Archive for the ‘Legal Career’ Category

First Step to Launching your Legal Career

Friday, March 8th, 2013

Reported by Y.A Tan

On 13th October 2012, Eddie Law, the founder of eLawyer, shared with 10 participants the tips on making the right choice of legal career. The attendees consists of fresh lawyers, law graduates and working adults, all with  

Eddie started the session by providing an insight on legal career market, the various types of law firms and corporations, career options, either private or non private practice as well as the variable working culture to be expected.

 

Eddie also shed some lights into the dos and don’ts during an interview sessions. Amongst others, some of the most common mistakes seen in an applicant are raising salary issues too early, dress inappropriately and inadequate understanding on the company one is applying for.

One of the highlight of the day was that participants were invited to fill up questionnaires to profile oneself. Speaking from his experience, Eddie viewed that profiling do ease the job seekers to narrow down the legal career choice. In general, there are 4 types of profiles, namely Dominance, Influence, Steadiness and Conscientiousness.

Eddie unveils the result on the test in detailed fashion. Briefly, if you are:-

a) High D – tend to be result-focused, ambitious, assertive but could be controlling, or dominating others.

b) High I- tend to be enthusiastic, friendly, thoughtful, persuasive but could be emotional, boisterous or sarcastic.

c) High S –a person who is attentive, calm, consistent, at the same time of a shy, passive and adverse to changes.

d) High C –people who are analytical, self reliant, but may be perceived as pessimistic and overly worried.

Having such assessment, the participants had clearer understanding on its personality traits which serve as useful tool to identify the right career path. The session continued with a fruitful Q & A sessions from the floor, and was dismissed at 4.30pm. 

FIRST STEP TO LAUNCHING YOUR LEGAL CAREER- Legal Career Talk

Friday, September 21st, 2012

Following a successful initiation of  Building Your Legal Career Series last year, the Series is back again this year to provide more support for fresh law graduates, law students and young lawyers.

At the beginning of a journey, we all have questions. It is no different at the beginning of your legal career path. Making the right choices there becomes important.

The most significant question is: How do we decide on these choices?

‘FIRST STEP TO LAUNCHING YOUR LEGAL CAREER’

answers that!!

What would you gain from this seminar??

1. Knowledge and insight to the landscape of legal career market in Malaysia.
2. Understanding the career options for lawyers / law graduates.
3. Guidance on how to build your legal career path.
4. Guidance on how to choose a law firm for pupillage.
5. Useful interview tips to succeed at interviews.
6. The awareness of your own personality and the ability to match it with a suitable area of practice.

 

The details of the seminar are as follows:

Date: 13 October, 2012 (Saturday)
Time: 2:00pm – 3.30pm
Venue: eLawyer Training Room,
12B (2nd floor), Jalan Kenari 5
Bandar Puchong Jaya, 47100 Puchong
Fees: RM40(including a personality test)

 

Our Speaker Mr. Eddie Law, is the founder of  eLawyer.com.my, the leading recruitment portal in Malaysia. Prior to starting eLawyer, Eddie was a private practitioner with a reputable law firm in KL, thereafter he was working as an in-house legal counsel in an IT company. His practice and in-house experience provided Eddie with valuable insight on and understanding of what law firms and corporations look for when recruiting legal personnel. Drawing on his experience and knowledge, Eddie has successfully placed lawyers with different level of seniority and expertise with law firms and corporations in Malaysia.

Eddie’s clients range from small to large law firms, PLC, MNC, financial institutions, regulatory organizations, oil & gas company and international companies.

 For more information about this seminar please click here to download the flyer.

To RSVP please email your Name, Contact Number, Position, Organisation to Sarah at sarah@elawyer.com.my and direct bank in to our Public Bank Account: 3153189919 (Payee: Joined Web Solutions) BEFORE 9th October, 2012. Thereafter, bring the bank-in-slip to exchange for entry ticket on that day.

 

                                                                                                   

3 Reasons WHY You Need To Ask Questions During An Interview With Law Firm

Wednesday, November 16th, 2011

Copyright (c) 123RF Stock Photos

An interview is a process of “mutual discovery”. As such, asking questions is as important as answering questions during an interview. There are 3 reasons why you need to ask questions:

Reason 1: To Get To Know The Law Firm Better
The purpose of an interview is to allow  an employer and an applicant to know each other better.

