Karpal Singh & Co
Gobind Singh Deo & Co
Sivananthan
Shafee & Co
SHUKOR BALJIT & PARTNERS
Teh Poh Teik. & Co

these are the firms that i have had the privilege of seeing their distinguished members in action in court.

and i take pride in recommending them to my fellow peers.

Do take note that, some of these lawyers are authors who have co-authored practitioner's text such as Dr. Bashir Mallal's Mallal's Criminal Procedure, criminal law subject convener for CLP, lecturers both in private and at public institutions, and have also published their own textbooks on criminal procedure and practice.

And they are really good at what they do.

#Note: Don't insult your own intelligence and -ours too - by posting 'one liner' question and expect to be spoon fed .

Elaborate more. what are your future plans? Do intend to start your own practice? You are a law student/ intern/ chambee/ associate?

what would you like to specialise in (habeas corpus, nisi prius, PIL, HR, admin. law, police investigative powers) or intend a general practice? - because the expertise of the lawyers vary from one field to another. Some of the lawyers are really good cross-examiners and that makes them really good trial lawyers. While the rest, with their sharp wit makes them an excellent choice for appellate cases.

This post has been edited by qazhang: Mar 9 2016, 12:10 AM

Quick questions:
Are you working at the moment (at a law firm/legal internship)?
If you do? What sort of brief do they handle?

If you haven't,
Sign up for a short internship with big law firms (especially the ones with more than 3 dept. - dispute resolution, commercial and corporate, matrimonial&family and etc.).
Make a request to them that you would like to be placed on an interdepartmental rotation.

Advantages:
You get to experience corporate side of the law. Your internship is short, hence if you dont like it, you are not stuck in there indefinitely. If you happened to enjoy the work and made good impressions to the partners, prolly they might offer sponsorship for your CLP/ offer you a place at their firm.

If you are someone who is adventurous and you are already seeing yourself in court arguing before a judge and cross-examining witnesses and defending the accused.
Then criminal defense litigation is your field.

If you are just starting off, i would recommend you to join a senior lawyer's firm. Senior lawyer, as in literally someone who has been practicing law for a very long time. A very senior lawyer would have gained a lot experience, wisdom and a large network of clientele. Since he/she is far advanced in the profession, he would be happy to teach you anything about the trade. And they take their work very seriously and some might not tolerate petty (stupid) mistakes. They've got a reputation to maintain and expect you to be so too.

There is no hard and fast rule for your practice. If you decide to opt for one over the other, you can always switch the lane.

Important to remember:
When you start chambering, please bear in mind that you are not at your prospective firm to LEARN ONLY (nobody pays you to learn)! You are there to learn and to work for your prospective employer at the same time.

Sometimes, experiences can be intimidating, especially when you let your boss or supervisor know that you don't know how to make copies or do a search. Quite often, you are being told, "I thought you supposed to know all these."" You didn't learn in school?!?"

Fear not! Take all the criticisms in your stride and learn to become a better lawyer. It is the gain of knowledge and experience that counts!

Good luck!

If you just started working at a firm, learn how to operate a coffee-machine. Never leave the pot empty.

Copier / Fax Machine: This is not taught in law school.

Microsoft Word,
You must have basic knowledge of how to edit/formatting your document. 'Indent', 'Spacing', etc.

Power Point:

Your research skills using the law databases such as LexisNexis is important too.
(it helps you to save a lot of time if you know how to find what you need).

Critical Thinking: I don't know how one can develop this if you dont have fundamental grasp over the law.
You must know the law basics really well.

Articulating: Communication skills, when you are liaising with your client, making submissions in court (brevity is the key). http://www.npr.org/2012/07/14/156720829/wi...-way-with-words

Distilling: Your mastery over the English language must be good. (e.g Winston Churchill). Learn how to speed read.

Advocacy: If you are not born with it, fake it 'till you make it. (This is what produces the creme de le creme. )
The Art of Cross Examination by Francis Wellman, the Bible of a TRIAL LAWYER ( http://www.gutenberg.org/files/40781/40781-h/40781-h.htm )

These are all that I can think of ATM.

Bonus: https://ia800504.us.archive.org/27/items/se...fadvo00parr.pdf

7 Lamps of Advocacy by Abbott Parry

This post has been edited by qazhang: Mar 22 2016, 11:24 PM

BravoZeroTwo

If you happened have any queries, you can post it here, fellow forumers will help you out as much as they can.

CLP exams are good for life. You can do pupillage at any time you'd like. As long as you meet the statutory requirements, you're good to file your petition.

9 subjects. 5 papers. 1 sitting over the period of two weeks in July / August.

Pass all: can proceed to do pupillage
Failed 1: Allowed to resit in November for that paper only. (max 3 resit attempts)
Failed 2 or more: Resit all 5 papers in the following year again. (maximum 3 resit attempts)