At the 68th Annual General Meeting of the Malaysian Bar (“AGM”) held on 15 Mar 2014, the Bar Council proposed a schedule of implementation dates for the mandatory Continuing Professional Development (“CPD”) Scheme. Although the proposed schedule of dates was not accepted by the House at the AGM, the Bar Council reaffirms its commitment to continue working and improving on the CPD Scheme, and will in due course present the House with a new proposed effective date (or dates) for the implementation of the mandatory CPD Scheme.
For this term, the CPD Department aims to increase the number of CPD courses available to Members of the Bar and pupils in chambers outside of the Klang Valley. In addition to the Regional Training Series, which was launched on 1 Aug 2013, the CPD Department introduced the iCPD programme in August 2014 to generate greater CPD outreach.
The iCPD programme, which will be charged at minimal registration fees, comprises a two–day course (to be conducted on weekends). The course, which lasts for three hours a day, will focus on a specific practice area each day. The CPD Department will organise the iCPD programme, including the structure, content and execution. The iCPD programme will enable Members to earn six CPD points per day, which comes to a total of 12 CPD points per weekend. The programme is based on basic law and contains recent updates of the practice area to cater to the needs of both junior and senior Members of the Bar.
Meanwhile, the Professional Indemnity Insurance Committee has agreed to provide partial sponsorship of selected training events in the areas of conveyancing and civil litigation, and these are expected to commence soon.
The Online Training Programme (“OTP”) was soft–launched on 12 Mar 2014 and officially launched in July 2014. The OTP has been in operation since April 2014. For details on the OTP, please refer to Circular No 054/2014 dated 13 Mar 2014. To address some of the constraints in gaining access to training, the CPD Department will provide free access to four pre–selected OTP videos each year, which Members of the Bar and pupils in chambers may view to accumulate a total of eight CPD points over two years. This project is currently ongoing.
In addition, video recordings of the International Malaysia Law Conference 2014 (“IMLC”), subject to consent by the speakers, will be placed on the OTP for the benefit of Members of the Bar and pupils in chambers who were unable to attend the IMLC. The videos will be available online for a fee.
For the 2014/2015 term, the Professional Standards and Development Committee (“PSDC”)’s focus is on contemporary and current legal issues relevant to Members of the Bar and pupils in chambers. In addition to the above, the PSDC also caters to the growing market of inhouse legal counsel.
The seminars and programmes organised by the CPD Department from 1 Jan to 30 Sept 2014 are as follows:
No |
Seminar/Talk |
Date |
No
of Participants |
1 |
Seminar on
Arbitration Agreements: The Cornerstone of Arbitration |
16
Jan 2014 |
22 |
2 |
Series of Seminars
on Strategic Negotiation Skills for Lawyers |
11
Feb 2014 |
12 |
3 |
Talk on Key
Appellate Procedures for Advocacy |
14
Feb 2014 |
132 |
4 |
Public Forum |
Towards a Fairer Electoral System |
15
and 16 Feb 2014 |
171 |
5 |
Talk on Challenges
in Civil Appeals: Knowing the Relevant Laws |
18
Feb 2014 |
24 |
6 |
Exclusive Preview
for University of London Master of Laws Programme |
24
Feb 2014 |
15 |
7 |
Intellectual
Property Law: Series One: Building Your Foundation — What You Need to
Know |
3
Mar 2014 |
55 |
8 |
Series of Seminars on Strategic Negotiation Skills for Lawyers | 4
Mar 2014 |
9 |
9 |
Workshop on Five
Ways to Improve Your Writing Skills |
6
Mar 2014 |
53 |
10 |
Forum on
Liberalisation of the Legal Profession in Malaysia |
7
Mar 2014 |
75 |
11 |
Legal Education
Reform and Continuing Professional Development |
24
Mar 2014 |
18 (by invitation only) |
12 |
Talk on Technology
for Law Firms |
27
Mar 2014 |
34 |
13 |
Talk on Expert
Witnesses: How to Use and Misuse Them |
4
Apr 2014 |
62 |
14 |
Series of Seminars
on Strategic Negotiation Skills for Lawyers |
8
Apr 2014 |
8 |
15 |
Civil Litigation
Workshop: Practical Impact of the Implementation of the Rules of Court
2012 |
10
Apr 2014 |
47 |
16 |
Talk on Technology
for Law Firms |
22
Apr 2014 |
32 |
17 |
Seminar on
