After securing places in law schools, students should reflect over the career landscape open to them. For instance, do you know your legal career options upon graduation?
Graduates should chart their career path in a number of sectors, each of which can be promising. Get an overview and analyse the options available such as the following:
1. Private Practice
Practising law in a legal firm is the most traditional career choice. A newly qualified lawyer must graduate from a law school or university that is recognised by the Legal Qualifying Board.
Thereafter, a graduate is required to undergo nine months of pupillage (or known as “chambering”), during which he/she will read in a senior lawyer’s chamber. During this period, the pupil will only be receiving an allowance (as opposed to salary). Currently, the range of allowances vary from RM1,500 to RM2,500 per month for those attached to law firms in Klang Valley.
Upon completion of the pupillage, you will be called to the Bar and become a full-fledged lawyer to practise law. Like many peers join law firms, you will hold the position of Legal Assistant or Associate with a starting salary of RM3,000 to RM3,500 per month in Klang Valley.
After three to five years, you may be promoted to become Senior Legal Assistant or Senior Associate. When you work with a relatively small-sized law firm, you may be made its partner at this stage. In most reputable or large law firms, you will only be admitted as a Partner after you have acquired at least seven to eight years’ post- qualifying experience (PQE).
In general, there are two types of partnership in Malaysia: salaried or equity partner.
As a salary-earning partner, you are not entitled to profit-sharing of a law firm. In reality, you are an employee (as opposed to an owner) of the firm, which will pay you a monthly salary plus a discretionary year-end bonus.
On the other hand, an equity partner is a co-owner of the firm where you will get a fixed percentage of the profit-sharing of the firm’s total net profit. Sometimes, you are required to buy its “shares” and can “sell” them when you decide to leave the partnership. In some situations, you will be given the “shares” (or “points”) for free; you may not sell or transfer them when you leave the partnership. [Read more →]
Commonsense tells us that there is need to review old laws that were enacted during the British colonial era or soon after the country’s independence. The move is necessary not only to ensure justice in the changing world, but also to remove irrelevant provisions that were once considered pertinent or important.
A case in point is the replacement of the Internal Security Act 1960 by two new security laws announced by Datuk Seri Najib Razak late last year. The Act was introduced to combat Communist insurgency and maintain national security.
The Prime Minister rightly felt that it was time to increase civil liberties and protect human rights, including the freedom of assembly. It was a calculated move with some risks, but it was widely welcomed by people from all strata of society.
Even the Deputy Minister of Finance, Datuk Donald Lim, has called for a review of the Bankruptcy Act 1967 which was amended in 2003. The changed included the increase of debt from RM10,000 to RM30,000 for bankruptcy proceedings and the rise in the borrowing ceiling of an undischarged bankrupt from RM100 to RM1,000.
The Act, which was based on English law, was amended to allow bankrupts “a second chance.” However, they still have to waiting for five years before they are permitted to apply for a discharge from bankruptcy. During this period, they cannot leave the country, open a bank account or conduct any form of business. Thus, the restrictions prevent entrepreneurs from starting with a clean slate.
Many Malaysian laws were implemented before or soon after independence in 1957. They include the Betting and Sweepstake Duties Act 1945, Bills of Exchange Act 1949, Married Women and Children (Maintenance) Act 1950 and Registration of Marriage Ordinance 1952. Of course, most of them were later revised in order to be in sync with modern needs and norms.
One of the most controversial laws is Section 377 of the Penal Code which deals with sodomy. Opposition leader Datuk Anwar Ibrahim called it “archaic” in a BBC interview, sparking an uncalled-for uproar. [Read more →]
Without knowing, this blog is 4 years old already, which was started 10 days before my 1st daughter, Hossana Law, was born in 2007.
Looking back 4 to 5 years ago, I had experienced drastic change in my life, praise the God, such change is a positive one…
Seeing my daughter, Hosanna, singing in church gave me a great sense of gratidute. I am so thankful to God for his safe guard for the past 5 years and who I am and what I have today are the clear evidence of His blessing in disguise.
Song Name: 小小的梦想 （Small Little Dream) – listern to the lyrics, it is so encouraging and wonderful! Hope you enjoy it…
After 2 years, the Law Society of University of Malaya has again collaborating with the United Kingdom Malaysian Student Law Union (KPUM) to co-organise the annual legal career fair -Law Career Convention 2011 (LCC 2011), for law students and young lawyers to network with local law firms and corporations.
eLawyer is proud to be invited to be the media partner for this event again this year.
Young lawyers and law students are encouraged to and welcome to visit this LCC 2011.
The details of the event are below:
Event Name: KPUM-UM Law Career Convention 2011 (LCC)
Organiser: UM Law Society & KPUM
Venue: Law Faculty of University Malaya
Date: 19 November 2011 (Saturday)
Time: 9am – 4pm
eLawyer will be setting up an exhibition booth there.
Please do drop by and say HELLO to our team of representative (Our Eddie Law is happy to provide free legal career consultation on the spot).
If you are a Christian lawyer, please do take note of this rare event in Kuala Lumpur – “Called Beyond the Bar” which is organized by Advocates Malaysia together with Law Offices PrayerNet.
“Come find out how to build strong godly foundations in legal practice.
Come find out if your legal practice is built on a solid foundation or on shifting sand. “
Date: 3 December 2011 (Saturday)
Time: 8:30am – 1:00pm (followed by lunch)
Venue: St Mary’s Cathedral, Jalan Raja, 50050 Kuala Lumpur (next to Dataran Merdeka)
Speaker: Dr Leong Tien Fock
Fees
Early Bird: RM30-00 (till 31 October 2011)
Regular: RM40-00
Students/Pupil: RM20-00
Registration Closing Date: 25 November 2011
To register, please contact: Phaik Hoon at 012-3029020 / christian.advocates.my@gmail.com
For more information please visit www.advasia.org
“And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not unto men”Col 3:23
Brief introduction of speaker:
Dr. Leong Tien Fock is Research Coordinator of Malaysia Campus Crusade for Christ. His research focuses on the application of the OT to contemporary thinking and living. He also serves as Adjunct Lecturer at the East Asia School of Theology, Singapore.
• B.E. (Hons.), Civil Engineering, University of Malaya (1981)
• M.A., Old Testament Studies, Wheaton College Graduate School, Illinois (1989)
• M.A., Ph.D. in Near Eastern Languages and Cultures, UCLA (1991,1994)
Disclaimer:Eddie Law is currently not involved in legal practise.This Site is provided for your information only to help you understand some of your legal rights. It should not be relied on as legal advice because it is not a substitute for an in person consultation with a lawyer. Nothing transmitted to or from this Site constitutes the establishment of an lawyer-client relationship between you or any lawyer. Eddie Law shall not be liable for any lost suffered by you as a result of relying on the information herein.
