Does it look bad if I apply for chambering, but I have no prior internship experiences? I feel like now all the employers expect us to have some internship experiences by the time we finish CLP

How much BM is actually encountered during pupillage and what level of proficiency is expected? My BM is not very good and I am afraid this will make me a bad lawyer or pupil.

Hey guys i am in huge dilemma here. I just started my engineering degree not too long ago and unfortunately i starting to realize that i might be in the wrong major. The reason i took engineering in the first place is that i got all As for physics, maths and chemistry for my a level so i thought with my subjects combination engineering definitely would be the best major for me but seems like i made a huge mistake back then. The classes now are so dull and that's why i am thinking to switch to law but i am too afraid to make this change now as i have been a science student since form 4. I have wasted my few months to study something i dont like so to make sure i am not going to make the same mistake again i want to be 100% sure i wont be regretting again afterwards. The thing that makes me hesitated on switching to law is that i am afraid my English level is not up to par and studying law later will be struggle for me and maybe even it will have significant impact on my future career as a lawyer later on. I have done some researches about how being a lawyer is like and i found that lawyers actually have do a lot of drafting and sometimes going to courts is inevitable which i think with my English level it would be a major disadvantage to me. So what you guys think i should know before i make my decision on studying law. I just need some wise advises to make sure that i will not make the same mistake by choosing a wrong major. Any reply is highly appreciated.

Your english seems hood enough to me

Guys i'm just curious what am I actually learning in law classes? And are they boring or dull? I need to gain more informations about law so that i won't regret my decision on choosing law pathway. I'm form 5 science student and law may be one of the options for me in the future. Thank you

This post has been edited by MrCola: Oct 15 2015, 03:12 PM

Hi there, are you currently studying law. Any good advice? To be frank, my oral skills are bad or maybe just not good enough to be a lawyer because all of my family members speak mandarin most of the time so there is barely any chance for me to practice my English speaking skill. Lawyers need extroadinary good English, dont they? Besides, my writing skill needs a lot of improvements as i cant really write a good eassy and lawyers need to write contracts which is gonna require a very good writing skill and thats the thing that sometimes makes me wonder is law really suitable for me.

True that, you must have sufficient proficiency over the language in order to comprehend case laws.

But may be you are over emphasising on the extraordinary english skills of a lawyer.

Practice is the way. Dont feel discouraged. Keep working hard and smart.

The moment you graduate, you have to get used to the phrase

"what? this is very simple? how can you not know?"

The answer to your question is yes. Employers expect students to have internship experiences working in a LAW FIRM.

The moment you graduate they expect you to know everything.

But being honest with your employer can help you in the long run. Just let them know that you have no prior experience, at least your employer will be lenient on you.

But you have to put in the effort and gain as much as exp as you can.

What are you learning?

You are worried what you will be learning about law in future? or

You are attending law classes, but unable to comprehend the lectures?

Sometimes I even feel embarrassed communicating with other people in English. Not to mention lawyers usually have to be good at debating as i cant even have a proper presentation in front of my classmates without feeling ashamed. So if i am certain i will be taking law i will definitely have to put double efforts compared to the others. Btw, are you practicing now? Mind sharing which route did u take to get your law degree? And how was life being a law student?

Lawyers are not always have to be good at debating.

Every time an argument or a point of law arises, you have to put forth your contention in the most concise and clearest oration possible.

That does not mean that you have to stand your ground and vehemently hold on to it.

You have to be diplomatic at the same time. and from what I see instead of focusing too much on communication skills, may be you can learn one or to two things about social skills, advocacy skills and other skills which can help you to progress in the legal vocation.

If you find that you lack speaking skills, make attempt to master it. join toastmasters club or join public speaking workshops. This would definitely improve your speech impairment and also boost your confidence to speak.

Grammar not so good : attend classes to improve your language.

There is nothing to be ashamed of. Everyone was a beginner once.

The legal titans have always preached that nothing comes short of labour. even natural talent has to make way for it.

therefore, work hard and work smart.

this

This post has been edited by MrCola: Oct 16 2015, 12:26 PM

well it depends on which area you plan to be practicing
i'm a 2nd yr student and from sarawak
courts in sabah n sarawak use english so it does mean one has to have a decent command of english
i've seen court documents from semenanjung and it gives me headache because my malay is really bad haha
however for writing contracts and such, yes you have to have decent command of english
i see that you can write in proper sentence structure and you're quite articulate
that's a good sign actually
legal language is an acquired skill and it's not that hard to learn, providing that you like and are willing to read lots and lots of books and cases

I don't think you should be that worried about future. Get through your spm first.

Should i choose MMU foundation or A-levels?

If your plan is to continue your law degree at MMU, you may choose MMU. If you're unsure and still hesitant, my personal opinion is to take A-levels which will keep your options opened.

Cheers.

Ok! thanks for replying i guess i'll go for the A-levels

I agree fully that having both BPTC and CLP qualifications is a terrible idea, wasting a year of your life and so much money.

Please be warned and do not expect the BPTC to open up opportunities in the UK for you. Most of the local UK law students barely dare to dream of becoming a barrister, for a good reason too. Only a handful of pupillage places are on offer each year, and it is rare for a foreigner to obtain pupillage. They expect you to commit your life to being a barrister, and unless you can show that, along with stellar academics and experience (5-6 mini pupillages, 1st class from top 5 unis),it is unlikely you get a pupillage. If you weren't even able to secure a BPTC place, honestly, and this is the harsh truth, it is unlikely you will ever get a place in a legal market as competitive as the UK's.

Outside the UK, several countries do recognise the BPTC (Sri Lanka, some Caribbean countries), but unelss you have the language skills and background, I do not see why you would want to practise in these countries. And that is even assuming they allow foreigners to be called to their bar.

If you are considering other professions (non-law) overseas, I do not see any reason a BPTC qualification will help you. It is too vocation specific. An undergraduate degree or masters would be much more helpful in that respect.

So in summary, do the BPTC only if you want to practise law in Malaysia. Don't expect that it will open opportunities overseas. That's a lot of money to gamble!

This post has been edited by believe92: Nov 23 2015, 07:49 PM

Hi guys, if i were to enrol into UoL law programme in this january intake may i know will i be taking the exam with those students from other intakes?(march, september etc.) Because from what i see there is only one examination every year for UoL law programme which i think is around may or june (correct if i am wrong). So if there is only one exam each year does that mean i will be wasting 8 months of time since students from september intake will have the exam together with students from january intake? And if i am gonna enrol on 2016 january may i know in which year and month i will be able to pass UoL law and CLP( assume that i pass every single exam) thank you.

If you enrol in Jan 2016, you will be sitting for exams in 2017.
You will be sitting for clp in 2020.