The Bar Council welcomes and supports the call made by Dato' Mohd Radzi Sheikh Ahmad, the new Minister in charge of legal affairs in the Prime Minister's Department, to enhance and increase the scope of services rendered by the Biro Bantuan Guaman.
It is crucial in every democratic society that access to justice is not reserved only for those who can afford it. Legal representation, which is an indispensable aspect of giving effect to the protection of the rights of all individuals, can only become a tangible reality for all citizens with the existence of legal aid in non-commercial matters.
The responsibility to provide legal aid rests primarily on the Government; which is the case in all common law countries. In Malaysia, we have for many years had two parallel legal aid schemes; one run by the Government through the Biro Bantuan Guaman, and the other managed and fully funded by the Bar. The Malaysian Bar is indeed proud to be the only Bar in common law jurisdictions to fund and operate such a scheme, which is operative in all States with the assistance of members of the Bar who devote their professional services at no cost to the consumers. The Bar's scheme complements the government scheme. We share resources and support each other's programmes, avoiding duplicity and ensuring that legal services provided under both schemes are optimized.
It is timely and laudable that the Government is taking on greater responsibility in providing legal aid. The Biro Bantuan Guaman is governed by the Legal Aid Act 1971. We are given to understand that a review of this Act is currently under way. We trust that there will be mutual consultations with the Bar with regard to the review; and look forward to providing our input for the betterment of the existing scheme.
We hope that the widening of the scope of the Government legal aid scheme will take effect as soon as possible, so that more members of the public will be able to benefit therefrom. The Bar will on its part continue to support and complement such a scheme.
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.
2012 Hotel Corporate Rates Attending seminars? Going for a holiday? Click on the link above to check out the list of hotel corporate rates for Members of the Bar, which is updated regularly.
Bar Council Bookshop Read MORE … but pay LE$$! Members enjoy a 20% discount on LexisNexis publications at the Bar Council Bookshop. Click on the link above for the list of available titles.
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.
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Circular No 109/2012: Be a Part of the Bar Council Constitutional Law Committee
