A favourite lawyer question is, How did you come to the law? If it is not true for everyone else, it is at least true for me. With that single question I have had the pleasure of listening to countless stories of a new practitioner's journey to the bar. The bar is the shorthand for … Continue reading My acquaintanceship with the law

When I started practice, I fancied myself a decent tennis player. When the opportunity to try out for the Kuala Lumpur Bar Committee tennis team appeared, I signed up. I don't remember where it was held but I do remember it was at a leafy, cozy and quiet set of courts in the evening after … Continue reading Lawyers and ‘Lawyers’

The Malaysian Bar Council is a statutory body everyone loves to bitch, whine, moan and complain about; from the public, politicians, government and especially its very own lawyers. Hardly a day goes by without some lawyer belting out their righteous indignation on whatever media about how the Bar Council is not doing this or that, … Continue reading The Bar Council Maligned

"After five years of practice, I don't want to do anymore lower court work, man. It will be High Court and above only," said my friend when we hung out in the court corridors of the Kuala Lumpur courts when they were located at Jalan Raja. He was in a well known corporate litigation set. … Continue reading Seniority and Court Hierarchy

When I first started the practice of law as a pupil and right into my first year of practice, I wrote down my arguments in full and read it out at the hearing. Every time. Despite all I read, reduced to writing and remembered, I felt I could not do without my script. As long … Continue reading Losing my script

Pupils these days seem to have little to no expectations of being called upon to do hearings or trials during their pupilage. Even if they were offered such an opportunity, they are likely to decline it because they think they are not ready. My sense of it is the common pupil appears content to busy … Continue reading My first ever hearing and trial

If there is one thing I enjoy more than advocacy books written by well known barristers, attorneys and lawyers, it is reading advocacy advice and anecdotes by accomplished, well-regarded, and great judges. But judges are not in the habit of writing advocacy books as lawyers do, and yet their views on advocacy are important because … Continue reading Advocacy Tip: Getting off the ground

In most legal jurisdictions, a broad distinction is drawn between lawyers based on the work they do. Generally, a court going lawyer deals with disputes resolution; they are known as litigators. A non-court going lawyer deals with either supporting litigators or relationship building solutions; they are called solicitors. My essay today is about litigators and … Continue reading Agong’s Counsel

In Dato' Mahadev Shankar's delightful collection of anecdotes appropriately titled, Legal Anecdotes, there is a story called the "The Occult", which begins with this line: "In the life of a lawyer, one sometimes comes face to face with the occult." This is true. If you haven't had such an incident, I'm afraid you have not … Continue reading The Occult in Legal Practice

Donatus Chidera Okonkwo was charged for drug trafficking, 39B. The sentence is death. I remember him because of his name, specifically, his last name - Okonkwo. That is the name of the protagonist of one of my favourite novel Things Fall Apart by the Nigerian writer, Chinua Achebe. It was a pioneering novel. It told … Continue reading Right up to the hilt