My experience of calls to the Bar is one borne from moving calls mostly at the Kuala Lumpur (KL) and, occasionally, at the Shah Alam High Courts. Rarely have I been called to move a call out of the Klang Valley. I used to look on in horror at the mass calls to the Bar practiced by the Singaporean Bar. I used to think our Malaysian practice of calling each newly minted member of the …
“What are our chances of success?” Every litigation lawyer’s client That is a question a client will inevitably ask his or her lawyer about a case in court. It is understandable. Their personal fortunes are tied to the case. They are anxious and stressed about whether they will succeed or lose. Nobody goes to court wanting to lose unless it is part of a larger strategy. Usually that assurance is expected to be expressed as …
This is an old chestnut from my father. I heard this from college all the way into practice. It is a cliché to me because I have so absorbed it to the point I enjoy reading around a subject more than reading about the subject itself. Some call this procrastination; there have been times I was tempted to agree. This advice has led me to discover delightful warrens of legal esoterica and broaden my horizons. …
That was my father’s first piece of advice for me after I started practice. He gave that advice to every pupil that went through his firm. I don’t know whether he still does it anymore. “Bank it in, note when to pay it out, then forget about it. Those that keep looking at it or thinking about it are the ones that get into trouble. Even if you go bankrupt, or your family is starving, …