Updates from KLBC (following the 3rd and 4th KLBC meeting held on 19.05.2009 and 11.06.2009 respectively)
Relocation of the KL Legal Aid Centre
Due to space constraints at its premises on the 6th floor of Wisma Kraftangan, the KL Legal Aid Centre had on 15.06.2009 relocated to a larger premises on the 9th floor of the same building.
Pupillage Guide and Directory
The KLBC had managed to secure a collaboration with CrimsonLogic to produce the Pupillage Guide and Directory. Abdul Rashid Ismail who initiated this project in the last term had kindly volunteered to follow it through to its completion. It is anticipated that the publication will be ready for print by early next month.
Movie Night
The Social, Arts & Culture Committee is organising a private screening of Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen on 27.06.2009 at GSC Pavilion for members of the Bar to get-together to watch this blockbuster. Tickets are sold at the normal rate of RM12.00 each for the normal seats and RM14.00 each for the twin seats.
YLC Charity Night 2009
The YLC Charity Night will be held on 03.07.2009 at Modesto’s @ CapSquare. This year, the Charity Night will be showcasing “Legally Talented”. Tickets at RM30.00 each (inclusive of 3 varieties of finger food and 2 drinks) are available for sale at the KL Bar Secretariat, 8th Floor, Wisma Kraftangan.
19th Sports Carnival - KL Bar vs Royal Selangor Club
The 19th Sports Carnival - KL Bar vs Royal Selangor will be held on 25.07.2009. The games to be played in this Series are badminton, billiards/pool, cricket, golf, hockey, netball, soccer, tennis and “boat race”.
Malaysian Bar Annual Interstate Golf Tournament
The Malaysian Bar Annual Interstate Golf Tournament will be held on 04.07.2009 at Orna Golf & Country Club, Melaka. As in previous years, the Sports Committee will send a team of golfers to participate in the said Tournament. (Those interested in representing the KL Bar may contact the Golf Convenor, Koh Yew Chong at tel. no. 20785588.)
3rd Legal Career Fair
The 3rd Legal Career Fair is scheduled to be held on 23.01.2010. (More details will be provided once the Pupils Welfare Committee, which is undertaking the project, has worked out the details.)
Study Tour to the Singapore Court
The Civil Court Liaison Committee will be organising a study tour to the Singapore Court for lawyers to learn on site how the tracking system works. It was learnt that the tracking system implemented at the Commercial and Civil Divisions of the KL High Court was modeled from the system used by the Singapore Court and as the Chief Justice and Chief Judge of Malaya were keen on getting feedback from members on the system, it was felt that we should first know what to expect out of the system before we can provide the feedback. The study tour would also cover the court recording system.
Second Survey on the Tracking System
The Civil Court Liaison Committee had carried out a second survey taking into account the progress of the tracking system since its implementation. The feedback gathered from the second survey had been tabulated and would be forwarded to the Bar Council for it to take up with the Judiciary.
Meeting with the Managing Judge and Deputy Registrars of the Commercial Division including the Deputy Registrars of the Appellate & Misc. Matters Division
The KLBC together with the Civil Court Liaison Committee had met the Managing Judge and Deputy Registrars of the Commercial Division including Deputy Registrars of the Appellate & Misc. Matters Division of the KL High Court on 22.04.2009 to address issues pertaining to the tracking system and other concerns raised by members of the Bar. The notes of the meeting had been circulated to members via the e-mail.
Meeting with the Managing Judge and Deputy Registrars of the Civil Division
The KLBC together with the Civil Court Liaison Committee had met the Managing Judge and Deputy Registrars of the Civil Division on 28.04.2009 to address issues of concern raised by members of the Bar pertaining to the tracking system. The notes of the meeting had been circulated to members via the e-mail.
Meeting with the Acting Senior Judge and Senior Registrar of the KL Subordinate Courts
The Civil Court Liaison Committee had met the Acting Senior Judge and Senior Registrar of the KL Subordinate Courts on 27.05.2009 to address issues of concern raised by members of the Bar and discuss matters of mutual concern. The notes of the meeting are being prepared and once finalised will be circulated to members by e-mail.
Meeting with the OCPD Traffic and DBKL’s Traffic Officer
A meeting was held with the OCPD Traffic and DBKL’s Traffic Officer on 23.04.2009 to resolve the issue of the issuance of summonses to cars parked along both sides of the road leading to the Kuala Lumpur Court Complex. It was agreed that until the parking problem at the Kuala Lumpur Court Complex is resolved, it would be permissible for cars to be parked on either side of the said road so long as there is no obstruction to traffic.