Although you should have found out about the targeted law firm before the interview (either through online search, friends or even eLawyer), the session is a good avenue for you to clarify your doubts and make inquiries about your preliminary findings.

For example, when you browse the website of law firms, it is quite common to see the law firms claiming that they provide comprehensive legal solutions (an “all-rounded” firm), that is, they provide services in all areas of law such as litigation, conveyancing and corporate law. Quite often, you find that some of these firms may only be known for their litigation work and their so-called conveyancing and corporate law departments are small.  By asking the law firm the amount of head count in a particular department will give you a better idea what could be the bulk of portfolio, exposure or experience that you can possibly gain in the event that you will join them.

Reason 2: To Show Your Interest In The Law Firm

There are always 2 parts of an interview. The 1st part usually starts with the interviewer asking you questions in order to know you better and to assess whether you will be a suitable employee. Thereafter, the employer may tell you about the firm, its areas of practice and so on. The interviewer may conclude an interview by asking you a general question like “Is there anything else you like to know?”

This is not a good time to maintain “golden silence”. Instead, you should seize the opportunity to put forward some prepared questions and show your interest in the firm and or the job by inquiring about, your job responsibilities in  greater detail,  the expectations of the employer,  or  the firm’s future plan or direction.

Reason 3: To Demonstrate Your Maturity

Answering questions tactfully and presenting yourself well in an interview is crucial. However, asking the RIGHT questions could also give the interviewer a good impression of you. In most cases, interviewers are senior lawyers. Thus, most of them are always able to read your mind based on the questions that you have asked.

For example, if you ask about the remuneration package even before understanding the job scope, you may have given the interviewer an impression that you are more interested in the monetary reward than the job itself. Instead you should only discuss the remuneration issue when the interviewer raises it.

Lastly, though asking questions is important, be mindful that it is like a double-edged sword where asking the RIGHT questions will bring you credit. On other hand, asking the wrong questions may expose your ignorance or immaturity. Therefore, the most important rule is not to ask questions only but to ask the RIGHT QUESTIONS at the RIGHT TIME.

The author of this article is Eddie Law, Legal Recruitment Director in eLawyer.com.my, the leading legal recruitment portal in Malaysia. eLawyer Recruitment specialises in providing innovative and cost- effective recruitment solutions to law firms and corporations to meet the challenges of recruiting suitable legal candidates.

You may send your feedback on this article to eddie@elawyer.com.my

KPUM-UM Law Career Convention 2011

Tuesday, November 8th, 2011

After 2 years, the Law Society of University of Malaya has again collaborating with the United Kingdom Malaysian Student Law Union (KPUM) to co-organise the annual legal career fair -Law Career Convention 2011 (LCC 2011), for law students  and young lawyers to network with local law firms and corporations.

eLawyer is proud to be invited to be  the media partner for this event again this year.

Young lawyers and law students are encouraged to and welcome to visit this LCC 2011.

The details of the event are below:

Event Name: KPUM-UM Law Career Convention 2011 (LCC)

Organiser: UM Law Society & KPUM

Venue: Law Faculty of University Malaya

Date: 19 November 2011 (Saturday)

Time: 9am – 4pm

eLawyer will be setting up an exhibition booth there.

Please do drop by and say HELLO to our team of representative (Our Eddie Law is happy to provide free legal career consultation on the spot).

Please click the below to see:

KPUM-UM Law Career Convention 2008

UM Law Career Convention 2010

Five Success Blockers that Severely Limit Your Potential – and How to Break Through Them

Tuesday, August 2nd, 2011

Copyright (c) 123RF Stock Photos

This article is contributed by Dr. Gerrit Pelzer, Vivo Coaching

Hello and a warm welcome!

My passion is helping busy professionals step off the hamster wheel and unleash their full potential while maintaining a healthy balance.

As a former senior manager and now as an Executive Coach & Life Coach, I get to know so many great people – but only few live the life they desire.

What may be limiting you? What is keeping you from becoming your personal best?

How can you fulfill your potential without burning out? Ultimately you ask yourself:

How can I live a happy and successful life?

While the challenges you are facing may be as unique as you are as a person, certain patterns apply to most people. Today I want to share my insights on how to remove the five most common blockers that keep busy managers from enjoying success and happiness. You too can live the life you truly want!

