http://www.asiaone.com/News/The+New+Paper/Story/A1Story20081231-111538.html
HE EARNED $500,000 a year, which means he was among the highest paid professionals in Singapore.
Yet he could have felt like a failure, going by a psychiatrist report on lawyer Choy Chee Yean.
And that low-self esteem may have played a part in him committing burglary overseas.
The psychiatric report came to light last week during court proceedings in chambers at the High Court.
These related to an application by his former employers, Rajah and Tann, to keep him employed, though not as a lawyer.
On 18 Jan, Choy, 41, was arrested in Hong Kong for burglary in a hotel room when he was there on a business trip.
The news shocked the local legal fraternity, as Choy was known as a high-flying arbitration lawyer and a partner at Rajah and Tann, earning half a million a year.
Suspended sentence
In April, the father of two girls, aged 8 and 10, was given a suspended 12-month jail term in Hong Kong.
He was found guilty of stealing HK$9,500 ($1,650) worth of electronic items from an unlocked hotel room.
The stolen items included a handphone, a personal digital assistant and a Bluetooth earpiece.
Many who learnt of the case wondered why Choy, whose annual pay worked out to an average of $42,000 a month, would want to steal items he could easily afford.
But beneath the image of a high-flyer, the court learnt, was a man who was in turmoil.
His psychiatrist, Dr Ko Soo Meng, senior consultant psychiatrist at Mount Alvernia Medical Centre, noted that a medical examination of him on 2 May found he suffered from abnormally low self-esteem, which led to depression.
He wrote in his report: 'A low self-esteem is especially prevalent among professionals who usually have very high expectations of themselves (and others) and who do not easily forgive themselves for being 'failures'.'
Mistaken perception
Dr Ko noted that depressed people tend to have such a mistaken perception of themselves.
'It is for this reason that unemployment frequently causes depression.
'This is especially so for highly motivated and skilled persons who suddenly find themselves prevented from working.'
In a letter to The Law Society on 24 Apr to explain his legal troubles, Choy said: 'My depression was triggered largely by the amount of stress I had to undergo in the last few years.
'Coupled with the characteristics of my personality, the stress made me particularly vulnerable to coming down with depression.'
Since that unfortunate episode, however, Choy has turned his life around.
In his report, Dr Ko noted Choy had repeatedly told him that his wife had been a tremendous source of support for him during this difficult period.
Stronger marriage
Choy had said their marriage was stronger after the crisis and he was now able to communicate better with her.
His colleagues and church friends had also offered their support.
Dr Ko said Choy had responded well to psychiatric treatment and working again would only be good for him.
Rajah and Tann's executive committee partner, Mr Patrick Ang, wrote to the court that the firm intended to help him recover fully.
He added: 'We strongly believe that providing Mr Choy with a familiar and friendly environment in which he can work at his own pace, while employing his legal knowledge, and gainfully utilising his skills, will go a long way towards helping him regain his self-confidence in the fullness of time.'
TIMELINE
18 JAN 2008: Choy arrested in Hong Kong
21 APR: Convicted of burglary there
9 MAY: Rajah and Tann writes to Law Society about intention to re-hire Choy
2 OCT: Law Society says no issue with hiring Choy
31 OCT: Attorney-General's Chambers disagrees with Law Society
20 NOV: Rajah and Tann files application with High Court
24 DEC: High Court approves application
Firm needed High Court's permission
GETTING Choy back to work was no easy feat, his employers, Rajah and Tann, discovered.
That's because no law firm can hire a convict without the permission of the High Court.
The law firm was getting conflicting views about helping its former employee.
Since the incident, Choy had not renewed his licence to practice law and had resigned from the firm to concentrate on his recovery.
But Rajah and Tann did not give up on him. It wanted to re-hire him in a non-practising capacity as a legal executive.
On 9 May and 14 Aug, the firm wrote to The Law Society saying it wanted to re-hire Choy in a non-practising capacity, arguing that a conviction in a foreign court should not apply here.
He was to handle the firm's website and help in research.
On 2 Oct, The Law Society replied, agreeing with the firm's view that there was no need for the firm to get permission from the High Court to hire Choy.
Disagreement
But on 31 Oct, the Attorney-General's Chambers disagreed with The Law Society, saying a conviction abroad also applied here and asked the firm to get the High Court's permission before hiring Choy.
On 20 Nov, Rajah and Tann filed an application with the High Court to re-employ Choy.
According to court documents viewed by The New Paper, the firm's executive committee partner Patrick Ang wrote that psychiatric evidence had diagnosed Choy to have been suffering from a major depressive disorder and, specifically, a major depressive incident, at the time of the offence.
Mr Ang wrote that since Choy's return to Singapore on 23 Apr, Choy had taken leave of absence from work to recuperate and to undergo regular therapy sessions with his psychiatrist, Dr Ko.
New job
His new roles would include maintaining the firm's library and facilities, helping the firm's lawyers in research, and providing support to its lawyers in their training and seminar presentations.
Choy would be supervised by managing partner Senior Counsel (SC) Steven Chong, and SC Sundaresh Menon.
The firm said Choy would not be required to meet clients, handle client matters or any billable work.
He would also not be involved in handling any client or office accounts.
On Christmas Eve, Justice Woo Bih Li approved the firm's request to re-hire Choy.
Lianhe Zaobao reported that Choy will probably start work next month.
Mr Sundaresh told Zaobao: 'We're very happy to have obtained this order today which allows us to employ Mr Choy in the non-practising capacity.
'We've stood by him and wish him and his family the best as he resumes employment and starts a new chapter in his life.'