Parking problems at the Kuala Lumpur Court Complex
The KLBC had managed to arrange for a shuttle service operator to run a shuttle service on a daily basis to and from the MATRADE car park and the Kuala Lumpur Court Complex to ease the parking problems at the Kuala Lumpur Court Complex. The operator is in the midst of obtaining the licence from the Commercial Vehicles Licensing Board (CVLB) to run the service. Once the shuttle service starts running, no vehicles will be permitted to be parked along the side of the roads leading to the Kuala Lumpur Court Complex and summonses will be issued.
Cause Lists
A meeting was held on 26.05.2009 with the respective Court Officers, Registrars and IT Officers to sort out problems pertaining to the furnishing of cause lists by the different Divisions of the KL High Court to the KLBC for uploading to the KL Bar website. The meeting had resulted in all the Divisions (except the Civil Division that has provided a direct link to its cause lists on its eCourt website) agreeing to furnish the cause lists to the KLBC by Thursday or at the latest by Friday of each week for the following week.
Courtesy call on the Supervising Judge of the Criminal Division of the KL Subordinate Courts
The Criminal Practice Committee paid a courtesy call on the Supervising Judge of the Criminal Division of the KL Subordinate Courts on 21.05.2009. Although it was a courtesy call, issues of concern raised by members of the Bar and matters of mutual concern were discussed. The notes of the meeting are being prepared and once finalised will be circulated to members by e-mail.
Courtesy call on the Head of Prosecution Unit, Attorney General’s Chambers, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur Branch
The Criminal Practice Committee paid a courtesy call on the Head of Prosecution Unit, Attorney General’s Chambers, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur Branch on 29.05.2009. Although it was a courtesy call, issues of concern raised by members of the Bar and matters of mutual concern were discussed. The notes of the meeting are being prepared and once finalised will be circulated to members by e-mail.
Meetings with MYNIC, Malaysian Communication Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and Multimedia Content Forum of Malaysia (CMCF)
The Information Technology Committee (ITC) met up with MYNIC on 28.04.2009, MCMC on 11.05.2009 and CMCF on 28.05.2009 to discuss ways to work together for mutual benefit. Some of the matters discussed were offering of special deal (by MYNIC) to KL Bar members to procure domain names, working with MCMC on Law Reforms and organising joint Forums and Seminars. Further meetings will be held to follow up on the matters that were discussed.
Breakdown in the eStamping system at the KL Stamp Office
Upon learning of the breakdown in the eStamping system at the KL Stamp Office, the Conveyancing Practice Committee immediately held discussions with the relevant people from the KL Stamp Office to ascertain the situation and requesting for immediate action to be taken to rectify the problem and suggesting alternative measures while waiting for the system to be restored. Follow up meetings are being arranged.
Revamping of the KL Bar Website
Work on the revamping of the KL Bar Website had started after the KLBC had perused quotations from 3 different web designers and selected one of them to do the job. It is anticipated that the first phase of the new website would be ready by the end of July 2009.
Acquisition of a KL Bar Building
Our representative to the Bar Council, Brendan Navin Siva, had been appointed by the Bar Council to chair a joint ad hoc committee of the Bar Council, Disciplinary Board, KLBC and KL LAC to look into buying a joint building to house the 4 bodies.
Photocopying Service
Since there is photocopying service available at the Left Wing Bar Room and the demand for such a service at the Bar Rooms was low, the last Committee had moved the photocopier at the Right Wing Bar Room to the KL Bar Secretariat at 8th Floor, Wisma Kraftangan. As the lease for the said photocopier will only be expiring in April 2010 and there was no need for the KL Bar Secretariat to have an additional photocopier, the KLBC had decided to try and generate some revenue to defray the monthly rental. The photocopier is now placed at the foyer of the KL Bar Secretariat for anyone (lawyers, pupils, tenants of Wisma Kraftangan, etc) to use at a nominal charge of 10 sen per print. Those who use their own paper will be charged 5 sen per print.
PDC Seminars
The Professional Development Committee had since April 2009, organised 6 Seminars on Fundamentals of Islamic Law and Finance in Practice; Legal Practice in the UK - A Barrister’s Perspecticve; Practical Skills for Lawyers in the Era of Economic Globalisation; Fundamentals of Commercial Drafting, Fundamentals of Conveyancing and Bankruptcy Proceedings. All the Seminar were well received.