Success Blocker #1: Busy Being Busy

One of the most common problems of todayʼs corporate world is that people have no time. But seriously, do you have less than the 24 hours I have each day? The trouble is that the majority of people does not use their time effectively. First they lack clarity on what they really want to achieve. Then ineffective meetings, unnecessary emails and putting out fires eat up peopleʼs time like cancer. At the end of the day, little of the truly important stuff gets done. You may be busy all day but achieve little, and this keeps you from being truly successful in the long run.

“Fully 90% of managers squander their time in all sorts of ineffective activities. … 40% of managers are well-intentioned, highly energetic but unfocused people who confuse frenetic motion with constructive action.” By Professors Heike Bruch and Sumantra Ghoshal, Harvard Business Review

If you are among these 90%, itʼs time to jump off the hamster wheel, get clarity & move into action.

Start right now to break through this blocker:

• Take out your calendar and make an appointment with yourself. Now. Clarity does not jump on you at the office desk. Get inspired by a serene environment. Go away for a weekend to your favorite resort.

• Implement regular time-outs in your daily routines. Move your body and flush your brain with oxygen. Exercise: go jogging, play some sports, or do Yoga. At least give yourself some time off to think, even though it might be only under the shower or in the bathtub.

• Then get focused. Focus on what will get you where you want to be, and act upon this consistently. Say “no” to all the shiny balls along the way. Do not address all your emails and other distractions immediately. Do not attend all those meetings. Get the important things done.

My clients report that the first step of breaking the old patterns of being caught in a frenzy of busy-ness was the hardest. Once they consistently applied the concept of clarity & action, they experienced a greater sense of achievement day by day while being less stressed.

Wouldnʼt it be great you felt the same? You can do it!

Success Blocker #2: Being a White Label

In my former job I experienced a manager who was very intelligent and well educated. I thought he had high potential. But he had no clear idea who he was and what he wanted to stand for.
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Getting Called to the Singapore Bar (Part 1): The Requirements

Friday, December 17th, 2010

This article is reproduced in this blog with the permission of its original writer Lee Shih, and the article itself is extracted from Loyarburok website.

By Lee Shih

Recent changes to the Singapore Bar admission requirements have made it easier for foreign lawyers to get admitted to law practice in Singapore. Here are the requirements Malaysian lawyers need to meet.

This first part sets out in some detail the process in which a Malaysian lawyer can get admitted to the Singapore Bar. Owing to the various rule changes over the years, with different admission standards applying for different years, the article will focus mainly on younger lawyers who obtained their law degrees after 1997.

Part 2 shifts to a different perspective where we get to learn about the personal experience of a LoyarBurokker who recently sat for the Singapore Bar examinations.

Increasingly, Singapore seems to be the destination of choice for many Malaysian lawyers to practise in. There are many factors attracting Malaysians, including higher pay and the opportunity to gain better exposure to higher-level work.

In the past, the most common route to work in Singapore was to find a position as a foreign lawyer. This allowed a lawyer to work at Singapore law firms but without the need to be admitted to the Singapore Bar. Strictly speaking, as a foreign lawyer, you could advise only on foreign law but in practice, you largely carried out the same duties as a Singapore-qualified lawyer but without the ability to attend Court or to sign off on documents or opinions. Some of the drawbacks of being a foreign lawyer were that in most cases, you would draw a lower pay than a Singapore-qualified lawyer and that your promotion prospects could also be affected.

While many Malaysians do still go over to Singapore to work as foreign lawyers, there have been some recent changes to the admission requirements which make it easier to get admitted to the Singapore Bar.

PREREQUISITES

Even before you consider taking the Singapore Bar examinations, you will need to see if you satisfy certain prerequisites, and if you don’t meet these requirements, then you need to plan and see if you can apply for exemptions.

Broadly, to get called to the Singapore Bar, you need to satisfy three requirements:

  1. Satisfy the requirements of being a “qualified person”  (more on this below).
  2. Complete the Part B Singapore Bar exams. The Part B is similar in some respects to the Bar Vocational Course or Certificate of Legal Practice, in that it focuses on more procedural law.
  3. Complete a six-month training contract at a Singapore law firm. This is similar to pupilage.

I will explain more on these three requirements below and how the most important threshold to cross is that of being a “qualified person.”

