The Malaysian Bar - Complimentary START Kits

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Complimentary START Kits – Have You Collected Yours?

Tuesday, 08 November 2011 08:53am

Contributed by Melissa Anne Kraal, Officer, Bar Council

Bar Council launched its first-ever START Kit in February 2011. The START Kit forms part of Bar Council’s risk management programme to enhance the quality and standards of new lawyers in the country.

Lawyers who apply to Bar Council to set up new firms and first-time lawyers applying for their Sijil Annual and Practising Certificates from January 2011 onwards will receive a complimentary copy of the START Kit.

As at the end of September 2011, the Bar Council Professional Indemnity Insurance and Risk Management (“PII & RM”) Department has sent out over 800 letters informing firms and Members to pick up their START Kits. So far, only a fraction of them has done so.

For Members in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor

We urge all Members within Kuala Lumpur and Selangor to make the effort to collect their complimentary START Kit from Bar Council. If you are unable to, the following are alternative ways in which you can collect your copy:

(1) Fax the completed reply slip (which was enclosed in the letter mentioned above) to the PII & RM Department at 03-2031 6124, to have your START Kit mailed to you at a nominal fee; or

(2) Nominate a representative – bearing the original letter and a letter of authorisation signed by you – to collect your START Kit on your behalf.

For Members in Other States

For Members in Johore, Kedah, Kelantan, Malacca, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Penang, Perak, Perlis and Terengganu, kindly contact your respective State Bar for further information on how to collect your complimentary START Kit from the State Bar.

About the START Kit

Each START Kit, which is divided into four segments, contains advice and tips on practice essentials relevant to a new lawyer or a new firm. The segments are divided into:

(1) START

This section contains the Setting Up Practice booklet and a unique START Planner. The Setting Up Practice booklet sets out basic information on the prerequisites, and the applicable rules and regulations to be complied with in the setting up and running of a law firm. Typical day-to-day problems that arise in setting up, and/or running of, a practice are also candidly discussed. This booklet is complemented by the START Planner, which contains checklists, helpful references and materials on practice issues.

(2) Best Practices

Risk management is a culture, not an event. As a lawyer, ensuring high standards and quality service is crucial to keeping clients, minimising risks and enhancing productivity. This section, complete with a Practice Area Checklist CD-ROM on litigation and conveyancing, Time Management booklet and a Practice Alert! magazine, provides information and guidance on managing risk, time and staff.

(3) Office Management

The heights a firm can achieve and its success are often determined by its culture. The resources and tools provided here are to guide new firms in shaping a positive culture through its staff, systems and procedures from day one.

(4) For Me

This section is self-explanatory. It is for lawyers to include and incorporate their own risk management ideas and materials for their future reference.

Other Members of the Bar who would like to purchase the START Kit can do so at the Bar Council Secretariat Payment Counter, situated on the ground floor of the Bar Council Secretariat, for RM50. The START Kits come in five colours: red, brown, green, blue and silver.

For more information, kindly contact Mysahra Shawkat by telephone at 03-2032 4511, or by email at pirm@malaysianbar.org.my.

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