A record number of 3,027 lawyers turned up yesterday to ensure there was a quorum for the Bar Council’s 59th annual general meeting (AGM), which was reconvened as ordered by the court.
On Oct 7, the council was ordered to reconvene its controversial AGM when the Federal Court upheld two lower court decisions that the earlier AGM was illegal as it was held without a quorum.
Although the buzz within the legal fraternity over the past week had been that members would make the effort to turn up, no one was quite sure if the quorum of 1/5 membership or 2,404 members would be met.
But the suspense was short and the announcement that the quorum had been met was broadcast to hearty cheers at 10.25am.
“This is certainly a victory for the Bar members who once again rose to the occasion,'' said Yeo Yang Poh, who was elected as Bar Council president.
To ensure that future AGMs are not affected by this “impractical and oppressive” requirement, the council wants the quorum to be reduced to 350 for the AGM, and 750 for Extraordinary General Meeting. “We are the only professional body subjected to this kind of quorum requirement. There are 22,000 accountants in Malaysia, and they only require a quorum of 100 to hold their AGM,'' Yeo said.
Yeo said the Council hoped the amendment be made by the next AGM, due in March next year.
Besides Yeo, four other office-bearers elected during the March AGM, who were also elected yesterday, were vice-president Ambiga Sreenevasan, executive director Catherine Eu, treasurer Vazeer Alam Mydin Meera and secretary Ragunath Kesavan.
Ragunath said there was no guarantee that future AGMs would also meet the quorum.
“We are truly concerned about this and that is why we must sort out this problem as soon as possible,” he said.
The meeting yesterday also passed several resolutions.
Yeo said members voted overwhelmingly in support of the “No-discount rule” on legal fees while the motion on compulsory continuous legal education was not carried.
The Bar Council also agreed to publish the four written opinions, which were the basis for its May 8 decision that there was no need for a quorum for an AGM.
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Seminar on an Introduction to the Industrial Relations Act (23 May 2012) Organised by the Kuala Lumpur Bar Professional Development Committee, this seminar will take place at 3:00 pm, at the Kuala Lumpur Bar Auditorium, on 23 May 2012 (Wednesday). The seminar will be conducted by Wong Keat Ching. 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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KUALA LUMPUR: When faced with “crisis”, members of the Bar showed they could stand united. 
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Circular No 106/2012: Accountant’s Report 2011
