over 400 students yearly, giving them real-world exposure to pro bono cases.

“Pro bono is so critical because it helps to give flesh and blood to what you’re studying. It helps you realise that becoming a good lawyer is…really in the many other experiences and skill sets that you acquire over time.”

A holistic approach

What’s critical in pro bono work is also understanding that clients exist in a community, experiencing problems such as family breakdowns, financial insecurities and mental health issues that require lawyers to work with other professionals. This is something that Chengying feels strongly about.

“How do problems manifest? When your clients come to you, they don’t actually experience a legal problem; it could be a business problem, a family problem. I feel that you need to understand all these other issues to be able to help in a sustainable and meaningful way.”

Tian De Temple generously allowed the setup of two container rooms on temple grounds, even removing part of the fence to allow direct access.

That’s why the support of the community is so important. To illustrate, Tian De Temple allowed the setup of two container rooms within temple grounds, even removing part of the fence to allow direct access. Their generosity created a huge impact, as that Centre saw almost 1,000 clients in the first year. Many other prospective partners have also approached Pro Bono SG, offering to host such Centres free of charge. Their willingness to help the underprivileged is testament to how there are a lot of buds around an initiative that has championed inclusivity from the start.

For Chengying, her heart for pro bono work has also helped her stay the course, in an environment where many junior lawyers have left the legal profession. It was the fuel that kept her going in private practice, reminding her of why she studied law: to help. Reflecting on one’s motivation can be useful, to clear the fog on whether one should seek a different role, she observed.

Her NUS Law experience

Students today may be unaware that the Centre for Education and Outreach, located opposite the Summit canteen, used to be the NUSS Bukit Timah Guild House. Chengying remembered how undergraduates then really enjoyed going to the two-storey Art Deco bungalow to get drinks and spoke fondly about the friendships made. “Having friendships in the profession is something that is so precious. It helps you get by…. When things get tough, your classmates will understand because you are on the same journey.”

Located at 1F Cluny Road, the Centre for Education and Outreach sits across the road from NUS Law’s Summit canteen. It used to be the NUSS Bukit Timah Guild House, a place where NUS Law undergraduates frequented. 

In a way, that sense of camaraderie mirrors the spirit of giving Chengying espouses; just as friends support friends, a lawyer too should support their clients, empathising with their vulnerabilities. Pro bono work has a definitive place in the legal ecosystem—and as Chengying aptly put it: “We are not in the business of doing good for a season”.