The requirements of getting called to the Singapore Bar (Part 1)

Qualified person

(i) Scheduled universities

You need to have graduated from certain scheduled universities as a full-time internal candidate with a certain degree class. You can go through this useful checklist to see if you are a “qualified person” by first checking which university you graduated from.

For instance, a UK graduate would need to have been a full-time internal candidate with at least a Second Lower degree from a list of only 19 recognised universities. An Australian graduate would need to be in the top 70% of the graduating batch from a list of 10 recognised universities.

Some examples where you would not satisfy the requirements for being a “qualified person”:

  1. You graduated from a twinning programme or a London external law degree;
  2. You had graduated from any of the local Malaysian universities.

However, you can apply for exemptions from any of the requirements which I will elaborate on further below.

(ii) Permanent Resident

Another requirement is that you will need to be a Permanent Resident or a citizen of Singapore. So a factor you must take into account for being admitted to the Singapore Bar would be whether you are planning on moving down to Singapore to apply for Permanent Resident status.

(iii) Six Months of Legal Practice

You need six months of either “relevant legal training” or “relevant legal practice” to satisfy this final requirement to be a “qualified person.” So, if you were in active practice in any jurisdiction other than Singapore, this would fall under the definition of “relevant legal practice”.

Chambering/pupilage may also qualify under the definition of “relevant legal training.”

(iv) Part A Bar Examinations

The final requirement to be met is that you would need to pass the Part A Bar examinations. The examinations cover five academic Singapore law subjects: Criminal, Evidence, Land, Singapore Legal System & Constitutional, and Company. You can either opt to sit for only the examinations, held once a year in November, or to attend a three-month course (starting in August) and then sit for the examinations. This year the exam format was open book (i.e. you could bring in all your study material with you into the examination hall) while last year, it was closed book.

The deadline for applying for the Part A Bar Examinations (both for the course + exam or just the exam) is by the end of April of every year.

More information on the Part A Bar Examinations and its syllabus/fees are on the National University of Singapore website.

Qualified person – exemption

If you do not satisfy any of the above requirements, you can apply for exemptions. A common exemption is from the requirement of being a full-time internal candidate from a scheduled university. For instance, an exemption to allow for a twinning programme to be recognised, or an exemption as your university does not fall under one of the scheduled universities.

The present exemption process, from what I have heard from friends, seems to be more flexible in allowing twinning programme candidates as well as non-recognised foreign universities graduates. I know that graduates from local Malaysian universities have a very hard time in getting an exemption and I have not heard of any London external degree law graduates having obtained an exemption as well. All these policies are of course subject to change and are discretionary.

In terms of applying for an exemption from the Permanent Resident requirement, it appears that this exemption is not granted any more or is at least very difficult to obtain. You therefore likely need to obtain the Permanent Resident status in Singapore if you are considering getting admitted to the Singapore Bar. I know of senior practitioners having successfully applied for exemption from the Part A requirement as well. For instance, I had a Malaysian lawyer friend with around 10 years of experience and she was exempted from Part A. But she still needed to become a Permanent Resident of Singapore.

Applicants who are intending to sit for the Part A Bar examinations will put in their exemption applications around the same time in April when applying for the Part A. More information on exemptions can be found on the Singapore Ministry of Law website.

Part B Bar examinations and training contract

Having now satisfied the prerequisites of being a “qualified person”, you will need to complete the Part B Bar examinations as well as the six-month training contract.

The Part B Bar examinations are made up of a compulsory five-month practical law course, which in some respects, are very similar to the English Bar Vocational Course (now renamed the Bar Professional Training Course) in that it teaches you practical aspects of Singapore law. The subjects covered include Civil and Criminal Procedure, Conveyancing Practice, Professional Responsibility, and Family Law. More information on the Part B can be found at the Singapore Board of Legal Education website.

After successfully completing these examinations, you will then need to serve a six-month training contract, which is akin to pupilage.

Exemption from Part B and training contract

You are allowed to apply for complete exemption from the Part B Bar examination as well as the six-month training contract. To obtain such an exemption, you will need to already be a “qualified person”, and also have practised in a common law jurisdiction for at least two years (and this period could possibly include your nine months of chambering). If you do not fulfil any of the requirements of being a “qualified person”, or you have not achieved the necessary length of practice, you can also try to apply for exemption from such a requirement.

