The Law Society of British Columbia’s President, Gordon Turriff, QC, shared his thoughts on self-governance of the legal profession as a necessary condition of lawyer independence in many forums and venues during the 125th anniversary year of the Law Society of British Columbia. The address reproduced here, entitled “Self-Governance as a Necessary Condition of Constitutionally Mandated Lawyer Independence in British Columbia” , was presented at the Conference of Regulatory Officers in Perth, Australia.
Introduction
My wife and I have three children. In May this year, our younger daughter was a volunteer in Uganda. When she returned home, she brought with her an English language Ugandan newspaper. There, under the road traffic news, was an advertisement placed by an organisation called the African Centre for Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture Victims. It read: “Are you a victim of torture by security agents or rebels?” What an astonishing thing to see in 2009 in a newspaper from any country. And particularly a country which is another former British colony. But there it was. As if it were the most ordinary thing in the world.
Malaysian Bar Council reiterates call for a Royal Commission of Enquiry to investigate Teoh Beng Hock’s death, saying that the suppression of evidence is against the fundamental tenet of the criminal justice system
PETALING JAYA: Lawyer Gobind Singh Deo said he is considering getting a handwriting expert to analyse the writing in a purported suicide note written by Teoh Beng Hock.
He said the option was one of the various possibilities being studied, following the Attorney-General's chamber implying in a statement Monday that the "suicide note," which was first found inside Teoh's sling bag more than two months after his death in July last year, was only recently considered as possible evidence.
GEORGE TOWN (Aug 10, 2010): Court processes in child and sexual abuse cases should be sped up to render justice for victims and create a stronger deterrent in society.
In making the call, the Children’s Protection Society said support for child victims and their caregivers also needed to be strengthened, while legal procedures that are flexible and sensitive enough to meet the child’s needs should be implemented early.
Its president Datuk Seri Nazir Ariff said problems with the legal process included lengthy court proceedings, resulting in children and families having to live with their trauma for extended periods.
PUTRAJAYA: Case disposal methods introduced by the Malaysian judiciary early last year are found to be extremely effective that many countries are keen to study it, said Chief Justice Tun Zaki Tun Azmi.
Among them were avoiding frivolous litigation, fully utilising court working hours, applying judiciously the practice of adjournments, ending court boycotts and adopting alternative dispute redress mechanisms, he said.
He added that the use of technology in the court system had also ensured speedy delivery of justice.
Press Release: Malaysian Bar calls for Royal Commission of Enquiry
Posted by Web Administrator
Tuesday, 10 August 2010 03:04pm
The Malaysian Bar is disappointed that the Attorney-General’s Chambers has withheld a crucial document from the Coroner’s Court in the Teoh Beng Hock inquest. The suppression of evidence, particularly in such a high profile matter, is disturbing, regardless of the reason. This action is indicative of a serious lapse of judgment and undermines the proceedings of the inquest.
It is a fundamental tenet of the criminal justice system that all evidence must be disclosed, and made accessible to all parties, including evidence that is detrimental to the prosecution’s case. Prior to the commencement of the inquest, the prosecution ought to have furnished to the defence and the Court all documents that are relevant and necessary for the Coroner to determine the cause of death based on all facts and evidence before the Court. The principle of disclosure is aimed at ensuring that justice is served in all cases.
Kementerian atur perbincangan minta pandangan pelbagai pihak
GEORGETOWN: Kementerian Pengajian Tinggi akan mempertimbang untuk membenarkan mahasiswa di institut pengajian tinggi awam (IPTA) membabitkan diri dalam parti politik.
Sehubungan itu, Timbalan Menterinya, Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah, berkata pihaknya akan menyertai perbincangan meja bulat anjuran Majlis Belia Malaysia (MBM) yang turut dihadiri pertubuhan bukan kerajaan (NGO) dan pemimpin mahasiswa berhubung perkara itu, hari ini.
Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Liew Vui Keong has said that making our laws more business-friendly is the primary focus of the Malaysia Law Reform Committee (MLRC), which he heads.
