Guys, how long does it take to finish part time law degree? I have degree in Engineering and would now like to take law degree. Anyone has this kind of experience? thanks

3 year, if you don't fail anything.

Not sure if it has been answered. Btw, an internship experience is definitely a plus point to consider. However, it is quite common now for graduates who are applying for chambering without any prior experience in law-related field. You certainly don't have to feel bad at all, just try to learn and be humble throughout your chambering period that is what it needs. I'd always say, if you're a keen and fast learner, you are ultimately better than those who has experience. I have only worked in a conveyancing firm for 3 months, but my knowledge in conveyancing is deeper than a 2 years experienced lawyer in my previous firm.

the 'three years' golden rule

Which law firm mentors well for chambering students who are interested in arbitration?

Guide to surviving in law firms.

Rule #1: There is not such thing as spoonfeeding.

Now, if you can elaborate more on your degree, locality, class of honours, etc. can provide some guidance to narrow down possible choices.

Unless

Hmm I was in the process of research while posting, definitely do not consider this asking to be spoonfed. Anyways for arbitration, here goes (would love hear your opinion of these lawyers/firms) -

Cecil Abraham, top-ranked arbitrator in Asia Pacific by Chambers & Partners. Opened his own firm recently, not sure how much arbitration work they are doing though (as opposed to courtroom litigation).

Vinayak P Pradhan, Skrine. Another top-ranked arbitrator, however I am not sure how good Skrine is at arbitration overall.

Thomas Phillip - Top litigation firm, I know they do some arbitration but I do not know how good they are at that. May I suppose being a top litigation firm usually translates to having a good arbitration practice?



As for my degree, I studied in UK (mid tier Russell Group Uni), managed to scrape first class honours. Did the usual extra-curriculars like mooting, legal clinic, 3 internships etc. Did not get a 'prestigious' BPTC, I did the CLP to save cost instead.

(Hmm with a Cantab law degree you will be working in one of the big international firms overseas LOL, doubt you would want to waste your money on BPTC and come back. But assuming you have Cantab/Inner temple qualifications, and you die die must work in Malaysia, which are these exclusive firms that you seem to imply are better than Zico?)

This post has been edited by believe92: Jan 26 2016, 06:31 AM

Tan Sri Cecil Abraham is a very busy man. If you are looking forward to a mentor-mentee learning style, it is going to be very difficult.
High profiled lawyer and his clientele consists of high profile businessman, corporation and etc. He regularly represents them in ADR. I'm not sure of his status in court litigation. His son is also a lawyer.

Vinayak. I personally have no knowledge therefore I shall refrain from providing my input on this. However, Skrine is one of the three Ss namely (Shearn Delamore, Skrine and Shok Lin Bok. Impressive clientele ranging from GLC to private business titans. Competitive remuneration and attractive salary package. The problem with big firms is that the partner will have 3 senior LAs, 5 junior LAs, paralegals working for him, you should be expecting to spend more time with his staff than with him. You have to climb the hierarchy over the years, to work directly for him. Advantages: Instead of being placed under one specifc department, you can request to be put in rotation within other departments such as, litigation, conveyance, corporate and etc. You will have a wholistic view and practice of how things move around in the firm. You will have to wait for a long time until they know that you exist in the firm.

Thomas Philip - Student friendly. He annually hosts ALSA internships for law students. Received good reviews. Medium tier firm. Its possible for you to learn directly from Mr. Philip.

Other lawyers that you can consider,

GK Ganesan. Student friendly. He was one of the judges for LAWASIA Moot Competition (I my my memory serves me correctly, the moot problem was about arbitration). Knowledgeable man.

Robert Lazar.

Firm: Chooi & Co. Very competitive. If you are looking forward to learn from as many people as you can, this is the firm. Their partners are actively involved in Bar Council and Malaysian Bar. Current Managing Partner is the former Bar president.

Ram Rais & Partners. Small firm. Syah can really be a good mentor.


Actually, I cannot decide for you. At the end of the day, it all boils down to your personal preference and expectations.

This post has been edited by qazhang: Jan 26 2016, 05:32 PM

This is great! Thanks!

What do you think of Lee Hishamuddin? (and why does their name include Allen & Gledhill, they aren't affiliated anymore lol)

Cheah Teh Su, Gananathan Low, Raja Daryll Loh.

This post has been edited by red123: Feb 1 2016, 06:44 PM

Will look into them. Thanks!

what are some criminal law firms in KL?

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

First of all thank you for your helpful insight and I apologize for the sloppiness of my question.

I am one test away from chambering but still have no idea which area interests me the most. What I have in mind is to get a taste of every area during my pupillage so that I can find out what interests me and would like to join a firm that provide services on criminal & civil matters so that I could get more exposure.

Once again thanks for taking your time to reply me.

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!

I would like to ask some questions about skills a lawyer should possess.

What are the 'basic skills' (in general) employers expect their law employees to have? For example, besides basic knowledge in Microsoft Doc and Power Point, what are the other ICT or computer skills we need to possess?

Besides critical thinking skills, self-research, ability to articulate our ideas clearly(oral and written) and distilling the key points, what are the key skills or values we need to have as lawyers? I understand different fields in law might require different skills. It would be good if you guys could give some insights on this too. Thanks! Hope to hear from you soon.

This post has been edited by wordsmart: Mar 21 2016, 10:15 PM

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.

Hi I am currently a post-SPM 2015 student, still working part-time maybe starting a-levels in July.

I have been interested in studying law for quite some while and was looking forward to get some first-hand experience by getting a part-time job at a law firm, too bad most of the law firms either offer internships/chambering/pupillage (means only for law students), or they require at least certificate of pre-u (A-Levels).

Even though I have my mind set in law, there is still a part of me that wants to be entirely sure that this is the path I want to take, hence I am always on the lookout for part-time jobs/attachments in law firms. Though my teacher and parents advised against doing so (cause they think I should focus on my pre-u first), I would like to know when is the best time, or when do people usually start having attachments at law firm? During or after my A-levels? Or do people only do that when they're in law school?

I have read somewhere in a forum that getting attached to law firms will not only provide you insights but may look good on your CV/resume in the future when you're applying for universities..though others beg to differ saying that it makes no difference..

Any help/advice will be highly appreciated! Thanks in advance!

HYE GUYS, im 18years old and interested to be a lawyer..Still waiting for upu. Just want to ask you guys, what do you guys think about law prospect in future? Is it dark or bright? LOL