Conclusion

In conclusion, if you are a practitioner in Malaysia with two years’ experience or more, you can likely be exempted from taking the Part B Bar examinations and the six-month training contract. You will however need to pass the Part A Bar examinations and in order to qualify to sit for the Part A, you will need to fulfil the other requirements of being a “qualified person.”

Lee Shih was away from the office for three weeks sitting for his Part A Bar examinations. Try as he might, he was unable to clear his work to deal with a heap of papers and documents built up in his absence. He is a frequent blogger and tweets @iMleesh

Interview Tips for Lawyers

Wednesday, November 17th, 2010

You have found the ideal job. You have prepared a killer resume and covering letter. You have applied for the ideal job, and thereafter you have secured and attended an interview with the relevant person for that job. Everything went according to plan. Surprise, surprise, you were not offered the job. What could have gone wrong? Here are some essential tips to be taken into consideration before, during and after the all-important interview.

What to do before the interview

  • Online presence

With the advancement of information technology, potential employers may with just a click, Google and find out more about you. As such, build an online presence. Monitor your social networking tools like Facebook, Twitter and the like to ensure they contain accurate as well as positive information about you. An easy way is to Google yourself on the Internet. Eliminate any disclosure of ‘too much information’ that is considered private, or worse, information which is not true or defamatory about you. Maintain a healthy level of professionalism in your social networking. Bear in mind that you are  a professional. At the very least, have a LinkedIn account that states your complete work history. This will help to “promote” yourself in the job market.

  • Apply for the right job

Do not waste time applying for jobs that you are not qualified for. Only apply for those that match your field of study, work experience or relevant skills. Employers always state specific requirements in their job ads in order to get the most suitable candidates. Know your strengths and interests. If your interest is in the corporate commercial area, do not waste time applying for litigation practitioners’ positions. Focus on your search for your ideal job that matches your qualifications and interests. Thereafter, prepare your covering letter and resume by factoring in your relevant qualifications, skills (both soft  and technical skills) and experience. This will show potential employers that you are the most suitable candidate for the job.

  • Covering letter and resume

The covering letter and resume should be checked and re-checked for spelling errors, typos and grammatical mistakes. Get your facts right. It would reflect very badly on your character if a covering letter is done haphazardly with typos. A resume containing inaccurate information or typos regarding graduation date and exam result / score for a certain subject  could also lead to potential misrepresentation. Do not use bullet points in a covering letter. Always use full sentences and paragraphs.

  • Research on the company

It is important to conduct any relevant in-depth research that could tell you more about the company. You have to know the company, its work, key personnel, work culture and ethics, as well as its competitors. Information may be accessible on the internet, the company’s website, press releases etc. For example, if you are applying for the position of legal executive in a public-listed company, its annual reports  accessible on the Internet. Whereas if you are applying for a legal practitioner’s position in a law firm, details of the firm are obtainable on the Malaysian Bar website.

It is useful to find  information related to the company’s latest business expansion abroad, change in board members, recent charity event, or an all important deal  awarded to the company. In the case of a legal firm, knowledge of its latest successful corporate exercise in listing a company on the Main Board of the stock exchange may impress the person who interviews you.

  • Prepare Q&As

List out  typical questions and answers in relation to the job and yourself, and then prepare the best answers to these questions. (Visit this site to see the  Top 100 Interview Questions for Lawyers.) Write them all out and keep improving on them to generate the best flow of thought and to ensure consistency throughout. This can be kept for future interview sessions as well. Be ready to highlight knowledge, skills and experience gained and how you can utilize them to contribute to the company if you are hired. Be certain of your current and future career plans. Prepare questions that you may have for the interviewers on the job and company as well.  This is the best way to show your interest in the company and the job.

  • Rehearse the interview session

Get someone to practise and rehearse a trial interview session with you. This helps you to be familiar with your answers. You could also rehearse in front of a mirror to see your facial expressions as well as your body language. Practise the scenario as many times as possible to cultivate self-confidence. Rehearse what you are going to say to avoid sounding like you are reading straight out from a prepared speech. Ensure fluency and clarity. Lawyers, or lawyer-wanabes, are by nature, ozzing with self-confidence. It is important not to sound over-confident to the extent of being arrogant or rude.

