When offered the role of office managing partner for law firm DLA Piper Hong Kong, Susheela Rivers readily accepted, but with one precondition.

Keen to maintain close contact with clients, she continues to have day-to-day involvement in deals and transactions as head of the firm’s Asia-Pacific real estate practice. She has refined the knack of fitting new commitments and responsibilities into an already hectic schedule.

“I always really enjoyed the people element and the deal making that drives business growth for an international law firm,” she says. “But now, there is also an opportunity to look at the strategies and direction needed to take an emerging Asian client base worldwide and to empower partners and associates so that can happen.”

A key aspect to all this, she believes, is to set clear standards and parameters. Those include being agile as an organisation, having a diverse mix of staff and, when necessary, encouraging individuals to take control of their own careers.

“These are exciting times as we build a more international platform,” she says. “To bring people along with me, my leadership style is participatory, but I’m also very focused because time is a luxury. That’s a lesson I learned as a student, and still today I’m best under some pressure.”

As the youngest of four siblings, Rivers grew up in the small fishing village of Mersing on the east coast of peninsular Malaysia. Her father, a doctor who met her mother while studying in Hong Kong, worked there as a general practitioner, and the surroundings made for an idyllic early childhood, close to the beach and free to roam with friends, but aware too of family expectations about making the most of one’s talents and opportunities.

“My parents were loving and sacrificial, and they wanted a better future for us,” she says. “My father was an important man in the community, helping accident victims and saving lives. Seeing that as a child gives you a sense of how privileged you are. And if you’re then fortunate enough to have an education, you have a responsibility to do your best and give something back.”

In that respect, her first step was a move to Johor Bahru to attend a mainstream convent school and, at the age of 10, admission to the prestigious Raffles Girls’ School in Singapore. That meant a regular 5am start to catch the bus across the causeway, but Rivers took it all stoically, soon falling into the routine and coming to enjoy the comradeship and solidarity among schoolmates sharing the trip.

Opting for all science A-levels, her initial plan was to study medicine, but two factors prompted a change. Firstly, the path to law looked a bit shorter; secondly, an elder brother had already got into medical school thereby taking that “role”.

“Also, I was good at English and debating and, in the end, I liked what law offered: the ability to verbalise thoughts and convey a message accurately. Then, based on my own thinking, I did a university application paper on Sharia law in Malaysia at the time and realised I could persuade people with my writing and reasoning.”

Accepted to study law at Queen Mary College in London, she moved to England in 1987, little suspecting she’d be there for the next 20 years or more. Perhaps inevitably, the first few months were a something of a shock to the system, coming from a relatively less liberal environment.

“I had ‘Asian eyes’ going overseas and realised there was a lot to learn,” Rivers says. “But I came to like the freedom and bravado and was excited to be in a centre of excellence where the teachers had written some of the textbooks. I also liked the discipline and thought process of studying law, particularly jurisprudence. There is the element of intellectualism in seeing that everything has two sides to it and having to see the different shades.”

After a year at Chancery Lane, and two more as an articled clerk in Lincoln’s Inn, Rivers joined Clifford Chance and chose to specialise in real estate investment and securitisation, acting over the next 15 years for many of Britain’s leading property developers and investors. The appeal of the sector lay in its transactional nature as much as the individuals involved.

“The people I dealt with were quite maverick and very commercial – I liked the personalities, doing deals up front, feeling you are on the client’s team, and getting into the documentation at the right time,” she says. “Also, real estate is a very tangible thing.”

In parallel, she had married and had four children, benefiting from far-sighted employer policies which allowed mothers to have flexible hours and take on a reduced workload when essential. So, when an offer came in 2008 to join DLA Piper in Hong Kong, there was much to consider, but fortunately everything fell into place.

“In terms of work, the initial challenge is to adapt what you know to an Asian client base,” she says. “They have preferences when doing deals, so as a ‘value-add’ lawyer, you have to provide something extra. In general, in this part of the world, law firms need to innovate, be more business-like, and take a lead in answering questions and navigating through the legal framework.”

Having to keep numerous balls in the air, Rivers has necessarily become quite an expert at delegation, prioritising and finding workable compromises. For her, the secret is to manage expectations and not worry about having a lot to do.

“Happiness is a choice, so embrace the career you have chosen and find ways to manage the demands of our work and personal lives,” she says. “Also, have a sense of purpose, be calm and know your limits, and if something doesn’t go right, be forgiving of yourself.”