Latest news with #BarCouncil
Free Malaysia Today
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Another task force set up to study Common Bar Course
The Common Bar Course is meant to provide a more practical and modern legal training programme for law graduates, similar to the Bar Training Course in the UK. KUALA LUMPUR : The Legal Profession Qualifying Board (LPQB) has formed a new task force to carry out an eight-month study on the Common Bar Course (CBC), a long-delayed proposal to replace the current legal qualifying exam known as the Certificate in Legal Practice (CLP). The task force will begin its study on Aug 1, deputy law and institutional reform minister M Kulasegaran told the Dewan Rakyat today. He said the task force would comprise experts from public and private universities, along with representatives from the Bar Council, and would design the course's syllabus, teaching methods, and assessment standards. Kulasegaran said that from July 5 to July 10, officials from the LPQB, which is headed by the attorney-general, visited the UK to study how the Bar Training Course was being run. The officials met with representatives of institutions like the UK's Bar Standards Board, Solicitors Regulation Authority, Legal Services Board, University of Law, City Law School, and Lincoln's Inn, who shared insight on course regulation, curriculum design, and student assessment. The CBC is meant to provide a more practical and modern legal training programme for law graduates, similar to the Bar Training Course in the UK. 'The current CLP exam is fully written, but the CBC will include skills-based assessments and practical training in areas like criminal litigation, advocacy, ethics, opinion writing, and conference skills,' Kulasegaran said in response to S Kesavan (PH-Sungai Siput), who had asked for an update on the CBC's implementation. In a supplementary question, Kesavan asked why the CBC had not been introduced despite being discussed as far back as 2001, and why there was no timeframe for its implementation. Kulasegaran, a lawyer by training, replied that the delay was unacceptable. 'This is a question that is always asked, why has it taken more than 25 years? Are we just reviewing and reviewing without end? We have now given a clear push to the LPQB under the Madani government. 'The implementation must be expedited for the benefit of law graduates,' he said. The CBC is a proposed training course for all law graduates, both local and foreign-trained. It is meant to replace or improve the current CLP system, which has been criticised as too academic and not reflective of real world legal practice. At present, law graduates from universities outside of Malaysia and some local private institutions must pass the CLP to qualify for pupillage and be called to the Bar.
BBC News
11 hours ago
- Politics
- BBC News
St Albans rape trial jury made to wait due to staff shortage
A leading barrister has raised concerns after a judge overseeing a double rape trial had to delay asking a jury to consider verdicts because of a shortage of court government agency which oversees the administration of courts said what happened at St Albans Court Court on 16 July was an "isolated incident".A spokesman for HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) said steps were being taken to "strengthen staffing levels".But the leader of the Bar Council, which represents barristers in England and Wales, said underfunding meant courts did not have enough people. Judge Bilal Siddique was overseeing the trial of a man accused of raping two women he had relationships with when a Metropolitan Police Cummings, 26, who lived in Lytton Way, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, had denied rape and said sex was judge was ready to ask the jury to retire to consider verdicts at around 1100 BST on 16 no court clerk was available to record administrative detail, including the time jurors retired. The judge asked the jury to retire at around 1400 BST, after a clerk became returned with one guilty verdict shortly after 1600 BST - and were then sent home for the returned with a second guilty verdict on the morning of 17 is due to be sentenced on 22 September."We had an unusual level of staff sickness on 16 July, which led to a delay in one case," said an HMCTS spokeswoman."While this was an isolated incident, we are taking steps to strengthen staffing levels to ensure we have sufficient cover in similar situations." Bar Council chair Barbara Mills KC said cuts meant the criminal justice system was not serving the people it was meant to protect."The result of decades of underfunding, cuts across every single aspect of the criminal justice system, meaning there's not enough clerks, magistrates, probation staff… the list goes on," she said."There is no getting away from the fact that the entire sector must be sufficiently resourced to function effectively and as well as we know it can."She added: "Currently, the impact on victims, witnesses and defendants is detrimental – criminal justice in England and Wales is not serving those it's meant to protect." Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
New Straits Times
4 days ago
- Politics
- New Straits Times
Malaysian Bar EGM dissolved over lack of quorum
KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Bar's extraordinary general meeting (EGM), which was expected to address key issues on judicial independence, was dissolved after it failed to meet the required quorum, reports said. According to Free Malaysia Today, Bar Council president Ezri Abdul Wahab told reporters that only 309 members were present at the meeting held at Menara Matrade, well short of the 500 members required for the EGM to proceed. "I am disappointed (that it has been dissolved) because for each EGM we have to spend money," he was quoted as saying in the report. The EGM had been scheduled after calls emerged on July 1 to debate three motions. Two of them were focused on safeguarding judicial independence, while the third sought to push for a fairer minimum pay scale for chambering pupils. Ezri was set to table the motion titled "Judicial Independence". Another motion, aimed at holding the prime minister accountable for what was perceived as a blow to public confidence in the judiciary, had been jointly proposed by lawyers Malik Imtiaz Sarwar and Surendra Ananth, and backed by four others. A separate motion advocating for fairer pupil remuneration, put forward by lawyers Goh Cia Yee and Vince Tan, had received notable support from within the legal fraternity, with 190 lawyers seconding it. "We felt the young lawyers wanted to speak up and that was why we organised the EGM," Ezri added, expressing hope that more junior members would have shown up. Former attorney-general Tan Sri Tommy Thomas was among those who attended the meeting. Responding to a question on whether the poor turnout reflected declining confidence in the Malaysian Bar, its vice-president Anand Raj said, "The majority of members had entrusted us with the motion at the AGM in March. "That motion passed, and what has happened in the last few months reflects that." He was referring to the earlier decision by the Bar to mount a legal challenge against the Federal Territories Pardons Board over the reduced prison sentence for former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak in the SRC International case. This is not the first time a Malaysian Bar meeting has had to be called off due to a failure to meet quorum requirements.