  • Confirmation of interview

It is advisable to re-confirm the interview session with the relevant person in charge at least one day before the scheduled interview, ie date, time, venue, interviewer’s name and contact details. Certain companies do not require photocopies of relevant certificates. Check on what the necessary documents you have to bring. To be on the safe side, bring at least two extra sets of the covering letter and resume (one for yourself and the other for the interviewer).

During the interview

  • Dress appropriately

Dress in work attire which is formal and neat. Avoid colours that are too bright or clothes that are too tight or revealing. Generally, a handsome coat or blazer, or a nice jacket for the ladies to pair with, will make a professional impression. For litigation practitioners, the best attire would be court attire (minus the robe, please). Make sure you are well groomed, with tidy hair, trimmed fingernails and fresh breath. There is no reason to under-dress yourself (wearing jeans or slippers), but do not wear perfume or cologne that is too overpowering, or wear too much makeup. Project an image which you want your future bosses and colleagues to recognize you by.

  • Arrive on time

Find out the necessary logistics on how to get to the interview venue, how long you will take to reach there, and where to park your car. If you are taking public transportation, prepare the necessary cab fare or loose change to avoid any possible delay. Make sure you arrive at the interview venue at least 15 minutes before the scheduled time. Avoid arriving too early as well, as it may project an image of not being professional or bad  time management. Have time for yourself to collect your thoughts and relax  for the interview. If you will be slightly late for the appointment, make sure the relevant person, that is, the HR manager or the interviewer, is notified, and also indicate your estimated arrival time.

  • Communicate

Smile, offer a firm handshake (it should be strong and forthright, and last as long as the interviewer hold your hand), introduce yourself by pronouncing your name clearly, make eye contact with the interviewer  and maintain eye contact when addressing any question or answer. Do not interrupt the interviewer when he or she is speaking.

Present yourself confidently and be alert at all times. Do not slough in your chair. Sit up straight by leaning your body slightly bent forward. Turn off you mobile phone or  put it in the silent mode. Do not check any incoming call or any text message during the interview.

Speak with clear intonation. Do not swear. Avoid slang and local dialects (unless the interviewer initiates it otherwise. Even so, keep it to a minimum). By all means, do not fake a foreign accent. Be yourself. Still, remember to smile and maintain eye contact.

  • Take Notes

Bring a pen and notebook  or a piece of paper to take notes. Jot down useful information shared by the interviewers. It shows your interest in the company and, more importantly, it shows you are interested in what the interviewer is telling you. Write down questions that you may have as the interview progresses. Normally you will be asked if you have any questions towards the end of the interview. Make sure you have your pen and paper ready before the interview starts, and not fumbling them helplessly from your bag/briefcase during the interview.

  • Topics to be Avoided

Do not bring up monetary/remuneration issues like salary, benefits, company trips, overtime pay and the like during the first interview unless the interviewer raisesthem. Mentioning these issues prematurely will reflect negatively that you are valuing monetary benefits rather than what the job could offer, ie learning curve, professional guidance or career advancement. Take the opportunity  to express your willingness to work hard and long hours in order to get a job done. Do not indicate a figure for salary straight away. When asked about this, indicate that you are interested in evaluating the entire package on what the job could offer, rather than salary alone.

Do not bad-mouth your previous employer, colleagues or company. Any grudge or frustration over the previous employment should not be brought up. Indicate that you are looking for a different working culture, fresh aspect of work or a more suitable working environment. If you were laid off or terminated from your previous employment, do not appear weak or apologetic. Be confident of your abilities. You do not have to elaborate in detail about the termination. Prepare a list of references from the company that terminated you if possible or  from other previous employers that could prove you are a solid performer.

  • Do not Lie

Never ever lie about your qualifications and work experience. Be honest about what you have done in your previous employments. If you have not done a certain aspect of work, own up to it honestly, but indicate that based on your related work experience, you will be able to pick it up in a short period of time if you are given the opportunity. If you are not comfortable to discuss certain private issues  like family history, tell the interviewer politely that you like to keep certain matters confidential. Also reassurehim/her that your family issues will not in any way affect your work performance.

  • Closure

Close the interview by expressing your keen interest in joining the company and making a positive contribution to it Sound genuine and keen without being desperate, no matter how zealous you are. Enquire about your capability to take up this job, and the possible time to get any feedback from the company. This will give you a general idea of whether you have made a good first impression and be well on your way in securing this job.

