She was educated at Raffles Institution in Singapore, and read law at the National University of Singapore. She was admitted to the Singapore Bar in 1987 and began practice with Freshfields as a legal associate. In 1988, she joined the Litigation Department of Drew & Napier. She was appointed Senior Counsel in 2003 and was the Deputy Head of Drew & Napier’s Dispute Resolution Department until October 2012, when she left to join the government. Her practice as a dispute resolution lawyer included cross-border commercial disputes and international arbitration.