Adducing Evidence after Trial
In a civil or criminal case, all the evidence in support of a civil claim, criminal prosecution or defence to either of them must be brought before the trial judge …
Judiciary Recorders
Don’t worry, I am not pitching to sell the judiciary a new Court Recording and Transcription (CRT) system. The Recorders I am referring to are the English Recorders: appointed barristers …
The Ethics of Applying for an Adjournment
The way I was raised, a court date is a sacred date. It must be attended. Unless I was very ill or about to die, an adjournment is out of …
All for one and one for all
Though the law was not my first choice and chosen for me, what matters, in the end, is that I answered when called. Having dwelled in the realm of legal …
‘Always read your file before going to court’
This piece of advice was given to me by my father before I commenced my pupillage. The longer version was along the following lines: Before you go to court, you …
23 Years at the Bar
I was called on 6 August 1999. Today I marks the completion of 23 full years in legal practice. I enter my 24th year in practice tomorrow. I always celebrate …
The Ayer Molek Case | Part Three
On 4 September 1995, the Bar Council issued a further statement: The Bar Council notes the comments attributed to Chief Justice Tan Sri Eusoff Chin in today’s newspapers. We would …
The Ayer Molek Case | Part Two
Preface: Some time ago, some friends and I noticed there is no comprehensive account of our Malaysian legal history available. There is a void in our national consciousness about the …
Templates | Its Use and Abuse
A lawyer’s use of templates and precedents is often mocked. “All you do is copy and paste from the other agreements.” “You just use a previous application and change a …
The Ayer Molek Case | Part One
Preface: Some time ago, some friends and I noticed there is no comprehensive account of our Malaysian legal history available. There is a void in our national consciousness about the …
Rejigging the Legal Submission
Preparing for arguments for court is now an exercise in labouriousness. Let’s take an application. The court will fix a schedule for the exchange of affidavits on the first case …
The Importance of Preparation
Sometime around ten in the morning several years back, my colleague, Asim Ng, quietly came into my room while I was deep in my work. I did not notice him …
Losing my first death sentence appeal
In my thirties, despite having a clutch of capital punishment trials under my belt, and arguing matters in the Court of Appeal, I had not yet done any capital punishment …
Law Degree Good, Articled Clerkship Better
In Malaysia, there are actually two ways to be an advocate and solicitor. The first is the law degree route. You obtain a law degree from an approved university. A …