Malay Mail
4 days ago
- Politics
- Malay Mail
Malaysian Bar's EGM on judicial independence dissolves over lack of quorum
KUALA LUMPUR, July 26 — The Malaysian Bar's extraordinary general meeting (EGM), convened to debate urgent motions concerning judicial independence, was dissolved today after it failed to meet the required quorum of 500 members, The Star reported. Only 309 lawyers from the Peninsula — out of more than 24,000 members — turned up for the session, prompting the EGM's automatic dissolution under the Bar's rules. Bar Council president Ezri Abdul Wahab expressed disappointment over the outcome. 'We are disappointed as every EGM requires financial resources, and we aimed to address urgent issues on judicial independence,' he reportedly said. The Bar had intended to table and debate three motions, including one titled 'Judicial Independence' led by Ezri himself, and another that sought to 'hold the prime minister accountable for undermining public confidence in the judiciary,' proposed by senior lawyers Malik Imtiaz Sarwar and Surendra Ananth. A third motion focused on implementing fair minimum remuneration for pupils, raised by Goh Cia Yee and Vince Tan. Despite the dissolution, Ezri said the council would rely on a resolution passed during its annual general meeting in May, which empowers the leadership to act in defence of the judiciary. 'We will use the resolution to proceed with necessary actions. I cannot explain why members did not attend. We hoped younger lawyers would support the motion on remuneration for pupils, but that was not the case,' he told The Star. He added that many issues had already been addressed by the council, which might explain the low turnout. Bar Council vice-president Anand Raj said the lack of quorum should not be read as a sign of disinterest or distrust. 'It indicates our actions thus far have been sufficient and align with members' expectations. Those who attended wanted to contribute, but the majority have entrusted us with a broad mandate,' he said. The EGM had been called earlier this month amid concern over the impending retirement of Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat, who was nearing the mandatory retirement age of 66 at the time. Despite Saturday's setback, the Bar Council indicated it will press ahead with its efforts to uphold judicial independence based on its existing mandate.
Free Malaysia Today
4 days ago
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Lawyer questions proposed MyDigital ID mandate amid data leak fears
Federal territories minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa said the voluntary registration model for the digital ID system is a limitation that the government is looking to address. PETALING JAYA : A lawyer has poured cold water on the government's proposal to make MyDigital ID registration mandatory, saying concerns over data security and personal information leaks remain unresolved. Foong Cheng Leong, deputy chair of the Bar Council's intellectual property committee, said although the system did not store personal data, breaches could still occur. 'The public is still traumatised by previous data leaks. No one has ever been held accountable for those incidents,' he told FMT. He was commenting on the government's announcement that it is considering legislation to regulate and strengthen the MyDigital ID system in the face of public scepticism. Federal territories minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa said the current voluntary registration model for the digital ID system was a limitation that the government was looking to address. Foong said the government lacked the manpower to effectively handle all public complaints, unlike private sector organisations which typically establish dedicated departments for customer issues. 'If a user suffers a loss due to government negligence, it's difficult to obtain compensation. The government is also protected under the Public Authorities Protection Act 1948,' he said. He added that not all verification of identity should be done through MyDigital ID alone, and that Malaysians should be given the option to register through alternative digital platforms such as through electronic Know-Your-Customer (e-KYC). Another legal expert, Wan Ahmad Fauzi Wan Husain, urged the government to clarify whether weaknesses in the MyDigital ID system had led to the creation of multiple platforms such as MySejahtera, the Central Database System, and Budi Madani. MyDigital ID, a national digital identification initiative developed in 2016, is aimed at providing a secure and authenticated method of verifying identities online. Wan Ahmad Fauzi, an associate professor at International Islamic University Malaysia, said the government must be transparent about the effectiveness of existing systems and the rationale for introducing new ones that appeared to have overlapping functions. He also asked if the Malaysian Administrative Modernisation and Management Planning Unit had failed to foresee the potential risks involved. 'There needs to be a clear and comprehensive review, and the government must holistically address the broader challenges of digitalisation. 'It should also assess the capabilities of existing systems before rolling out new ones. There must be strong justification to avoid wasteful spending,' he said.
