Roger Chae was exposed to the business side of law from an early age, as his father asked him to look over contracts for the family business in Hawaii. “ ‘I’m sure you’ll figure it out. Just use common sense and keep learning’ was his instruction to me,” recalls Roger. “The compensation for the legal service was lunch and ice cream. I savor ice cream. Sometimes I would skip lunch and just eat ice cream; there were so many flavours!”
Looking back, Roger shares how his legal career was very much by design and, curiously, ice cream has played a notable part in his journey. “I’m grateful I grew up in Hawaii, but I felt isolated when the world was so vast with diverse histories and cultures — there were so many global flavours.” This quest led him to experience his university studies in the east coast in Massachusetts, his legal studies in the west coast in California, and advanced business studies in the Midwest in Indiana. “Each region in the United States was different in so many ways and I learned a lot — about people, cultures, and about myself.” A life changing event during law school expanded his quest to be immersed in Asia Pacific and explore Europe.