law is prestige driven. even many years into practice, you will be judged at face value based on whether you practice at a "top ranked" firm or not, or whether you come from a "top law school" or not. this is far from unique to singapore. in the UK, if you will be judged just as harshly if studied in a non-russell group/oxbridge law school; in the US, if you're not from the T14 law schools, big law firms will hardly take a second look at you.

truth is, academic ability is only really relevant in a select few areas of practice, eg commercial litigation, or some areas of transaction work, where intellectual brainpower gains you an edge over opponents/competitors.

at the partners' level, law is more of a business. that means being a good lawyer means knowing how to schmooze with clients, network, and sell yourself and your team. EQ is something that academic ability can't help bolster.