Arbitration: Factors in Arbitrating Disputes |
24
Apr 2014 |
26 |
18 |
Dialogue on an
Overview of the Malaysian Anti–Corruption Commission and Its Latest
Development |
29
Apr 2014 |
21 |
19 |
Series of Seminars
on Strategic Negotiation Skills for Lawyers |
8
May 2014 |
5 |
20 |
Seminar on
Introduction to Islamic Wills |
20
May 2014 |
19 |
21 |
Forum on Rule of
Law and Human Rights in Malaysia with Prof Sir Jeffrey Jowell QC,
Director, Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law, United Kingdom |
21 May 2014 |
43 |
22 |
Talk on Does
Combining Mediation with Arbitration Really Work? |
27
May 2014 |
8 |
23 |
Talk on Technology
for Law Firms |
27
May 2014 |
33 |
24 |
Seminar on
Introduction to Construction Industry Payment and Adjudication Act 2012
(“CIPAA”) |
29
May 2014 |
17 |
25 |
Seminar on Islamic
Finance: Regulatory Framework |
19
June 2014 |
30 |
26 |
Talk on Technology
and the Tablet: How to Turbocharge your Practice |
24
June 2014 |
20 |
27 |
Seminar on Family
Law |
1
July 2014 |
15 |
28 |
Talk on Technology
for Law Firms |
24
July 2014 |
11 |
29 |
Talk on Mobile
Crime and Forensic Investigation |
12
Aug 2014 |
21 |
30 |
Seminar on
Introduction to Mergers and Acquisitions for Lawyers |
21
Aug 2014 |
45 |
31 |
Talk on Technology
for Law Firms |
9
Sept 2014 |
29 |
32 |
Seminar on an
Introduction to GST |
17
Sept 2014 |
462 |
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 in the tables below:
(1) 1 Jan to 30 June 2014
Organiser |
No
of CPD Course(s) |
Bar Council
(including PSDC and Legal Aid Centres) |
69 |
Johore Bar
Committee |
2 |
Kedah Bar Committee |
8 |
Kelantan Bar
Committee |
4 |
Kuala Lumpur Bar
Committee |
22 |
Malacca Bar
Committee |
0 |
Negeri Sembilan
Bar Committee |
0 |
Pahang Bar
Committee |
1 |
Penang Bar
Committee |
6 |
Perak Bar Committee |
1 |
Perlis Bar
Committee |
1 |
Selangor Bar
Committee |
13 |
Terengganu Bar
Committee |
1 |
Total |
128 |
(2) 1 July to 30 Sept 2014
Organiser |
No
of CPD Course(s) |
Bar Council
(including PSDC and Legal Aid Centres) |
33 |
Johore Bar
Committee |
5 |
Kedah Bar Committee |
5 |
Kelantan Bar
Committee |
1 |
Kuala Lumpur Bar
Committee |
13 |
Malacca Bar
Committee |
1 |
Negeri Sembilan
Bar Committee |
1 |
Pahang Bar
Committee |
0 |
Penang Bar
Committee |
3 |
Perak Bar Committee |
1 |
Perlis Bar
Committee |
1 |
Selangor Bar
Committee |
8 |
Terengganu Bar
Committee |
0 |
Total |
72 |
(3) 1 Aug 2013 to 30 Sept 2014 (Regional Training Series)
Organiser |
No
of CPD Course(s) |
Johore Bar
Committee |
7 |
Kedah Bar Committee |
1 |
Kelantan Bar
Committee |
0 |
Kuala Lumpur Bar
Committee |
0 |
Malacca Bar
Committee |
1 |
Negeri Sembilan
Bar Committee |
0 |
Pahang Bar
Committee |
1 |
Penang Bar
Committee |
7 |
Perak Bar Committee |
4 |
Perlis Bar
Committee |
0 |
Selangor Bar
Committee |
0 |
Terengganu Bar
Committee |
1 |
Total |
22 |
(4) 1 Aug to 30 Sept 2014 (iCPD)
Organiser |
No
of CPD Course(s) |
Johore Bar
Committee |
0 |
Kedah Bar Committee |
0 |
Kelantan Bar
Committee |
1 |
Kuala Lumpur Bar
Committee |
0 |
Malacca Bar
Committee |
0 |
Negeri Sembilan
Bar Committee |
0 |
Pahang Bar
Committee |
0 |
Penang Bar
Committee |
0 |
Perak Bar Committee |
0 |
Perlis Bar
Committee |
0 |
Selangor Bar
Committee |
0 |
Terengganu Bar
Committee |
0 |
Total |
1 |
HR Dipendra and Raphael Tay
Co–Chairpersons
Date: 1 Oct 2014
HR Dipendra (Co–Chairperson) | Raphael Tay (Co–Chairperson) | J Jayabalan (Deputy Chairperson) | Ahmad Maududi b Mahdi (Terengganu Bar Committee) | Ananthasivam s/o Thambipillai | Brendan Navin Siva | Donovan Cheah Swee Kin | Goh Siu Lin (Kuala Lumpur Bar Committee) | Hendon Mohamed | Jeremiah R Gurusamy (Kuala Lumpur Bar Committee) | KS Shasha | Lee Guan Tong (Penang Bar Committee) | Loong Meng Si (Malacca Bar Committee) | Manian Raju (Negeri Sembilan Bar Committee) | Mohamad Ezri b Abdul Wahab (Penang Bar Committee) | Mohd Hapiz b Rajali (Perlis Bar Committee) | Murshidah Mustafa (Kedah Bar Committee) | Noor Suhaila bt Saad (Selangor Bar Committee) | Pushpa Ratnam | R Sarengapani (Pahang Bar Committee) | Santhi Balachandran (Johore Bar Committee) | Tejindarpal Kaur | Varpal Singh s/o Menender Singh (Perak Bar Committee) | Wan Mohd Zuhdi b Wan Abdullah (Kelantan Bar Committee) | Wong Tat Chung | Santhi Latha (Director, Continuing Professional Development Department) | Vilashini Vijayan and Yap Yoong Jian (Officers–in–charge)