The Professional Standards and Development Committee (“PSDC”) is tasked with overseeing the continuing professional development (“CPD”) activities of the Malaysian Bar by organising CPD courses for Members of the Bar and pupils in chambers, as outlined in the resolution to adopt a CPD Scheme, which was passed at the 66th Annual General Meeting on 10 Mar 2012.
A CPD cycle will run for 24 months. The first cycle, which is voluntary, commenced on 1 July 2012, and will be completed on 30 June 2014. Those who came into practice or resumed practice after 1 July 2012 will be required to accumulate a prorated number of CPD points during this cycle.
The CPD Department was formed in October 2012 to ensure effective implementation of the CPD Scheme. It is dedicated to providing a wide range of CPD courses in different practice areas that are relevant to the legal profession.
The CPD website, launched in March 2013, provides current information on matters related to the CPD Scheme and the latest CPD courses, to help Members of the Bar and pupils in chambers plan their CPD activities.
The CPD Department has several objectives for this term:
(1) Increase the number of CPD courses organised outside the Klang Valley that will allow Members of the Bar and pupils in chambers from different states to have more opportunities to participate in training. The Regional Training Series was launched on 1 Aug 2013, and this initiative aims to foster collaboration between the CPD Department and State Bar Committees to organise CPD courses based on the preferred practice areas of Members of the Bar and pupils in chambers from specific regions.
(2) Create an Online Digital Library (“ODL”) that will enable Members of the Bar and pupils in chambers to access free and payable online CPD courses in both audio and video formats. The ODL is expected to be launched in 2014.
(3) Develop an administrative structure that will track the participation of Members of the Bar and pupils in chambers in the CPD Scheme, and the number of CPD points accumulated.
CPD courses organised by the CPD Department and State Bar Committees
The CPD courses organised by the CPD Department and State Bar Committees are listed below:
(1) 1 July 2012 to 31 Dec 2012
Organiser |
No
of CPD course(s) |
Bar Council
(including PSDC and Legal Aid Centres) |
58 |
Johore Bar
Committee |
7 |
Kedah/Perlis Bar
Committee |
2 |
Kelantan Bar
Committee |
1 |
Kuala Lumpur Bar
Committee |
35 |
Malacca Bar
Committee |
4 |
Negeri Sembilan
Bar Committee |
10 |
Pahang Bar
Committee |
12 |
Penang Bar
Committee |
13 |
Perak Bar Committee |
5 |
Selangor Bar
Committee |
10 |
Terengganu Bar
Committee |
4 |
Total |
161 |
(2) 1 Jan 2013 to 31 Aug 2013
Organiser |
No
of CPD course(s) |
Bar Council
(including PSDC and Legal Aid Centres) |
87 |
Johore Bar
Committee |
8 |
Kedah Bar Committee | 0 |
Kedah/Perlis Bar
Committee |
5 |
Kelantan Bar
Committee |
1 |
Kuala Lumpur Bar
Committee |
49 |
Malacca Bar
Committee |
5 |
Negeri Sembilan
Bar Committee |
0 |
Pahang Bar
Committee |
5 |
Penang Bar
Committee |
9 |
Perak Bar Committee |
2 |
Perlis Bar Committee | 1 |
Selangor Bar
Committee |
19 |
Terengganu Bar
Committee |
1 |
Total |
192 |
(3) 1 Aug 2013 to 31 Dec 2013 (Regional Training Series)
Organiser |
No
of CPD course(s) |
Johore Bar
Committee |
2 |
Kedah Bar Committee | 0 |
Kelantan Bar
Committee |
0 |
Kuala Lumpur Bar
Committee |
0 |
Malacca Bar
Committee |
0 |
Negeri Sembilan
Bar Committee |
0 |
Pahang Bar
Committee |
2 |
Penang Bar
Committee |
3 |
Perak Bar Committee |
1 |
Perlis Bar Committee | 0 |
Selangor Bar
Committee |
0 |
Terengganu Bar
Committee |
1 |
Total |
9 |
HR Dipendra and Raphael Tay
Co–Chairpersons
Date: 3 Dec 2013
Dipendra Harshad Rai (Co–Chairperson) | Raphael Tay Choon Tien (Co–Chairperson) | Brendan Navin Siva | Hendon Mohamed | KS Shasha | Pushpa Ratnam | Tejindarpal Kaur d/o Indar Singh Gill | Wong Tat Chung | Athithan s/o Singaravelu (Perak Bar Committee) | Haji Ahmad Taufiq b Baharum (Kedah Bar Committee) | Jeremiah Ravindran Gurusamy (Kuala Lumpur Bar Committee) | Loong Meng Si (Malacca Bar Committee) | Manian s/o Raju (Negeri Sembilan Bar Committee) | Mohamad Ezri b Abdul Wahab (Penang Bar Committee) | Mohd Hapiz b Rajali (Perlis Bar Committee) | Muzamil Alif b Mohmad (Pahang Bar Committee) | Nicholas Tan Soon Teik (Penang Bar Committee) | Noor Suhaila bt Saad (Selangor Bar Committee) | Norazham b Yahaya (Kelantan Bar Committee) | Norhayati bt Mohamed (Johore Bar Committee) | Rosnah bt Zakaria (Terengganu Bar Committee) | Santhi Latha (Director, Continuing Professional Development Department) | Vilashini Vijayan and Yap Yoong Jian (Officers–in–charge)
If you are a registered user of the Malaysian Bar website, you may click
here to view the report of this committee from the 2013/2014 Annual Report.