Mr Darren Tan with his proud parents - Mr Tan Chon Kiat and Madam Ong Ai Hock. The new lawyer changed the course of his life while he was behind bars.
BY CHANG AI-LIEN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT
Darren Tan, 35, is finally a full-fledged lawyer.
He reached that milestone yesterday when he was called to the Bar during a mass ceremony at Nanyang Technological University.
It was a far cry from his shaky start in life when drugs and gang activities led to over 10 years behind bars and 19 strokes of the cane.
"This is the culmination of what I've been working towards for the last 10 years," he told The Sunday Times. "It's like waking up from a dream and finding out your dream has become reality."
His life of crime began at the age of 14, and he was in and out of prison for offences that included robbery and drug trafficking.
It was only when he was 25 and behind bars for the third time that his transformation took place. He found God, and decided to make something of himself.
He resumed his studies with help from the prisons programme, re-learnt English, a language he had forgotten, and aced his A levels, scoring four As and a B, including an A1 for General Paper. He was still in prison when he applied for law school, and became the first student with a criminal past to be admitted to the National University of Singapore law school.
Now, he has a job waiting for him. He did so well during his six-month practice training at TSMP Law Corporation that the firm has given him a permanent position as a commercial litigation and dispute resolution lawyer.
The firm's joint managing director, Mr Thio Shen Yi, said that while he had initially decided to take a chance on Mr Tan, it had only been a six-month risk.
"He still had to earn his job. And he has," said Mr Thio. "He is sincere; he has street smarts, maturity and EQ. You can see his transformation through his actions, and this resonated with us because we're very much a firm that believes in giving back to the community.
"If I had ever thought there was any risk of the firm's reputation being besmirched, I would not have taken him on."
Said Mr Tan: "This is my first real job. I enjoy what I'm doing and the bonus is I get paid for it. I'm learning new things every day."
He spends long hours at work, but tries to leave early every Monday. He and former inmate Kim Whye Kee, an artist, have set up an outreach initiative, Beacon of Life, based in Taman Jurong, to help at-risk boys and youths. On Monday and Saturday nights, they play football.
Mr Tan dined with Britain's Prince Edward in a 16th-century castle earlier this year, when he was invited there to speak about the National Youth Achievement Award which he has received, and how its programmes could benefit others.
Mr Thio is hoping to rope in Mr Tan to work on the Yellow Ribbon Project to help former prisoners, a scheme which his firm supports.
"He will be able to give us direct insight into where the need is greatest," he said.
The Singapore Academy of Law, which has supported the Yellow Ribbon Fund since 2011, is in talks with Mr Tan to be part of its upcoming corporate social responsibility programme, which aims to get more in the legal fraternity to join forces to help former offenders.
An only child, Mr Tan has a girlfriend and lives with his parents in a four-room flat in Jurong West.
With a steady pay cheque, he can finally help with family expenses and has promised to take his parents and godfather on a cruise.
His father, Mr Tan Chon Kiat, 67, who does not work, and mother, Madam Ong Ai Hock, 62, a production operator, could not be prouder.
Said Madam Ong: "I didn't think he would have these opportunities but he has changed his own future. I used to be very worried for him, but now I'm very happy.
"It goes to show that if you work hard, the past is the past."
Looking forward, her son said: "I have a mantra of sorts - 'Be good in what I do and do good with what I do'. I used to take drugs because there was a void in my heart and my life. Now, I have something to get hooked on apart from drugs. My life is a good enough substitute."
ailien@sph.com.sg
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