This article was first published in The New Paper on Dec 30, 2008.
HE EARNED $500,000 a year, which means he was among the highest paid professionals in Singapore.
Yet he could have felt like a failure, going by a psychiatrist report on lawyer Choy Chee Yean.
And that low-self esteem may have played a part in him committing burglary overseas.
The psychiatric report came to light last week during court proceedings in chambers at the High Court.
These related to an application by his former employers, Rajah and Tann, to keep him employed, though not as a lawyer.
On 18 Jan, Choy, 41, was arrested in Hong Kong for burglary in a hotel room when he was there on a business trip.
The news shocked the local legal fraternity, as Choy was known as a high-flying arbitration lawyer and a partner at Rajah and Tann, earning half a million a year.
Suspended sentence
In April, the father of two girls, aged 8 and 10, was given a suspended 12-month jail term in Hong Kong.
He was found guilty of stealing HK$9,500 ($1,650) worth of electronic items from an unlocked hotel room.
The stolen items included a handphone, a personal digital assistant and a Bluetooth earpiece.
Many who learnt of the case wondered why Choy, whose annual pay worked out to an average of $42,000 a month, would want to steal items he could easily afford.
But beneath the image of a high-flyer, the court learnt, was a man who was in turmoil.
His psychiatrist, Dr Ko Soo Meng, senior consultant psychiatrist at Mount Alvernia Medical Centre, noted that a medical examination of him on 2 May found he suffered from abnormally low self-esteem, which led to depression.
He wrote in his report: 'A low self-esteem is especially prevalent among professionals who usually have very high expectations of themselves (and others) and who do not easily forgive themselves for being 'failures'.'
Mistaken perception
Dr Ko noted that depressed people tend to have such a mistaken perception of themselves.
'It is for this reason that unemployment frequently causes depression.
'This is especially so for highly motivated and skilled persons who suddenly find themselves prevented from working.'
In a letter to The Law Society on 24 Apr to explain his legal troubles, Choy said: 'My depression was triggered largely by the amount of stress I had to undergo in the last few years.
'Coupled with the characteristics of my personality, the stress made me particularly vulnerable to coming down with depression.'
Since that unfortunate episode, however, Choy has turned his life around.
In his report, Dr Ko noted Choy had repeatedly told him that his wife had been a tremendous source of support for him during this difficult period.
Stronger marriage
Choy had said their marriage was stronger after the crisis and he was now able to communicate better with her.
His colleagues and church friends had also offered their support.
Dr Ko said Choy had responded well to psychiatric treatment and working again would only be good for him.
Rajah and Tann's executive committee partner, Mr Patrick Ang, wrote to the court that the firm intended to help him recover fully.
He added: 'We strongly believe that providing Mr Choy with a familiar and friendly environment in which he can work at his own pace, while employing his legal knowledge, and gainfully utilising his skills, will go a long way towards helping him regain his self-confidence in the fullness of time.'
TIMELINE
18 JAN 2008: Choy arrested in Hong Kong
21 APR: Convicted of burglary there
9 MAY: Rajah and Tann writes to Law Society about intention to re-hire Choy
2 OCT: Law Society says no issue with hiring Choy
31 OCT: Attorney-General's Chambers disagrees with Law Society
20 NOV: Rajah and Tann files application with High Court
24 DEC: High Court approves application
Firm needed High Court's permission
GETTING Choy back to work was no easy feat, his employers, Rajah and Tann, discovered.
That's because no law firm can hire a convict without the permission of the High Court.
The law firm was getting conflicting views about helping its former employee.
Since the incident, Choy had not renewed his licence to practice law and had resigned from the firm to concentrate on his recovery.
But Rajah and Tann did not give up on him. It wanted to re-hire him in a non-practising capacity as a legal executive.
On 9 May and 14 Aug, the firm wrote to The Law Society saying it wanted to re-hire Choy in a non-practising capacity, arguing that a conviction in a foreign court should not apply here.
He was to handle the firm's website and help in research.
On 2 Oct, The Law Society replied, agreeing with the firm's view that there was no need for the firm to get permission from the High Court to hire Choy.
Disagreement
But on 31 Oct, the Attorney-General's Chambers disagreed with The Law Society, saying a conviction abroad also applied here and asked the firm to get the High Court's permission before hiring Choy.
On 20 Nov, Rajah and Tann filed an application with the High Court to re-employ Choy.
According to court documents viewed by The New Paper, the firm's executive committee partner Patrick Ang wrote that psychiatric evidence had diagnosed Choy to have been suffering from a major depressive disorder and, specifically, a major depressive incident, at the time of the offence.
Mr Ang wrote that since Choy's return to Singapore on 23 Apr, Choy had taken leave of absence from work to recuperate and to undergo regular therapy sessions with his psychiatrist, Dr Ko.
New job
His new roles would include maintaining the firm's library and facilities, helping the firm's lawyers in research, and providing support to its lawyers in their training and seminar presentations.
Choy would be supervised by managing partner Senior Counsel (SC) Steven Chong, and SC Sundaresh Menon.
The firm said Choy would not be required to meet clients, handle client matters or any billable work.
He would also not be involved in handling any client or office accounts.
On Christmas Eve, Justice Woo Bih Li approved the firm's request to re-hire Choy.
Lianhe Zaobao reported that Choy will probably start work next month.
Mr Sundaresh told Zaobao: 'We're very happy to have obtained this order today which allows us to employ Mr Choy in the non-practising capacity.
'We've stood by him and wish him and his family the best as he resumes employment and starts a new chapter in his life.'
This article was first published in The New Paper on Dec 30, 2008.
