The Bar Council came out in defence over complaints on the declining standard
among lawyers, stressing that it was not solely responsible for the situation.
"Educational institutions will also have to play their part and must share
responsibility for the present state of affairs," said council president Ambiga
Sreenivasagam in a statement today.
A local media pointed an accusing figure at the council when it reported the
matter early this week.
The Bar Council, Ambiga said, has through its dedicated committee now called the
Professional Standards and Development Committee (PSDC), made professional
development its priority.
"We have also drawn up a number of fresh initiatives to address the concern over
declining standards. These include a new Professional Standard program which
will require mandatory attendance by all pupils before admission to the Bar."
Ambiga also stressed that the council is not averse to criticism but welcomes
constructive criticisms, as it provides an opportunity to improve itself.
"However, the Bar’s openness to criticisms does not justify generalisations
about lawyers," she said.
She added that the council has many members of high calibre and integrity who
also contribute to legal aid, take up public interest matters and do valuable
human rights work.
Beware of scams
In a separate development, council secretary Lim Chee Wee advised the public to
check the status of lawyers or legal firms that offer services to them via
e-mails.
In a press statement, he said that the council has received many complaints of
individuals masquerading as licensed West Malaysian advocates and solicitors.
"One of the most common e-mail scams today is in the form of an invitation sent
out under the name of a ‘lawyer’ or ‘legal firm’, sometimes fictitious and
sometimes borrowed from a registered firm," said Lim.
He added that emails invite the potential victim to deposit a certain amount of
money in order to inherit a huge some of money from a deceased client who bear
the same surname as the victim.
"The Bar Council is concerned at the growing numbers of such reports being
received, many from foreign nationals," he said.
He stressed that any unauthorised person who acts as an advocate and solicitor
shall be guilty of a criminal offence under Section 37 of the Legal Profession
Act 1976.
"We strongly advise the public to check with the Bar Council’s secretariat on
the status of the lawyer should they receive a similar e-mail."
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Talk on Summary Judgement (25 May 2012) Organised by the Selangor Bar Committee, this talk will take place at 5:00 pm, at the Selangor Bar Committee Auditorium, on 25 May 2012 (Friday). The talk will be conducted by Ramesh Supramanian. Click on the link above for more details.
Seminar on Tax Issues in Financial Transactions (25 May 2012) Organised by the Kuala Lumpur Bar Professional Development Committee, this seminar, featuring S Saravana Kumar, will take place at 3:00 pm, at the Kuala Lumpur Bar Auditorium, on 25 May 2012 (Friday). Click on the link above for more details.
Dialogue with Criminal Law Practitioners (26 May 2012) Organised by Bar Council, this dialogue will take place at 10:00 am to 12:00 pm, at the Raja Aziz Addruse Auditorium, Bar Council, on 26 May 2012 (Saturday). Click on the link above for more details.
Conference on Competition Law (31 May 2012) Organised by Bar Council with the support of LexisNexis, this conference will take place at 8:30 am to 4:00 pm, at Renaissance Kuala Lumpur Hotel, on 31 May 2012 (Thursday). For more details or to register, please contact Vilashini Vijayan (03-2050 2095; vila@malaysianbar.org.my). Click on the link above for more details.
Talk on What Clients Want (7 June 2012) Organised by the KL Bar Practitioners' Affairs Committee, the talk, presented by Ong Eu Jin, will take place at 5:00 pm, at the KL Bar Auditorium, on 7 June 2012 (Thursday). Click on the link above for more details.
4th LAWASIA Family Law Conference, Penang (13 and 14 July 2012) Supported by Penang Bar Committee and the Malaysian Bar, this conference, themed “The New Global Family: Emerging Trends and Challenges to Family Practice”, will take place at Traders Hotel, Penang, on 13 and 14 July 2012 (Friday and Saturday). Click on the link above for more details.
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