She loves being an intellectual property lawyer and has done so for over two decades. She loved it so much she established her own practice and became her own boss.

Titled “A Day In The Life Of A Woman,” this series celebrates the women in our lives. From the everyday to inspirational, the series aims to highlight women from various fields and share a bit of the diversity we experience every day.

Here’s Francine Tan, IP Lawyer in Singapore, dog lover and amateur art collector.

Remember the first two lines of the oldie by Shirley Bassey from the famed 1970 romantic movie Love Story? “Where do I begin? To tell the story of how great a love can be….”

Well, my love affair with Intellectual Property law started in 4^th year law school at NUS. I have my brother to thank. I remember distinctly when I was a freshman and he, a final-year student, said to me, “hey Ling, when you reach your final year, apply for IP law as one of the optional subjects. I love it so much and you will too!”

And guess what, we both ended up as IP lawyers. He’s based in Hong Kong but I stayed put in Singapore.

Fastforward

From 1993 (when I started specialising in IP law) to more recent history – January 2010. That was the start of a new chapter for me, which brought a new set of challenges.

I never had dreams of hanging out my shingle, of being my own boss. I had always seen myself as a follower, not a leader. I was doing what I loved, the practice of IP law. But there was a monotony and dullness in the comfortable work environment. I knew I needed a change. Felt it in my belly. I just didn’t know where to or what to. I just knew I still wanted to be connected to IP law.

A few months of soul-searching and prayer led me to bungie-jump off all that gave me security and a sense of the familiar. It was a dear friend who believed in and saw the potential in me.

I will never forget these words he shared with me whilst chatting over a gin and tonic at a hotel bar in Berlin during a trademark conference: “If you build it, they will come”. Those were powerful and empowering words. They were quoted from a movie, but they spoke to my heart in a profound way.

So I did what I did and am where I am today. I surprised the nearest and closest of friends and family and did what many never expected me to do!

It’s been an amazing journey of stepping out, grappling with the learning curve, being gutsy, and not to give up even in the face of the competition and the odds. I had to learn to be strong through the initial sense of isolation and starting from ground zero, trusting that the seeds sown in faith and patience would bear fruit in due course.

Here is a look at a chill day for me:

8 AM: Breakfast of juice, cappuccino, yoghurt, fresh fruit, and a slice of toast. A good read with my copy of the Straits Times. I still love turning over the pages of the papers over breakfast, with my dog seated next to me, waiting patiently for scraps.

9 AM: Once a week – time out at the Botanic Gardens for lessons with my Tai chi master, Paul Tan. A wonderful time to meditate and “smell the flowers” in a beautiful environment.

10 AM: Checking emails on the move going to work and giving instructions to my team.

11 AM: Dealing with emails and reviewing my task list from the previous day, updating it and adding more tasks. I love each time I get to scratch out another from the list.

12 PM: Time for my lunch order from my assistant, Pallavi. She’s really sweet and brings back for me what I have a craving for that day. With the wide array of food options around Chinatown Point, I’m spoilt for choice. Today I work through lunch.

1 PM: Work, calls and emails. Reviewing evidence filed by opposing counsel in a trademark dispute.

2 PM: Discussion with team members.

3 PM: Reviewing the domain name case file and working on a decision on the case I’m arbitrating.

4 PM: Work and emails. And other items: dealing with committee work matters, office management matters, planning for events, preparing Powerpoint presentations for seminars or clients, planning for business trips, dealing with service providers.

5 PM: Working on urgent matters before the day ends.

6 PM: Tying up matters in the office; commute home.

7 PM: Dinner at home or with friends. Or trying a new dish from Yotam Ottolenghi’s recipe books (I’m a huge fan of this genius).

8 PM: Perhaps still in the kitchen working the dish. Or listening to music over Spotify.

9 PM: Chill time with my dog, Milo, and my better half. Netflix (whilst taking sneak peaks at my emails on my iPhone).

10 PM: Having a nice glass of wine or whisky to wrap the day.

11 PM: Social media and WhatsApp messaging time with friends, son and/or my siblings. Catching some zzz’s.

Behind The Scenes With Francine

I enjoy going to art museums and art events, as I’m an amateur art collector. I particularly like the works of Chinese artists.

Other loves in my life: dogs and cats (in that order), languages (I’ve learnt French, German, Thai and Japanese, to varying levels of proficiency), attending plays and musicals (my favourite musicals in 2017 were Wild Rice’s La Cage Aux Folles and Mama White Snake), and travel!