Public Awareness Seeing A Lawyer 
| Seeing A Lawyer |
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| Wednesday, 13 April 2005 10:41am | |
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LAWYERS Lawyers are professional people trained in law. You may seek their help to solve your problems. They are independent people and any information given to them is confidential and can only be released with your consent. Though a lawyer’s main duty is to protect your interest, he is also an officer of the Court and must not mislead the court or assist you in any way to break the law. He is bound by a strict code of conduct and rules of etiquette. - Get advice on legal problem - Represent you in court, if necessary - Assist you in handling of your legal rights - When you are charged with a criminal offence, to seek advice on matters relating to your defence, and to represent you in court - When you wish to make a claim against another party you can ask a lawyer to file a claim for you and to represent you in court - When some other party has unfairly filed a claim against you in Court, you may wish to seek the help of a lawyer to defend the claim Lawyers can provide you with a variety of important and useful services. Some of the services provided by them are : - When somebody owes you money and has not repaid it to you despite repeated requests, you may wish to see a lawyer to make a claim on your behalf - When you are involved in a traffic accident, a lawyer can advise you on the steps to be taken in making a claim, as well as what you should do to protect yourself against claims from other parties. - When you have problem with your husband or wife, a lawyer can advise you on the law relating to divorce, separation, maintenance and custody of children - When you wish to buy or sell a house, a lawyer can advise you on the procedures involved, check all documents on yourself. - When you have a problem relating to tenancy of a property, either as landlord or tenant, you can see a lawyer to seek advice or represent you in Court, if necessary. - Before you sign any important, business or employment contract, you could show a draft of it to a lawyer and seek his advice - When a family member has passed away, you can ask a lawyer to apply to court to enable the assets of the deceased to be dealt with. - To make a will so that your assets will be distributed according to your wishes after your death - To change your name - To adopt a child - Before you start a business or incorporate a company - To find out your legal rights in the matter The best method of choosing a lawyer is through the personal recommendation of colleagues, friends and relatives. Lawyers are generally not allowed to advertise but the Bar Council publishes a directory of lawyers that contains names, addresses and other relevant information of all practising lawyers in Peninsular Malaysia. Click here to access the legal directory on the Malaysian Bar's website. If you first contact with your lawyer is by telephone, inform him of your reason for consulting him and then make an appointment to see him. The fees payable by you will generally depend on the amount of work done on your behalf, the time taken and the difficulty of the work involved, In some cases, the fees payable by you are fixed by law e.g. the buying and selling of houses If there is a need for you to see a lawyer but you cannot afford to pay the fees, you may seek help from a Legal Aid Centre run by the Bar Council. The Centres provide representation for all criminal mattes for all those who qualify except offences that carry capital punishment (i.e. death and life sentences) and render legal assistance for all civil matters except matters relating to recovery of debts and motor accident claims. Biro Bantuan Guaman, Wilayah Persekutuan, The Bar Council is the governing body for lawyers practising in Peninsular Malaysia. It sets the standard of professional which lawyers have to follow. If you are unhappy with the services provided by your lawyer, you should first try to sort it out with him, as the problem may be the result of a misunderstanding or a breakdown in communication. If this is not possible you may wish to write to the Bar Council for assistance. No. 13, 15 & 17, Leboh Pasar Besar, Email: council@malaysianbar.org.my Website: www.malaysianbar.org.my |
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