PENANG: The 3rd Young Lawyers Convention 2008 is now being held at City Bayview
Hotel, Penang. A total of 150 delegates arrived in Penang in between 9am to
3.30pm. The theme of this Convention is Independent, Innovative, International.
The President of the Malaysian Bar, Ambiga Sreenevasan delivered an opening
address around 4.30pm.
“I grew up on fairy tales where wicked witch was always defeated, where super
heroes who always triumphed over evil, where truth and honesty always prevail
overlies and infamy”, said Ambiga.
She then zoomed in to the Royal Commission Enquiry and
commented on the setting up of the Royal Commission. She believes that the truth
ought to have emerged years ago and the setting up of the Royal Commission
delivers a strong message that the truth is important even the events took place
long ago.
She went on to comment that the young lawyers have the power and the numbers to
keep battling even if immediate results are outside their grasp. She hopes to
see an eager, vibrant and dynamic young lawyers in the future and she sees the
young lawyers as a group with the desire to learn and forge ahead in the
changing environment.
Ambiga is also encouraged with the fact that the delegates came from the various
states and she believes this will bring the members of various states closer.
She advised the young lawyers that “to be a force of good, you must strive to be
the best lawyer that you can be. Hence the continuous learning. It is not enough
to be a good lawyer in the mind. You must also be good lawyers in the heart. You
do both and I promise you will be formidable.”
She then officially declared the 3rd Young Lawyers Convention 2008 open around
4.40pm and she was ushered to the stage for a cake cutting ceremony to symbolise
the official opening of the 3rd Young Lawyers Convention 2008.
It was followed by a welcome speech by the Chairperson of the National Young
Lawyers Committee, Edmund Bon. He started his speech by giving a brief account
of the history of National Young Lawyers Committee and reaffirms that the NYLC
should continue to represent, protect and promote the interests of young lawyers
of the Bar and to empower them to contribute to social good.
Disappointment with Penang and Negri Sembilan Bars
In that respect, he also voiced out his disappointment over
the decision of Penang Bar and Negeri Sembilan Bar for not reactivating the YLC
resulting in a gap of co-operation between these state bars and the Committee.
As a result, the young lawyers in Penang and Negeri Sembilan
lost out with many having to seek an alternative platform to continue to the
work of the Bar.
And he continued “while some members of the Bar still wish to debate the
existence and utility of YLCs and NYLC, it would be useful if the energy
channeled into such debate were expended instead on working with the YLCs”
He hopes that the 2 state bars will establish and/or reactivate the YLCs to
provide opportunities for the effective networking and exchange of information,
ideas and opinions among young lawyers of different states. He also commended
despite the non-existence of the YLCs in those 2 states, the young lawyers from
the states had in fact registered for this convention.
Edmund ended his speech by expressing his appreciation to those who have worked
tirelessly to organise this Convention.
Dipendra Raj then took the stage and gave an overview of the Convention. The
objective of the convention is to empower lawyers, in particular young lawyers,
to become reliable, knowledgeable and independent as the onset of globalization
takes effect on the legal profession.
He gave a brief synopsis of the sessions which are:
The New Lawyers: Gen Y
The new lawyers, born post-1978 enter the profession with many aspirations,
Dubbed the “millennial” Gen-Y lawyers grow up with technology coddled from
birth. How do Malaysian law firms deal with these lawyers and how do Gen-Y
lawyers cope with the demands and challenges of working in the legal field?
The Learning Curve: Continuing Professional Development
The law has evolved. Lawyers have to evolve. However, standards at the Bar have
dropped, alarmingly. Why has this happened and what is the way forward?
IT: How does it make us mighty?
The Legal Profession is no longer on the way it used to be. Most firms are
well-equipped with computers, laptops and online research. With a click of a
button, lawyers are able to access the latest cases and statutes. But has
technology really improved the working conditions of lawyers?
Standing out in a Crowded Profession
With so many lawyers, how do lawyers entering the profession ensure that he
stands out amongst the rest?
The Tired Bar
Speakers will share personal accounts, and discuss the work and participation of
the young lawyers in their States
The Convention will end with the session “Reflection on the Convention” where
the speakers will summarise the sessions and participants are to share their
thoughts.
2012 Bar Council Subscription Click the link above to download Circular 072/2012 pertaining to the 2012 Bar Council subscription, including the payment guide and a set of Frequently-Asked-Questions.
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International Malaysia Law Conference (26 to 28 Sept 2012) Hurry up! The countdown continues and the current promotion rate ends 30 June 2012. Don't miss what is going to be the best conference in the region! On top of that, if you sign up with 5 or more people from the same organisation, we will give you a 10% group discount. Click on the link above to register.
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.
Committees 
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In that respect, he also voiced out his disappointment over
the decision of Penang Bar and Negeri Sembilan Bar for not reactivating the YLC
resulting in a gap of co-operation between these state bars and the Committee.
He gave a brief synopsis of the sessions which are:
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