Q. Tell us a little more about yourself.
Ajay Thomas I am a graduate student at the Faculty of Law pursuing a Master’s Degree in Law with major electives in the areas of Shipping Law and international commercial arbitration. I was born in a land situated between the latitudes 14°53′54″ N and 15°40′00″ N and longitudes 73°40′33″ E and 74°20′13″ E, a land blessed with golden sand beaches, swaying palms, magnificent churches and friendly people… “the Pearl of the Orient”- Goa. I pursued a Bachelors programme in Commerce at the Goa University and followed it up with a LL.B.

My desire to delve deeper into the field of maritime trade and commerce led me to pursue a Post Graduate Diploma in Shipping Management pursuant to which I spent a very eventful few years as a greenhorn litigator at the Bombay High Court.

Q. I understand you worked as a lawyer in India. What made you decide to pursue a Master’s degree?
I was called to the Bombay bar in September 2002 and commenced legal practice at the Bombay High Court as an Assistant Advocate at Shah and Sanghavi. However, the lure of the seven seas and ships prompted me to join the Chambers of Mr. S. Venkiteswaran (Venki), Senior Counsel, High Court of Bombay and a noted authority on admiralty and maritime law in India.

Ever since graduating from law school, I’ve always wanted to pursue a Master’s degree in Law. However, I realised that a couple of years in the profession would make my graduate studies more meaningful and purposeful. Further, work experience helped me to clarify career objectives and gain invaluable hands-on experience in my area of interest.

Q. What do you think a graduate degree can do for your career?
A graduate programme in my opinion serves many purposes: it’s a great way to slow down the pace of life, to look at life from a different perspective; it provides a wonderful opportunity to recharge my batteries, and most importantly, it acts as a refresher course to update my knowledge and aids me in focussing on an area of specialisation.

A LL.M. from a foreign university is always appealing to potential employers as it adds a bit of exoticism to your C.V. which employers love. The fact that you have studied abroad is also quite helpful when it comes to dealing with foreign clients.

In my opinion, an LL.M is a great option to young lawyers in search for a break from the monotony of a very demanding profession. I think it’s a great option to prevent young lawyers from quitting the profession. It gives then some time to stop, ponder and take the right decision as to their future as lawyers. In the bargain, one gets to update one’s knowledge base, acquire new skills and get a hold on one’s life and career.

Q. Why did you decide to do your graduate degree in NUS?
An extremely distinguished faculty, an ambience replete with academic activity, an LL.M. programme which blends high quality, intensive course work with research, the numerous opportunities to interact with professionals from the legal profession and the commercial world, the hope that the extremely competitive environment at NUS would bring out the best in me, coupled with the fact that Singapore is rapidly emerging as a maritime arbitration hub are factors which have prompted me to choose NUS. I firmly believe the LL.M programme offered by NUS provides me with a perfect platform to update and hone my skills as a lawyer.

I have thoroughly enjoyed every bit of my time here in NUS and in Singapore. This has been in no small measure due to the efforts put in by a few of my Singaporean friends who have gone out of their way to take good care of me. The past few months I’ve spent in NUS have been absolutely wonderful and I won’t hesitate to state that they have been the “best days of my life”. Singapore is also a perfect base to explore the Southeast Asian region. Given the travel bug in me, I took the opportunity of the semester break to explore the region. I spent a wonderful two weeks in December back packing Malaysia, Thailand and Cambodia. It was an amazing journey of discovery. Although backpacking maybe punishing on the body, it is great for the soul and it is truly the only way to experience the culture and diversity of the region.

Q. What do you hope to do after you obtain your graduate degree?
I firmly believe the LL.M programme will offer me a perfect platform to launch myself on to the world legal scene, all cylinders firing. I expect to emerge out of my graduate programme a more confident lawyer, well equipped with the necessary skills and tools to take on the world. On the personal front, I hope to find the girl of my dreams, sweep her off her feet, get married and live happily ever after, just like in the fairy tales :)

Ajay is currently pursuing an LL.M at the Faculty of Law, National University of Singapore. Juris Illuminae Vol 3. Issue 4 (February 2007)