Contributed by Azwa Zulsamli, Officer, Professional Indemnity Insurance and Risk Management Department
On 26 Oct 2017, at the Bar Council Raja Aziz Addruse Auditorium, the Professional Indemnity Insurance (“PII”) and Risk Management Department under the direction of the PII Committee organised the Risk Management for Staff Workshop. The workshop is designed to help participants explore ways to improve best practices, build communication and reduce risk in their day–to–day requirements.
Senior lawyers, consultants and experienced professionals were among those who shared their knowledge with the participants. Of the people who attended the one–day workshop, 51 were legal support staffs, one was a Bar Council Secretariat employee and 12 were Members of the Bar.
Mysahra Shawkat opened the first session of the workshop with her talk on “Communication: Connecting People”. She emphasised the importance of effective communication, and discussed e–communication internally and externally. She then talked on risk in communication and steps that each firm should consider to adopt.
The second session on “Accounting with Integrity” by Lalitha Ambegei was where participants familiarised themselves with basic accounting principles and the importance of proper documentation. She also discussed ongoing scams aimed at exploiting Members of the Bar and law firms.
Before the lunch break, there was a briefing on Anti–Money Laundering, Anti–Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001 delivered by Karen Cheah who highlighted the regulatory issues and the need for law firms to abide with the Act.
The next session was presented by Ezri Abdul Wahab on “Office Administration: Ace It!”. He explained the role of frontline employees in building sustainable service for clients. He also elaborated upon the importance of having proper filing, good time management, great working relationships and wise use of technology.
The final presentation of the day was by Shamine Parisamy. Her session on “Risk Management: Productivity at Work” was about identifying, assessing and controlling risks within a law firm. Before the workshop ended, an Office Management video with tips on how to overcome risk and manage work effectively was shown to the participants.
The Risk Management for Staff Workshop is a good platform for participants to share experiences, views and fruitful ideas with engaging speakers . The findings from the feedback forms indicated that 90% of participants would recommend the workshop to others. Certificates of attendance were distributed at the end of the day.
If you would like to attend the next Risk Management for Staff Workshop or would like to know more about other risk management workshops, please contact the PII and Risk Management Department by telephone at 03–2032 4511 or by email at pirm@malaysianbar.org.my.