Chrisanne Chin, Chair, Youth Department, Council of Churches of Malaysia; Andrew Khoo; Datuk Liew Vui Keong; Revd. Dr. Hermen Shastri, General Secretary, Council of Churches of Malaysia
He said this during a talk on the MLRC at the inaugural session of The Daniel Lectures organised by the Youth Department of the Council of Churches of Malaysia, on Aug 5 in Petaling Jaya.
Just as Pemudah has made streamlined some aspects of law and administration and made these more efficient, the MLRC hopes to review approximately 703 laws.
KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Sikhism and Taoism wants the authorities to come up with fairer regulations with regard to the family members of Muslim converts.
In a statement yesterday, its president, Reverend Dr Thomas Philips, said the move by the government to review regulations on the registration of Muslim converts would make no difference to the convert's family members.
"The fact remains that if the family members of the convert were given no reason whatsoever to suspect that the person had changed religion, why would they check that person's religious status.
KUALA LUMPUR: Eight Judicial Commissioners will receive their letters of appointment as High Court judges from the di- Pertuan Agong today.
They are JCs Datuk Abdul Rahman Sebli from Kota Kinabalu, Datuk Zaleha Yusof (Shah Alam), Datuk Halijah Abbas (Malacca), Datuk Mary Lim (Kuala Lumpur), Kamardin Hashim (Johor Baru), Yaacob Md Sam (Penang), Datuk Zabariah Mohd Yusof (Kuala Lumpur) and Anantham Kasinather (Kuala Lumpur).
Chief Justice Tun Zaki Azmi told The Star that the eight would be sworn in at the Palace of Justice tomorrow.
He said that the Conference of Rulers had approved the names of the judges at their last meeting.
2013 Bar Council subscription Click the link above to download Circular 090/2013 pertaining to the 2013 Bar Council subscription, including the payment guide and a set of Frequently-Asked-Questions.
2013 Hotel Corporate Rates Attending seminars? Going for a holiday? Click on the link above to check out the list of hotel corporate rates for Members of the Bar, which is updated regularly.
Starting a new Practice If you are thinking of setting up your own law practice, click on the link above to view Bar Council's information and checklists to help you prepare for your new endeavour.
MSLSSL and MCLJ Conference on Employment and Labour Laws 2013 (30 May 2013) Organised by the Malaysian Society for Labour and Social Security Law and Malaysian Current Law Journal, this conference entitled “Current Issues on Employment and Labour Laws” will be held at 8:30 am to 6:00 pm, at Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur, on 30 May 2013 (Thursday). The conference carries six CPD points. Click on the link above for more details.
International Arbitration Conference by CIArb Malaysia (22 to 24 Aug 2013) Organised by the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, this conference will be held at Eastern & Oriental Hotel, 10 Lebuh Farquhar, 10200 George Town, Penang, from 22 to 24 Aug 2013 (Thursday to Saturday). The conference carries 10 CPD points. Early-bird rate ends on 30 Apr 2013. Click on the link above for more details.
“Transforming Criminal Justice” One-week Study Programme (25 to 29 Nov 2013) Organised by Public Administration International (“PAI”), this UK-based one-week study programme entitled “Transforming Criminal Justice: from Joined-up Justice to Multi-agency Approaches” will be held in London from 25 to 29 Nov 2013 (Monday to Friday). For further enquiries, please contact PAI by telephone at +44 (0)20 7580 3590, by fax at +44 (0)20 7580 4746, or by email at pai@public-admin.co.uk.
The Malaysian Bar is disappointed that the Attorney-General’s Chambers has withheld a crucial document from the Coroner’s Court in the Teoh Beng Hock inquest. The suppression of evidence, particularly in such a high profile matter, is disturbing, regardless of the reason. This action is indicative of a serious lapse of judgment and undermines the proceedings of the inquest. 
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Circular No 115/2013: Seminar on Enforcement of Judgment (4 June 2013)