Fast Track Legal Practice Management Course for young practitioners
The Inaugural Fast Track Legal Practice Management Course for young practitioners jointly organised by the Young Lawyers Committee and Professional Development Committee was successfully held on 22.05.2009. A total of 103 young practitioners and pupils attended the said Course. A report on the event had been posted on the KL Bar Blog.
Dialogue on the Ethics and Professional Standards (EPS) Examination (“Ethics Dialogue”)
The Pupils Welfare Committee had organised two Ethics Dialogue sessions for pupils, one on 07.04.2009 and another on 05.05.2009. Both sessions were well attended and from the feedback obtained, the pupils had found the dialogue sessions useful. The Pupils Welfare Committee will continue to organise the Ethics Dialogue on a monthly basis.
Workshop on Civil Litigation for Pupils
The Pupils Welfare Committee’s second workshop for pupils was on Civil Litigation. It was held on 28.05.2009 and attracted a full attendance of 20 participants.
The third workshop will be on Criminal Litigation and is scheduled to be held on 25.06.2009.
Earth Day - “Old/Disused Paper Collection” Exercise
In conjunction with Earth Day on 22.04.2009, the Environmental & Humanities Committee (EHC) carried out a “old/disused paper collection” exercise. This exercise saw 300 kg of paper being collected for recycling. A report on the event had been posted on the KL Bar Blog.
Young Professionals Alliance (YPA) Futsal Game
The YPA held a Futsal Game hosted by the Young Engineers Section (YES) on 30.05.2009 at Sports Planet, Section 13, Petaling Jaya. The KL Young Lawyers emerged as champion in the Game winning a huge hamper. A report on the event had been posted on the KL Bar Blog.
YLC’s visit to the Parliament
The Young Lawyers Committee organised a visit to the Parliament on 15.06.2009. 11 young members participated in the visit. It was an enlightening and educational experience for the young lawyers and there was positive feedback from them. A report on the visit is being prepared for posting on the KL Bar Blog.
Relevan Online
The first article for Relevan Online was posted on the KL Bar Blog on 20.05.2009.
Upcoming Activities
Click here for the list of upcoming activities as at 19.06.2009.
Anand Ponnudurai
Chairman
Kuala Lumpur Bar Committee 2009/10
Due to space constraints at its premises on the 6th floor of Wisma Kraftangan, the KL Legal Aid Centre had on 15.06.2009 relocated to a larger premises on the 9th floor of the same building.
Pupillage Guide and Directory
The KLBC had managed to secure a collaboration with CrimsonLogic to produce the Pupillage Guide and Directory. Abdul Rashid Ismail who initiated this project in the last term had kindly volunteered to follow it through to its completion. It is anticipated that the publication will be ready for print by early next month.
Movie Night
The Social, Arts & Culture Committee is organising a private screening of Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen on 27.06.2009 at GSC Pavilion for members of the Bar to get-together to watch this blockbuster. Tickets are sold at the normal rate of RM12.00 each for the normal seats and RM14.00 each for the twin seats.
YLC Charity Night 2009
The YLC Charity Night will be held on 03.07.2009 at Modesto’s @ CapSquare. This year, the Charity Night will be showcasing “Legally Talented”. Tickets at RM30.00 each (inclusive of 3 varieties of finger food and 2 drinks) are available for sale at the KL Bar Secretariat, 8th Floor, Wisma Kraftangan.
19th Sports Carnival - KL Bar vs Royal Selangor Club
The 19th Sports Carnival - KL Bar vs Royal Selangor will be held on 25.07.2009. The games to be played in this Series are badminton, billiards/pool, cricket, golf, hockey, netball, soccer, tennis and “boat race”.
Malaysian Bar Annual Interstate Golf Tournament
The Malaysian Bar Annual Interstate Golf Tournament will be held on 04.07.2009 at Orna Golf & Country Club, Melaka. As in previous years, the Sports Committee will send a team of golfers to participate in the said Tournament. (Those interested in representing the KL Bar may contact the Golf Convenor, Koh Yew Chong at tel. no. 20785588.)
3rd Legal Career Fair
The 3rd Legal Career Fair is scheduled to be held on 23.01.2010. (More details will be provided once the Pupils Welfare Committee, which is undertaking the project, has worked out the details.)
