Every once in a while I get these fetish-type requests. “We want someone strong and aggressive.” “We want a fighter-cock kind of lawyer.” “We want you to attack them.” “We want you to be aggressive with them.” “We want to teach them a lesson.” Those that make such requests are not shy to ask for it at the outset. Sometimes they tell me the need for such a lawyer before they explain what the case …
Every now and then a pupil or an intern will tell me: “Sir, I am really willing to learn. If I do anything wrong or make a mistake please feel free to scold me. I have no problems with it. You can shout at me also. If you scold me it means I deserve it.” Scold: To speak angrily to somebody, especially a child, because they have done something wrong. Shout: to say something in …
For some reason, this is an evergreen topic in Malaysian practice. Those who pose this question often think they discovered some great irreconcilable schism in legal practice between the two. Those who ask this question often leave the impression that if legal practice is a business, then lawyers may do whatever they need to do to earn a fee. However, if legal practice is a profession, then lawyers are severely restricted in how they earn …
These are my views on the Federal Constitution, the law and its practice where it relates to apostasy, and my experience conducting such cases in Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya in the Federal Territories of Malaysia; I do not consider its theological aspects. In Malaysia, it is said that converting into Islam is like checking into the Hotel California. You can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave. From my experience, that is …
If you worked with me, whether you are a lawyer, pupil, intern, paralegal, or clerk, at some point, you will hear the following speech from me. You wouldn’t have heard this precise version. It always changes in the telling. I keep refining it as I go along. This is today’s version of it: “I know it looks to you as if I know a lot and appear good at what I do. But appreciate that …