After the interview

  • Follow up

Drop a thank-you note to the interviewer by email. Thank him/her for the time spent on interviewing you. (You do have all their name cards during the interview, right?). Or  take it a step further by sending a hand-written note. Be sure to reiterate your keen interest in joining the company and put in one killer point on how you can contribute to the company if you are given the opportunity.

Bear in mind that hiring managers are most likely busy people with a lot of tasks at hand, juggling vacancies in the company, arranging interview dates, short-listing suitable candidates and so on. Though it is polite to follow up, do not bug them with  consistent email or phone calls. Be patient as the hiring process can take a while. Annoying the hiring manager is the last thing that you want to get yourself into.

On a final note, there is no such thing as being over-prepared for an interview. It is worthwhile to make careful preparation in the hope of securing a dream job. Even if you fail at one or two interviews (who doesn’t?), do not be discouraged. Move on, knowing that you are well geared for the next interview.

This article is written by Tan Ai Nin, a legal recruitment consultant ineLawyer.com.my. eLawyer Recruitment Service specializes in assisting law firms and corporations in the recruitment of legal talents.

You may email your feedback on this article to ainin@elawyer.com.my.

Report on UM Law Career Convention 2010

Tuesday, October 19th, 2010

The UM Law Career Convention 2010 (LCC 2010), an annual legal career fair organized by the Law Society of University of Malaya was successfully held on 10 October 2010.

The LCC 2010 was officiated by the Associate Prof. Dr. Yong Chiu Mei who gave a warm welcome speech to all present. This convention was organised annually to provide opportunities for students to interact with representatives from law firms, government departments, organizations, both corporate and NGOs.

As usual we, eLawyer, are the regular participant and media partner in this event.

“Our friendly legal recruitment consultant, Ai Nin, was ready to provide consultation to the jobseekers”

“Candidates were signing up at our booth”

“The Director of this Convention, Mr Edmund and Prof Yong Chiu Mei were visiting our eLawyer booth”

“Eddie Law of eLawyer was interviewed by a reporter from the local press – News Straits Times”

This year, apart from us, the other participants consist of Albar & Partners, Kheng Hoe & Partners, Lee Hishammuddin Allen & Gledhill, Lee Ong & Kandiah, Mah-Kamariyah & Philip Koh, Michael Chai & Co, Shahrizat Rashid & Lee, Skrine, Thomas Phillip, Zaid Ibrahim & Co, the Bar Council, Malaysian Corporate Counsel Association, MyConstitution and Centre for Independent Journalism.

“Lee Hishammuddin Allen & Gledhill”

“Skrine – who has the biggest sign board and a pop-corn machine at their booth”

“Kheng Hoe & Partners, the new participanting law firm”

“Sharizat Rashid & Lee, another new participating law firm”

“Lee Ong & Kandiah was also new to this fair”

“Zaid Ibrahim & Co”

“Mah-Kamariyah & Philip Koh”

“Albar & Partners”

“Thomas Philip – lawyers conducting an interview on the spot”

“Michael Chai & Co”

“The Judicial and Legal Service Commission”  

Those who attended the LCC 2010 ranges from law students from University of Malaya, as well as those from other universities eg: Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Multimedia University, etc. and private institutions eg: Taylor’s University College.

Informative talks were given by the representatives of participating law firms and organizations. The Bar Council started the first session with a talk on “Expectations of the Bar”, followed by Sharizat Rashid & Lee on “The Next Step”. The after lunch session consisted of talks by Skrine on “Legal Practice: What your mother didn’t tell you”, the Bar Council on “Professional Ethics”, Thomas Philip on “Dispute Resolution: The Way Forward”, and MyConstitution on “Merakyatkan Perlembagaan”. There were also scheduled talks from Lee Hishammuddin Allen & Gledhill, and the Malaysian Corporate Counsel Association.

Volunteers from the student body, mostly first year and second year law students, have assisted in making this convention a success. Much appreciated assistance was rendered in setting up consultation booths, tending to the participants’ needs and enquiries.

Awareness was also generated for the Global Youth Symposium 2010 (GYS 2010), LawNite 2010/2011 (LawNite), and VOX Magazine 2010/2011. This GYS 2010 event “Empowering Youth – Meeting Global Challenges” with the aim to tackle global issues like poverty, violence against children and global warming, will be held on 16th to 20th of December 2010. LawNite will be held on 26th February 2011. The organizing committees for these events were diligent and innovative to create awareness as well as to raise funds for these events.

