Deborah Lim wasn’t interested in becoming a lawyer.
In fact, she applied to law school on a whim, after wandering into an open house for international law schools one day.
Lim ultimately chose to join the inaugural cohort of TMU’s Lincoln Alexander School of Law. “The advertising [for the school] really spoke to me. It was about things that resonated with me such as entrepreneurship, representation, technology,” says Lim.
Why law?
At the time, she had been working in the arts in Toronto for almost a decade, and knew law school would help her to better understand the contracts that she was dealing with as the general manager of a theatre company. She also wanted to help freelance artists in the community do the same.
“Law is the bedrock of our society,” says Lim. “To be able to understand the legal system and what policy changes mean and how it impacts your life is going to add value to your life and the people around you.”
Lim started at TMU in September 2020 and, despite classes taking place online because of the pandemic, she found an engaged community of students, instructors, professors and administrators.
“It was very exciting because I think everyone felt like there was endless possibility,” says Lim. “You could really chase after the things that excited and interested you.” Lim co-founded the Asia Pacific Law Students’ Association and headed the end-of-year law school production.
In class, Lim delved into intellectual property and entertainment. “Those were my interests to begin with, and after taking those courses [they] just continued to resonate with me,” says Lim.
After graduating in 2023, she moved back home to Singapore. There, she serendipitously found a role that connects her experience in the arts with her law credentials at Warner Bros. Discovery.
“When I read their job posting for legal counsel, I felt like they’d written it for me,” says Lim, who now works on contracts for the company’s business units in the Asia–Pacific region.
“It’s been a strange but easy progression from my various career experiences and interests, all lining up to get me here.”
Related stories
