So you wanna be a lawyer

by StudyMalaysia on May 19, 2020 | Top Stories, Career Guide

So you wanna be a lawyer - StudyMalaysia.com

Did you know that LLB is the Latin abbreviation for ‘Legum Baccalaureus’ (also known as the Bachelor of Laws)? Did you know that the earliest lawyers existed in the government of ancient Greece? And that 25 past presidents of the US were lawyers before they were sworn in? A lawyer is known by many names – advocate, barrister, attorney, counsel, counselor or solicitor – if you think you have what it takes to become one, read on to find out what you need to do.

The job of a lawyer

A lawyer is someone who has earned a degree in law, and has a license to practice law in a particular area. Generally, the job of a lawyer includes:

Advising and representing clients in courts and in private legal matters
Communicating with clients, colleagues, judges and others involved in the case
Conducting research
Interpreting laws, rulings, and regulations
Presenting facts in writing and verbally to their clients or others and argue on behalf of their clients
Preparing and filing legal documents, such as lawsuits, appeals, wills, contracts, and deeds

Want to find out what kinds of jobs law firms offer?

eLawyer is a popular law portal in Malaysia that posts the latest jobs available in the legal profession. Click on each job title to read more about the job description.

You can also get a better understanding about the latest issues, trends or changes in the legal field both locally and internationally by reading the articles at eLawyer’s blog.

Lawyers sometimes provide advice or their services for free; this is called "pro bono," meaning "for the public good." In many countries, if a person is accused of a crime and unable to pay for a lawyer, the government will pay a lawyer to represent them using tax money.

Lawyers work in many different industries but lawyers also often specialize in a particular area. Here are some examples of the different types of lawyers that specialise in specific legal areas:

Civil Rights
Corporate and Securities Law
Criminal Law
Education Law
Employment and Labor Law
Environmental and Natural Resources Law
Family and Juvenile Law
Health Law
Immigration Law
Intellectual Property Law
International Law
Real Estate Law
Sports and Entertainment Law
Tax Law

Is this job for you?

If you think you want to pursue a career in the legal profession, take a moment to ask yourself these questions: Do you have a thirst for knowledge and a desire for continual learning? Are you detail-oriented? Are you good at analysing situations and determining approaches? Do you thrive in a competitive environment? Are you willing to work long hours?

The interest code for this career is EI (Enterprising and Investigative):

Enterprising — Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.

Investigative — Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.

Work styles

What kind of lifestyle does a lawyer have?

You will very likely:

work long and irregular hours
work at the weekends
travel within and out of the country
spend a lot of time reading
spend a lot of time talking, negotiating and even arguing with people
earn a good salary
live in a big city
deal with people from all walks of life

A lawyer needs excellent analytical skills. They need to be able to digest large amounts of information quickly, pick out the essential points and make connections to how the law applies to each point. They also need good organisational skills to manage their time and work as efficiently as possible on every case.

Good communications skills is essential – from good grammar to being able to make arguments in a clear and concise manner. Lawyers work with people. As such, people skills are also important. Lawyers need to be able to deal with people from all walks of life in a professional way. Lawyers also need to de dependable, honest and ethical; and be able to accept criticism and have high stress tolerance.

Work values

Lawyers value recognition, advancement and potential for leadership. They appreciate accomplishment and being able to use their strongest abilities. They also like to work independently and making their own decisions.

Work environment

Lawyers do most of their work in offices, law libraries, and courtrooms. They sometimes meet in clients’ homes or places of business. They may travel to attend meetings, gather evidence, and appear before courts and other authorities. It is common for lawyers to work long and irregular hours, including weekends.

Lawyers are increasingly using various forms of technology like databases, voice-recognition technology and software applications to perform more efficiently and share information more effectively.

Places of employment

Lawyers can find employment at law firms, government agencies, and the judiciary. They may also work as in-house lawyers for private companies or for non-profit agencies. Some may work in academia.

The requirements needed to practise as a lawyer in Malaysia

After completing a law LL.B degree from universities which are recognised by the Legal Profession Qualifying Board of Malaysia (LPQB), graduates can qualify to be admitted to the Malaysian Bar by sitting for and passing the Malaysian Certificate in Legal Practice (CLP), or passing the Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) in the UK. After passing these, law graduates are then required to go through a nine-month training called 'chambering' or 'pupillage'. During the chambering period, graduates will need to sit for some exams conducted by the Malaysian Bar before they can be called to the Malaysian Bar and become a qualified lawyer in Malaysia.

Studying for a law degree

Generally, a four-year law degree will qualify its graduates to proceed with chambering without sitting for the CLP. These programmes include those offered by Universiti Malaya, Institut Teknologi MARA, International Islamic University, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Universiti Utara Malaysia, and Multimedia University.

Graduates of universities that offer a three-year law degree (common in universities from Malaysia (other than the above universiites), the UK, Australia and New Zealand) will have to pass the CLP exam before they undergo chambering.

Pre-U requirements

It’s important that you choose a pre-university programme that is accepted by LPQB. Some of these include:

A level, STPM, UEC, IB Diploma, AUSMAT, SAM, and selected foundation or Year 12 programmes.

Note: To practice law in Malaysia, one needs to sit for the Bahasa Malaysia Qualifying Examination. A pupil can apply for a Certificate of Exemption with at least a credit in Bahasa Melayu at SPM level. Equivalent qualifications accepted for exemption can be found here.

New requirements for CLP

With effect from 1 Jan 2021, students who wish to sit for the CLP examination must have obtained at least five credits in SPM/ O levels or its equivalent, obtained in one sitting; and relevant passes in the STPM/ UEC/ A levels also obtained in one sitting.

For UEC qualification holders who wish to sit for the CLP examination, they will need to have passes in at least two subjects at in UEC Middle 3, and at least five credits in SPM/ O level or equivalent in one sitting.

More details on entry requirements for the CLP examination can be found here.

Source: www.lpqb.org.my

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