“Eddie Law of eLawyer was receiving token of appreciation from the Director of this convention”

The closing ceremony was held in Auditorium Tun Mohamed Suffian, officiated by Yang Arif Tan Sri Dato’ Zulkefli bin Ahmad Makinudin, Judge of the Federal Court of Malaysia. The Dean of the Faculty of Law Professor Dr Choong Yeow Choy also made a speech where he thanked all participants’ support, as well as extended his congratulations to the organizing committee of the Law Society, headed by Edmund Cheuk, the Director of this LCC 2010 for making this event a great success.

eLawyer is proud to be the media partner for LCC 2010, and we congratulate the Law Society of University of Malaya for successfully holding this event.

UM Law Career Convention 2010

Tuesday, September 28th, 2010

 

The law society of University of Malaya again organises the annual legal career fair - UM Law Career Convention 2010 (LCC 2010), for law students and young lawyers to network with local law firms and corporations.

eLawyer is pround to be the media partner for this event again this year.

We have participated in this legal career fair since 2008 .

Currently, many law firms have confirmed their participations in this legal career fair and the organiser targets to attract more than 20 law firms/corporations to join this annual event.

Young lawyers and law students are encouraged and welcome to visit this LCC 2010 and the details are set out below:

Event Name: UM Law Career Convention 2010 (LCC)

Organiser: Law Society of University of Malaya

Venue: Law Faculty of University Malaya

Date: 9 October 2010

Time: 9am – 5pm

eLawyer will be setting up an exhibition booth there and please do come by to say Hello to us. (We provide free legal career consultation).

Legal Career Fair 2010 – Don’t Miss It!

Tuesday, January 5th, 2010

We at eLawyer are glad to be invited again to participate in this annual Legal Career Fair organised by the KL Bar Committee.

You may see our participation in the Legal Career Fair 2008 and 2009.

Below are the relevant announcement published by KL Bar at their website:

“In 2009, 617 law graduates did their pupillage in various firms in Kuala Lumpur. There are about 2,061 legal firms in Kuala Lumpur. Many of these firms are constantly on the lookout for placement of new law graduates generally to start pupillage with them and to eventually serve the firm as qualified practitioners. The opportunity for legal firms to meet these potential law graduates and potential pupils and vice versa is limited. Hence, the Pupils’ Welfare Committee (PWC) is pleased to organise the 3rd Legal Career Fair to create this valuable platform for legal firms to meet potential candidates from the legal fraternity and vice versa.

This Fair will be held on 9 January 2010 at the Legend Hotel, Kuala Lumpur from 10.00am to 4.00pm. Local universities and private colleges have been invited to participate and attend the Fair. Entrance to the Fair is free and the hotel is easily accessible by public transport. There are ample parking within and around the hotel vicinity. This year, 30 booths have been made available for rental by legal firms and 6 for corporate entities.

In conjunction with the Fair, the PWC has also arranged for special speakers to talk on various current topics of interest on Islamic / Corporate Banking, Civil Litigation, ICT-related, Medical Negligence and Criminal Litigation/Human Rights Activism at various time slots throughout the day at the Fair. This is to encourage participants to understand better the realms of practice.

We welcome you, the law graduates, pupils and practitioners to attend this Fair.

The participating law firms and corporations are:

LIST OF LAW FIRMS

1. Abdul Raman Saad & Associates

2. Albar & Partners

3. Azman Davidson & Co

4. Chooi & Co

5. Halim Hong & Quek

6. Kadir Andri & Partners

7. Lee Hishammuddin Allen & Gledhill

8. Michael Chai & Co

9. Mohamed Ridza & Co

10. P S Ranjan & Co

11. Raja Darryl & Loh

12. RamRais & Partners

13. Shook Lin & Bok

14. Sidek Teoh Wong & Dennis

15. Thomas Philip

16. Wong Beh & Toh

17. Zain & Co

LIST OF CORPORATE COMPANIES

1. Celcom Axiata Berhad

2. eLawyer.com.my

3. Harun M. Hashim Law Centre
International Islamic University Malaysia

4. Petronas

5. Security Commission

Pushpa Ratnam
Chairperson
Pupils Welfare Committee of KL Bar

Please drop by at our exhibition booth to say Hello to us.