Your guide to become an Lawyer in Malaysia

Average Salary
2,500 - 3,000

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Who is an Lawyer

A lawyer is a licensed professional, also known as a solicitor, barrister or attorney who represents others in legal matters.

Lawyers act as an advocate, advisor, and counsellor to the clients they represent. There are different areas of practice in lawyering such as corporate law, family law, intellectual property law, tax law, etc. Not all of them go to court all the time. They handle other matters as well such as drafting agreements between parties, administer paperwork, settle legal disputes, advice companies and many more.

There are quite a variety of lawyering types to be. Such as:

Maritime Law

Bankruptcy Law

Corporate Law

Civil Rights Law

Criminal Law

Entertainment Law

Family Law

Health Law

Immigration Law

Intellectual Property Law

International Law

Labour Law

Military Law

Personal Injury Law

Real Estate Law

Tax Law

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The pros and cons of being an Lawyer

Pros

High potential earnings
Employment in a wide range of industries
Opportunities to help clients resolve problems and pursue justice.

Cons

Job may require long work hours
Strong competition for admission to law school
Stressful job, even more so if you handle high profile clients

What are all the responsibilities of an Lawyer ?

Advise clients on possible options
Interpret laws
Present your case to the judges
Evaluate your findings
Gather evidence
Question witnesses
A representative of your client
Examine data to determine the validity of the case
Present evidence in court
Study legal writings
Prepare legal documents
Discuss legal matters with other legal professionals

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Incase of any queries

What skills do you need to become an Lawyer?

Attention to detail

As a Lawyer, you need to backup your client to defend his or her truth. This would take a lot of research and studying the case. You will need to question your client and other parties as well. As such, you need to be particular when framing these questions because you want that person to provide a specific answer that will help in your quest to find out the truth. Perhaps the person in question keeps changing his answer so you need to detect whether it’s the truth or a lie. Every little detail counts.

Communication skills

Are you a grammar nazi? Do you have the gift of the gab? Besides memorising, understanding and practicing law, you also need to be an excellent communicator so that you can present your case to the judges. The way you structure your sentences, fluency in speaking and level of confidence you exude will affect your job. A professional Lawyer is one who is able to debate without allowing his or her emotions get in the way and get into an argument.

Ethical

Those in the legal profession act as a guardian of the law in preserving the harmony of the nation. Hence, it is the obligation of a lawyer to, first and foremost, uphold the highest standards of integrity, dignity and ethical conduct.

What field(s) of study should you choose to become an Lawyer?

Law
Jurisprudence

What are the requirements to be an Lawyer?

Those who intend to be a Lawyer must have a bachelor’s degree in law or jurisprudence or its equivalent and pass the Certificate of Legal Practice (CLP) examination which will earn you a license to legally practice law in Malaysia. CLP is a compulsory requirement for Bachelor of Law graduates conferred by universities in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and certain universities in Australia and New Zealand before they can practice law. The Legal Profession Qualifying Board of Malaysia has listed down the universities. Click here to see the list. Graduates of these universities/institutions can apply and sit and pass the CLP examination.

Students can also opt to do the Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) to practice law in the UK. BPTC is the second stage of training to becoming a lawyer. This is taken over one year of full time studies. BPTC aims to give students the skills required for a career at the Bar. It is primarily a practical course including plenty of advocacy and role-playing, as well as exercises in drafting legal documents and writing opinions. Assessment takes several forms and vary between institutions.

These professional qualifications are necessary only if you are interested in practicing law. Besides that, students have to complete a 9-month chambering (internship). Other skills that are highly recommended include foreign languages (French, German, Japanese, Russian and Spanish), analytical and writing skills, overseas exposure, in-depth knowledge of the world’s legal systems in their political and cultural contexts.

What are the working hours of an Lawyer

Lawyers usually work between 51 to 60 hours a week. Sometimes, if a case is too difficult, you might have to work extra hard during weekends too, whatever it takes for you to win the case.

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