Farah Afifa: Chambering / Pupillage in Malaysia

How to become a lawyer in Malaysia? I wish it is as easy as Mike Ross from Suits who can just simply show up at a law firm interview. I wish guys.

Basically it is compulsory for a law graduate intending to practise in Malaysia to undergo chambering/pupillage, a practical training of nine months at a law firm. The chambering pupils practise under the supervision of a senior lawyer/master (must practise for more than 7 years) and at the end of the term, the pupils will be admitted to the High Court of Malaya as an advocate and solicitor. In other words, they become a full-fledged lawyer (then you can flex like Harvey Spectre/Elle Woods).

What do you have to do during the nine months period?

During the chambering period, pupils are typically exposed to a wide range of legal areas. This might include civil litigation, criminal law, corporate law, family law, and conveyancing. It depends on the firm/master you're attach with. The idea is to give you a broad overview of different legal practices to be better inform your future career choices. At the end of the nine months, hopefully you can decide what you want to be/to do.

For this nine months, the master should offers guidance, mentorship, and training. Pupils often assist their masters in various tasks such as researching legal issues, drafting documents, attending court proceedings, and observing client meetings. This mentorship is for the professional growth of the pupil. Not limited to the masters, pupils can sometimes instructed to assist the lawyers in the firm especially if they have different expertise from the master, again this is so that the pupils are exposed to all legal areas.

Sounds good?

My advice to you is know what you want to do or at least know what your interests and pray that you’ll be assigned to a good master and senior lawyers who can make the job fulfilling and enjoyable!