The Bar Council has filed notices of appeal to the Court of Appeal against the refusal of the High court recently to grant it watching brief status in respect of lawyers facing contempt charges. The Bar Council was denied watching brief status in the contempt case against Encik Zainur Zakaria at the High Court and also in the case of Mr. Tommy Thomas. Similarly the Bar Council was dissallowed to hold a watching brief in the application by YB Encik Karpal Singh to set aside the subpoena served on him in the Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim trial.
The Bar Council notes that in the past it had not faced any difficulty to represent the profession and hold a watching brief in respect of cases involving lawyers.
The Bar Council has always claimed a statutory basis to hold a watching brief under both Sections 42(1)(e) of the Legal Profession Act 1976 and Section 57(e). Under Section 42(1)(e) the Bar Council is enjoined ‘to represent, protect and assist members of the legal profession’. By Section 57(e) the Bar Council in mandated ‘to represent members of the Malaysian Bar…in any matter which may be necessary or expedient’.
The above provisions authorises the Bar Council to perform an important function for and on behalf of the members and to generally defend the interests of the profession.
The Bar Council proposes therefore to pursue the above appeals and vindicate its rights to fully represent its members.
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.
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 110/2012: Seminar on Introduction to ICC Arbitration: An Insight into the 2012 ICC Rules
