Hard Tech and Soft Skills – TRAIL x CFG

On Wednesday 2 September 2026, the Centre for Technology, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence & the Law (TRAIL) partnered with the Centre for Future-ready Graduates (CFG) to host legal practitioners at a careers talk for students on legal practice in the areas of intellectual property (IP) and technology, media and telecommunications (TMT).

The session attracted over seventy students from the LLB, JD and LLM programs who posed numerous questions to the illustrious panel of speakers – Tony Yeo, Rajesh Sreenivasan and Elaine Tan – ranging from the skills required to thrive in these sectors to the use and impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on the legal sector. Moderated by Professor David Tan, Co-Director of TRAIL, the session oscillated between light-hearted humour and serious advice, as the panel regaled the students with anecdotes from their careers that spanned almost four decades.

Tony Yeo (Class of 1991) is the Managing Director of Drew & Napier’s IP department, and a Director in the Dispute Resolution department, as well as the head of the Healthcare & Life Sciences Practice. Tony emphasised the importance of following one’s passion, recalling how, as a pupil in the 1990s, he had requested the Recruitment Partner to assign him to the IP department of Drew & Napier. He also shared how having strong litigation skills is an asset in IP practice and encouraged students to enrol in international moot modules at NUS Law to hone such skills. Last but not least, he confessed that having a competitive streak is what has kept him driven throughout his career.

Rajesh Sreenivasan is the Head of the TMT practice at Rajah & Tann Singapore, where he also leads the firm’s multidisciplinary Data and Digital Economy practice. He has advised businesses, governments and industry leaders on some of the most complex issues involving AI, cybersecurity, data protection and emerging technologies. Rajesh always loved law and technology, and had pursued this field since he was an undergraduate. He explained how AI is increasingly used in legal practice – both by lawyers and their clients – and stressed how crucial it is to have lawyers both in the loop and over the loop. Echoing Tony’s advice, he urged students to focus on acquiring good domain knowledge and litigation skills while in law school, and leave coding to the experts.

Elaine Tan (Class of 1996) is an Associate Vice President (Legal) at Razer, the world’s leading lifestyle brand for gamers. Elaine is responsible for overseeing the IP portfolio of Razer, with particular emphasis on brand protection, IP enforcement and intellectual asset management. She was previously a Director at Amica Law LLC, and had worked as a Deputy Public Prosecutor and State Counsel at the Attorney General’s Chambers. Elaine shared how strong lawyering skills are especially valuable for students considering an in-house counsel position. She also advised students to seek out  negotiation training in law school, as such skills would serve them well in legal practice.

It would seem that even as legal work is augmented by hard tech, success in the profession still requires soft human skills. Negotiation, advocacy, interpersonal communication, emotional intelligence and the art of persuasion remain things AI systems cannot provide.

Photography: Vincent Nghai