Study Tour to the Singapore Court
The Civil Court Liaison Committee will be organising a study tour to the Singapore Court for lawyers to learn on site how the tracking system works. It was learnt that the tracking system implemented at the Commercial and Civil Divisions of the KL High Court was modeled from the system used by the Singapore Court and as the Chief Justice and Chief Judge of Malaya were keen on getting feedback from members on the system, it was felt that we should first know what to expect out of the system before we can provide the feedback. The study tour would also cover the court recording system.
Second Survey on the Tracking System
The Civil Court Liaison Committee had carried out a second survey taking into account the progress of the tracking system since its implementation. The feedback gathered from the second survey had been tabulated and would be forwarded to the Bar Council for it to take up with the Judiciary.
Meeting with the Managing Judge and Deputy Registrars of the Commercial Division including the Deputy Registrars of the Appellate & Misc. Matters Division
The KLBC together with the Civil Court Liaison Committee had met the Managing Judge and Deputy Registrars of the Commercial Division including Deputy Registrars of the Appellate & Misc. Matters Division of the KL High Court on 22.04.2009 to address issues pertaining to the tracking system and other concerns raised by members of the Bar. The notes of the meeting had been circulated to members via the e-mail.
Meeting with the Managing Judge and Deputy Registrars of the Civil Division
The KLBC together with the Civil Court Liaison Committee had met the Managing Judge and Deputy Registrars of the Civil Division on 28.04.2009 to address issues of concern raised by members of the Bar pertaining to the tracking system. The notes of the meeting had been circulated to members via the e-mail.
Meeting with the Acting Senior Judge and Senior Registrar of the KL Subordinate Courts
The Civil Court Liaison Committee had met the Acting Senior Judge and Senior Registrar of the KL Subordinate Courts on 27.05.2009 to address issues of concern raised by members of the Bar and discuss matters of mutual concern. The notes of the meeting are being prepared and once finalised will be circulated to members by e-mail.
Meeting with the OCPD Traffic and DBKL’s Traffic Officer
A meeting was held with the OCPD Traffic and DBKL’s Traffic Officer on 23.04.2009 to resolve the issue of the issuance of summonses to cars parked along both sides of the road leading to the Kuala Lumpur Court Complex. It was agreed that until the parking problem at the Kuala Lumpur Court Complex is resolved, it would be permissible for cars to be parked on either side of the said road so long as there is no obstruction to traffic.
Parking problems at the Kuala Lumpur Court Complex
The KLBC had managed to arrange for a shuttle service operator to run a shuttle service on a daily basis to and from the MATRADE car park and the Kuala Lumpur Court Complex to ease the parking problems at the Kuala Lumpur Court Complex. The operator is in the midst of obtaining the licence from the Commercial Vehicles Licensing Board (CVLB) to run the service. Once the shuttle service starts running, no vehicles will be permitted to be parked along the side of the roads leading to the Kuala Lumpur Court Complex and summonses will be issued.
Cause Lists
A meeting was held on 26.05.2009 with the respective Court Officers, Registrars and IT Officers to sort out problems pertaining to the furnishing of cause lists by the different Divisions of the KL High Court to the KLBC for uploading to the KL Bar website. The meeting had resulted in all the Divisions (except the Civil Division that has provided a direct link to its cause lists on its eCourt website) agreeing to furnish the cause lists to the KLBC by Thursday or at the latest by Friday of each week for the following week.
Courtesy call on the Supervising Judge of the Criminal Division of the KL Subordinate Courts
The Criminal Practice Committee paid a courtesy call on the Supervising Judge of the Criminal Division of the KL Subordinate Courts on 21.05.2009. Although it was a courtesy call, issues of concern raised by members of the Bar and matters of mutual concern were discussed. The notes of the meeting are being prepared and once finalised will be circulated to members by e-mail.
Courtesy call on the Head of Prosecution Unit, Attorney General’s Chambers, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur Branch
The Criminal Practice Committee paid a courtesy call on the Head of Prosecution Unit, Attorney General’s Chambers, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur Branch on 29.05.2009. Although it was a courtesy call, issues of concern raised by members of the Bar and matters of mutual concern were discussed. The notes of the meeting are being prepared and once finalised will be circulated to members by e-mail.
Meetings with MYNIC, Malaysian Communication Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and Multimedia Content Forum of Malaysia (CMCF)
The Information Technology Committee (ITC) met up with MYNIC on 28.04.2009, MCMC on 11.05.2009 and CMCF on 28.05.2009 to discuss ways to work together for mutual benefit. Some of the matters discussed were offering of special deal (by MYNIC) to KL Bar members to procure domain names, working with MCMC on Law Reforms and organising joint Forums and Seminars. Further meetings will be held to follow up on the matters that were discussed.
