The Malaysian Bar - "The Bar has never shown interest in me!"

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"The Bar has never shown interest in me!"

Saturday, 19 November 2005 12:37am

By Sean Tan (via email)

It is all very good to speak on pertinent issues concerning the Malaysian Bar - liberalising the profession, access to justice and a whole host more. But as an interested bystander, I am baffled to find that one theme which should deserve equal attention is missing: the nurturing of law students and pupils.

The absence of any papers presented which would concern a would-be lawyer speaks for itself. Considering that there has been little effort in the past about the plight of pupils and law students, it would seem sensible for a realistic look at the category of people entering the Bar. Questions are not being addressed seriously enough: what are their concerns? What is the Bar doing to alleviate them?

As a law student who has recently qualified to become a pupil, I have decided not to follow the path which is conventionally taken. Instead, I have chosen to defer my pupillage for several reasons, and one of them is this: the Bar has never shown interest in me.

Forget about WTO and liberalisation. The future of the Bar lies in the talent which lies in the classrooms, not the threat of being overtaken by mighty foreign law firms.

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written by Stephen Tan Ban Cheng, Saturday, November 19 2005 11:41 am

My dear Sean Tan,

The Malaysian Bar Council caters to the many concerns and interests of MEMBERS, not potential members.

There is merit in your argument. I found myself in your shoes some time ago and my response was to do my pupillage and then get into the Bar.
Welcome aboard when you do!

Cheers ...

Interest in law students
written by Edmund Bon, Sunday, November 20 2005 08:24 am

Dear Sean

The issue you brought up was highlighted in my presentation at the recent Msian Law Conference as an extension of the paper I presented 'Young lawyers in a Globalised World'. I agree that your interests must be considered. Nevertheless, as the heated debate during the Q&A session after I presented my paper went, I outlined some areas which the Council should focus on but realistically and in terms of resource cant. The whole local higher education culture must change. The way law is taught in universities and the quality of graduates produced for the legal market is declining. The is the push for a Common Bar Examination and this must be seriously considered. But apart from this and the fact that Council's representative is on the Qualifying Board is still insufficient to improves standards - it needs a change in the teaching of law, the teachers, the syllabus, and all this is quite way beyond the purview of the Bar Council save to put diplomatic pressure and start pushing the CLP exams standards higher to exact more pressing results for achivement of a pass. We need to have political will to change declining standards in our local universities. Do call me and we can chat and let me explain more - email me at ebon@chooi.com.my.

I have attempted to answer you
written by GK Ganesan, Monday, December 05 2005 08:29 am

Mr Sean Tan: I have attempted to answer you in a reply, which the MBW has very kindly published, as a separate article entitled :'If you are prepared to learn, I am prepared to teach'.

Please have a dekko.

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