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Contributed by Anis Taufik, Editor/Writer, Bar Council

The inaugural Malaysian Law Conference was declared open by the then-Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tun Abdul Razak Hussein, on 15 July 1973.  With the rapid advancement of technology and the meteoric rise of Asia, the Malaysian Law Conference has evolved to keep up with the times.  Currently known as the  International Malaysia Law Conference  (“IMLC”) to reflect these times of increasing globalisation, the theme for IMLC 2012 is “Asian Perspectives, Global Viewpoints”.  IMLC 2012 is expected to explore the impact of law on business, society and the government, through seminars, workshops and exhibitions featuring globally-renowned speakers and delegates.  It is scheduled to take place from 26 to 28 Sept 2012 (Wednesday to Friday), at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, Malaysia.  

I recently had the pleasure of speaking to Raphael Tay, Chairperson of the IMLC 2012 Organising Committee, about the much-anticipated IMLC 2012.  An exuberant individual who radiated positivity and good humour, Raphael Tay was more than eager to discuss the Conference.  Describing it as a signature event of the Malaysian Bar, he highlighted that IMLC 2012 was definitely a unique event to look out for.  He outlined several distinguishing features of IMLC 2012, noting that it would present an array of hot topics such as intellectual property, employment law, small firm management and arbitration.

Raphael Tay noted that at previous conferences, the topics had tended to slant towards human rights and constitutional law issues. Commenting that although this was unobjectionable, he confessed that he felt those topics tended to “disenfranchise” Members of the Bar, many of whom were more involved in corporate and commercial matters. For example, although topics on firm management had been available at previous conferences, they were inclined towards the running of large firms; while informative, such topics may not have been entirely relevant for many participants, considering that most Members of the Malaysian Bar belonged to small firms. Thus, after intensive discussion sessions, the IMLC 2012 Organising Committee decided on a line-up of topics based on how current and pertinent they were to Members. He hoped that by casting a wider spectrum of topics, IMLC 2012 would draw a larger crowd compared to past conferences.

Raphael Tay went on to announce yet another special feature of IMLC 2012: the availability of “clusters of topics” for participants. He described a cluster as a series of talks dedicated to a specific area of law, delivered over the course of one to one-and-a-half day sessions. Previously, there had only been individual, stand-alone topics – though instructive, Members would have felt reluctant about signing up for the entire conference if they were only interested in a few isolated sessions. Therefore, by providing not only a selection of topics relevant to law practitioners, but also a broader sequence of talks on a single theme, Members were bound to feel more welcome, and be more inclined to register for IMLC 2012.

When asked in what other ways IMLC 2012 was different from its predecessors, Raphael Tay grinned and revealed that he had several more cards up his sleeve.  He gleefully announced that IMLC 2012 would also boast the “Fundamental Freedoms Fringe Fest” and “Anything Legal Exhibition”.  The former, a wonderful side event to complement IMLC 2012, would enable Members to express themselves and convey their message through the performing arts.  In addition to that, non-governmental organisations and social activists would also be given the space to present their causes at the event.  Last but not least, the festival would provide a wonderful opportunity to enable delegates to unwind and socialise after a full day of talks!

The Anything Legal Exhibition, on the other hand, would provide a venue for literally anything related to the legal industry – such as legal firms, law schools, and even insurance companies – to be showcased.  The exposition would enable these parties to demonstrate their innovation and market leadership.  In Raphael Tay’s own words, “If you have a message to communicate, you have a reason to be a sponsor”.  He mused aloud that as the law undergirded every aspect of human activity – be it society, business or economics – the Anything Legal Exhibition would be the perfect medium to bring together all these areas that were impacted, in one way or another, by the legal industry. 

As our chat drew to an end, Raphael Tay explained the rationale behind IMLC 2012’s thought-provoking theme, “Asian Perspectives, Global Viewpoints”.  According to him, the motto had been selected in line with IMLC 2012’s aim to display to the world the rise of Asia and Asian lawyers.  He mentioned that in today’s era of globalisation, combined with the imminent liberalisation of the legal profession in Malaysia, it was high time for Malaysian lawyers to take their rightful place in the community of nations.  Raphael Tay emphasised that he wanted lawyers to walk away from IMLC 2012 feeling informed and on top of things, as the Conference aimed to give lawyers the tools to learn about potential obstacles that lay ahead in the legal industry, as well as to serve as a platform to better equip themselves to rise up to the challenges. 

With a bright smile across his face, Raphael Tay concluded that, “At the end of the day I want lawyers to leave feeling confident about themselves.  I just want them to walk away thinking, ‘It’s great to be a lawyer!’”

For further information on the IMLC 2012, please visit the official IMLC 2012 website at http://www.internationalmlc.com/.