Breakdown in the eStamping system at the KL Stamp Office
Upon learning of the breakdown in the eStamping system at the KL Stamp Office, the Conveyancing Practice Committee immediately held discussions with the relevant people from the KL Stamp Office to ascertain the situation and requesting for immediate action to be taken to rectify the problem and suggesting alternative measures while waiting for the system to be restored. Follow up meetings are being arranged.
Revamping of the KL Bar Website
Work on the revamping of the KL Bar Website had started after the KLBC had perused quotations from 3 different web designers and selected one of them to do the job. It is anticipated that the first phase of the new website would be ready by the end of July 2009.
Acquisition of a KL Bar Building
Our representative to the Bar Council, Brendan Navin Siva, had been appointed by the Bar Council to chair a joint ad hoc committee of the Bar Council, Disciplinary Board, KLBC and KL LAC to look into buying a joint building to house the 4 bodies.
Photocopying Service
Since there is photocopying service available at the Left Wing Bar Room and the demand for such a service at the Bar Rooms was low, the last Committee had moved the photocopier at the Right Wing Bar Room to the KL Bar Secretariat at 8th Floor, Wisma Kraftangan. As the lease for the said photocopier will only be expiring in April 2010 and there was no need for the KL Bar Secretariat to have an additional photocopier, the KLBC had decided to try and generate some revenue to defray the monthly rental. The photocopier is now placed at the foyer of the KL Bar Secretariat for anyone (lawyers, pupils, tenants of Wisma Kraftangan, etc) to use at a nominal charge of 10 sen per print. Those who use their own paper will be charged 5 sen per print.
PDC Seminars
The Professional Development Committee had since April 2009, organised 6 Seminars on Fundamentals of Islamic Law and Finance in Practice; Legal Practice in the UK - A Barrister’s Perspecticve; Practical Skills for Lawyers in the Era of Economic Globalisation; Fundamentals of Commercial Drafting, Fundamentals of Conveyancing and Bankruptcy Proceedings. All the Seminar were well received.
Fast Track Legal Practice Management Course for young practitioners
The Inaugural Fast Track Legal Practice Management Course for young practitioners jointly organised by the Young Lawyers Committee and Professional Development Committee was successfully held on 22.05.2009. A total of 103 young practitioners and pupils attended the said Course. A report on the event had been posted on the KL Bar Blog.
Dialogue on the Ethics and Professional Standards (EPS) Examination (“Ethics Dialogue”)
The Pupils Welfare Committee had organised two Ethics Dialogue sessions for pupils, one on 07.04.2009 and another on 05.05.2009. Both sessions were well attended and from the feedback obtained, the pupils had found the dialogue sessions useful. The Pupils Welfare Committee will continue to organise the Ethics Dialogue on a monthly basis.
Workshop on Civil Litigation for Pupils
The Pupils Welfare Committee’s second workshop for pupils was on Civil Litigation. It was held on 28.05.2009 and attracted a full attendance of 20 participants.
The third workshop will be on Criminal Litigation and is scheduled to be held on 25.06.2009.
Earth Day - “Old/Disused Paper Collection” Exercise
In conjunction with Earth Day on 22.04.2009, the Environmental & Humanities Committee (EHC) carried out a “old/disused paper collection” exercise. This exercise saw 300 kg of paper being collected for recycling. A report on the event had been posted on the KL Bar Blog.
Young Professionals Alliance (YPA) Futsal Game
The YPA held a Futsal Game hosted by the Young Engineers Section (YES) on 30.05.2009 at Sports Planet, Section 13, Petaling Jaya. The KL Young Lawyers emerged as champion in the Game winning a huge hamper. A report on the event had been posted on the KL Bar Blog.
YLC’s visit to the Parliament
The Young Lawyers Committee organised a visit to the Parliament on 15.06.2009. 11 young members participated in the visit. It was an enlightening and educational experience for the young lawyers and there was positive feedback from them. A report on the visit is being prepared for posting on the KL Bar Blog.
Relevan Online
The first article for Relevan Online was posted on the KL Bar Blog on 20.05.2009.
Upcoming Activities
Click here for the list of upcoming activities as at 19.06.2009.
Anand Ponnudurai
Chairman
Kuala Lumpur Bar Committee 2009/10