New lawyers called to Malaysian Bar via Zoom, a historic first

 

Malaysia’s new batch of lawyers are being called to the Bar through online proceedings under the CMCO.

PETALING JAYA: In a first for the Malaysian judiciary, new lawyers are being virtually admitted to the High Court of Malaya through Zoom calls.

The new advocates and solicitors are being called to the Bar in several sessions from Tuesday, with the final six sessions for the week set for today.

All admission proceedings may be viewed by the public through a YouTube live stream.

High Court judge Ahmad Kamal Md Shahid, who presided over half of the sessions, said the online hearings during the conditional movement control order (CMCO) marked a historic moment for the judiciary.

“It feels a bit odd because normally my court is filled with all the representatives from relevant departments, movers, petitioners and their families. But today, the court in front of me is empty.

“All this while, entry into the court was limited to 20 people due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but today it can be viewed by everyone around the world. This is a new normal that we should adapt to,” he said during yesterday’s 11am session.

Before the pandemic, the Kuala Lumpur High Court admitted lawyers to the Bar every Friday. Admission hearings were brought to a halt when the MCO was implemented in March.

Kuala Lumpur and several other states and federal territories are currently under partial lockdown until Sunday.

Malaysian Bar secretary AG Kalidas had said last month that 325 pupils were unable to proceed with their admissions due to the delay in court hearings.

Ilyssa Jace Chakrabarty said she was initially a little disappointed when she came to know of the virtual admission hearings, as she had been looking forward to appearing in court since she began pursuing law six years ago.

The virtual admission hearings require participants to prepare their own set-ups at home.

The newly admitted lawyer told FMT she had spent more than RM500 to buy a robe and bib for her call, which was set for Oct 26 but got postponed twice because of the CMCO extension.

“The dates for physical calls have been pushed back indefinitely with the lockdown. I wanted to be enrolled this year itself, so it really wasn’t an option for me to wait and I just made the best of the situation,” said Ilyssa.

“I definitely fumbled a bit,” she said, recalling her admission yesterday morning. “The robe was heavy and I had to put it on while making sure I was still on the screen. But, overall, I think it went well and I’m glad for the smooth internet connection.”

Pavitra Pillai, who was also admitted virtually yesterday, expressed happiness over finally getting called to the Bar after finishing her pupilage in July.

Pavitra and her family had prepared a studio set-up in anticipation of her Zoom admission hearing, which included professional lighting. She said the plus side of having it streamed live was that all her relatives and friends could join in as well.

“None of us know when Covid-19 will end. Delaying my call would only stall my legal career and in the end, I just wanted to go on the record as an advocate and solicitor,” she said.

Another new lawyer, Koh Tsi Jing, said she had prepared for her online hearing by watching the first few sessions “to get a feel of it and study the procedure”.

“It definitely does not feel the same as being called physically in court. Nevertheless, I do appreciate the court’s versatility in allowing petitioners to be called online. Otherwise, we would have to wait until next year to get called and obtain our licence to practise.”

Koh plans to gain exposure and experience by being a part of a variety of cases, in hopes of excelling at her career in litigation. - FMT