If you mean "foreign lawyers" from Malaysia, they are not true lawyers. Large local firms pay about SGD5k for newly qualified lawyers.

I think QMUL is overrated (due to the London factor) while Notts is underrated. On the whole, I would rate them as being equal.

They are not qualified in Singapore. They cannot appear in court. To say it more bluntly, they are glorified paralegals. They are paid less and have no long term prospect compared to qualified lawyers.

After completing your llb at Cardiff, you probably want to spend time elsewhere, eg London.

The BTPC has become a lucrative business. 9.5 out of 10 of the applicants will get admitted. I don't think they are looking for anything great.

PS: Don't call me Sir

Well I have seen many mediocre students getting onto the BTPC. It is not as competitive as it might seem.

We don't really compete with the world. Not many countries outside Malaysia recognise the BTPC (eg HK and Singapore do not). Most Malaysians do it only to skip the CLP. The English applicants, on the other hand, are those who are serious about entering the bar. But because the bar is insanely competitive, the number is not that high (most prefer to do the LPC and take up a training contract instead). Try visiting Lincoln's Inn and you will notice half the hall filled with Malaysians.

Only about one third of the BPTC graduates will secure a pupillage and even less will obtain a tenancy. But that is attributed to the competitiveness of the bar and nothing to do with the BTPC. Tightening the BTPC intake will have no impact on the number of people securing pupilage and tenancy. The stance has always been to let the market take care of itself.

I don't think the aptitude test will make a huge difference. 9.5 out of 10 may be an exaggeration. But from my observations (I happen to be in a good position to make such observation), most people (even mediocre ones) get in.

PS: The aptitude test will only kick in for the next round of applications. We'll have to wait and see.

This post has been edited by academiclawyer: Apr 13 2013, 01:37 AM

It is probably similarly stressful in Malaysia, at least in some firms.

As for living cost, $1 has better buying power in Singapore than RM1 in Malaysia. In any case, you will live much more comfortably with $5k in Singapore than RM3k in Malaysia.

It's 10x more expensive than CLP. Its prestige is overrated. It has 0 employment prospect at the UK bar (for Malaysians). Try searching the websites of the top chambers in London. It's difficult to find Asians, let alone a Malaysian (I personally know only one Malaysian barrister).

As I said earlier, the market takes care of itself. A degree qualifies you for a job, but it doesn't guarantee you a job.

In the case of the UK bar, they take in very few and only the best. Even the top chambers take in only 2 or 3 people per year. Roughly half have degree(s) from Oxbridge (http://pupillageandhowtogetit.wordpress.com/2008/11/04/oxbridge/). And unless you have a first class, don't apply. Check out the websites of the top chambers in London. Click on the profiles of the more recent hires (2008 - 2013) (download their CV). Ask yourself, do you even personally know anyone with that kind of qualification and experience? Can partners in large Malaysian law firms even compete with them? Why should the chambers hire you over these people?

http://www.essexcourt.net/members/
http://www.oeclaw.co.uk/barristers
http://www.blackstonechambers.com/people/barristers/

The solicitor firms are less difficult to penetrate, but still difficult as hell for Malaysians, especially those who did not complete three years of their degree duration in the UK. If you pay to do the LPC on your own, and fail to get a training contract with a firm (which is 2 years, and very difficult to get), you are left with nothing. The LPC, unlike the BTPC, does not by itself qualify you for legal practice in Malaysia.

Hong Kong, Singapore and Australia, which are the other good places to practice law, do not recognise the BTPC.

These are information that Malaysian students need to know. It's not to pour cold water. But it's a reminder that we need to be realistic.

PS: Here's a good blog on the UK Bar. http://pupillageandhowtogetit.wordpress.com/

This post has been edited by academiclawyer: Apr 15 2013, 12:57 PM

Yup, unlike the solicitor's path, you do not get admitted to the rolls of solicitors until you finish your LPC and two years of training contract. Strangely, completing the BTPC alone entitles one to be called a barrister. But most of these "barristers" fail to get tenancies at chambers.

Despite what I have said about the BTPC, if you can somehow raise the money (eg strike lottery), do it. I didn't do it only because I thought that the money is better spent on my master (in my case).

The CLP is the no.1 dumbass exam in the world. It's 70% memory and 30% luck. If you fail it, it doesn't mean you are stupid, and vice versa. It's difficult not because it is intellectually challenging but because they make it unnecessarily difficult for no reason, eg not allowing you to bring in certain essential statute books and setting questions that are out of syllabus. The nightmare is that if you fail 2 out of 5 papers, you will have to repeat the nightmare again. And I don't have a good impression of the institutions that provide courses for the CLP.

PS: The moment I finished my last CLP paper, I threw all the books away.

Plenty. But for those with degrees not recognised by the SG government (especially Msian degrees and twinning degrees), almost none.

Any area that makes money If you decide to go to QMUL, then IP is a good area. But you don't really specialise in your undergrad.

You can do your postgrad anywhere, even at the North Pole

You may sit for the state bar exam. But you are unlikely to find employment. Unlike the BTPC, US state bar exams are not recognised in Msia. You spent 2 extra years in the US, and still need to sit for the CLP. To answer your question, it is the worst option.

This post has been edited by academiclawyer: Apr 15 2013, 09:24 PM

But everyone seem to do IP nowadays. I would regard something like maritime law to be quite sexy.

No hard facts. Just browse the websites of law firms. Go pick any 10 US law firms and try looking for a Msian.

Intention, yes. Realistically, no.

Msia has the most uncompetitive legal market. Everyone will find a job, even with a third class degree. The misconception is that everywhere else is like Msia.

Surely you must take my statement as reflecting the general position. There are exceptions to everything. Finding a couple of exceptions does not refute the general position.

PS: "Unlikely to find employment" does not mean an absolute no.

This post has been edited by academiclawyer: Apr 15 2013, 10:58 PM

If you take the traditional route - get a first degree and take the JD as your 2nd degree - then your chances are much higher. There's not much reason why they want to hire someone with a foreign law degree, especially from Msia.

I think they only recognise UM degrees awarded before 1993. So for our purpose both are not recognised.

Mind to tell us your undergrad and postgrad (if any) qualifications? From this we can more or less tell whether you should risk taking the state bar exam.