The best place to train in all areas of law

NSTP

KUALA LUMPUR: The best medical training is said to be had in government hospitals, owing to the sheer volume of patients and variety of illnesses.
The same could be said for legal training.

The best basic training ground for lawyers must be at the biggest "law firm" in the country, the public prosecutor’s office at the Attorney-General’s Chambers.

With a total of 220 prosecutors, the A-G’s Chambers outstrips the largest private law firm in the country, which has about 130 lawyers.

With seven divisions (prosecution, civil, drafting, law revision and reform, advisory, international affairs and management) at the headquarters and legal adviserships at the state- level and ministries, a lawyer would be spoilt for choice of what to work on in an entire career.

Indeed, the best lawyers could be the ones who have served time in all areas and have gone on to specialise in some of them .
In addition to hands-on training, the A-G’s Chambers spends millions on training staff.

French and English language tutors are brought in every week to teach basic and legal communication in these languages.

The A-G’s Chambers also enhances its prosecutors’ knowledge by sending them for further studies.

In co-operation with the University of Wollongong, the chambers runs a Graduate Certificate in Prosecutions courses or LLM (prosecutions).

Deputy public prosecutors (DPPs) gain their degrees by doing intensive programmes locally. These are conducted by local lecturers and those from the University of Wollongong.

"We have 49 officers doing the course now, with another 30 expected to take it up next year," said Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail.

The chambers is also sending four officers to Nottingham Law School for a one-year advocacy course next year.

Even without doing these extended courses, a DPP’s learning schedule can be full and fulfilling, just by attending the various short training courses provided by the chambers and the Legal and Judicial Training Institute.

Training is also provided by various ministries and departments on topics as diverse as advocacy skills, DNA profiling, expert witness, impeachment proceedings, hostile witness, and conviction of sexual offences without corroborative evidence.

In addition, in 2005, there were 92 short seminars, conferences, talks, workshops, and courses held for officers on varied topics.

These included combating human trafficking in Asia, arms smuggling, intellectual property law, international arbitration, world ethics and integrity, bio-weapons, advocacy in criminal trials, sustainable utilisation of biodiversity and related issues on biosafety in an Islamic perspective, multilateral diplomacy and the role of forensic science in civil and criminal cases.

However, not everyone can join the A-G’s Chambers. The chambers won’t consider applicants with less than a Second Class Upper Honours degree.

To further improve the quality of prosecutors, the chambers is trying to recruit more experienced lawyers.

"I have reserved quite a number of L44 and L48 posts to get private practitioners to join us," said Gani. "So far, we have more than 200 applications."

L44 is a posting for lawyers with a minimum of five years’ experience and L48 is for lawyers with a minimum of seven years’ experience.

An L44 officer gets between RM3,019 and RM5,496 a month while the L48 post is worth between RM4,391 and RM6,374.

Bar Council president Ambiga Sreenevasan says the A-G’s Chambers provides the best learning environment. "But if salary is the issue, then the civil service cannot compete."

A fresh law graduate earns about RM2,000 as a private practitioner, with annual increments of RM300-RM500, or more.

After 10 years, a good lawyer will be made a partner, and earn a minimum of RM10,000 a month, excluding profits.

A salaried partner gets between RM8,000 and RM15,000. In big firms, a lawyer who performs could get seven months’ bonus. After 20 years, a good lawyer would be earning between RM700,000 and RM1.5 million a year.

In the A-G’s Chambers, a person in the top post earns a fraction of that

A-G dismisses 'DPPs quit' reports as 'sick stories'

The Sun

R. Surenthira Kumar

PETALING JAYA (Aug 1, 2007): Attorney-General (A-G) Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail today dismissed reports that some deputy public prosecutors were quitting.

"Come on, even they (the DPPs in question) have denied quitting, so what more is there? These are all because of sick people spreading sick stories," he said when contacted.

A news website had reported that classified cases unit head Salehuddin Saidin and prosecution division head Datuk Mohd Yusof Zainal Abiden had denied rumours that they were quitting.

To questions from theSun via SMS last evening, Salehuddin's response was: "Ha, Ha, Ha."

Abdul Gani also dismissed a theory that Sallehudin and Mohd Yusof had indeed opted for early retirement before the Altantunya murder trial but the timing of the case and the subsequent withdrawal of both DPPs gave the impression that they were resigning in protest.

Abdul Gani said his official response is available on the A-G's Chambers website at agc.gov.my

"I do not want to say anything more. My colleagues will be putting something up on our website. You can check and that will be our official stand."

At press time, the posting was not up.

Sources said Salehuddin had put in a request for optional retirement last week, and Mohd Yusof had done so earlier than that.

"They had planned to apply for early retirement for quite some time. It's the timing, their submitting their applications now coincided with some high-profile cases and investigations, leading to the rumours," added the sources.

Rumours had been in circulation that a number of senior officers from the A-G'sl Chambers have tendered their resignations as a result of their displeasure with Abdul Gani.

The unhappiness was allegedly over the handling of several cases being investigated and that which were handed over to the A-G's Chambers for further action.

Salehuddin was abruptly taken off from continuing with the prosecution of the Altantuya Shaariibuu murder trial a day before the trial resumed.

Abdul Gani later explained the action was taken because Salehuddin was seen playing badminton with the trial judge Datuk Mohd Zaki Md Yasi

Two solicitors-general a first for Malaysia

NST


Datuk Idrus Harun was promoted to solicitor-general in April last year (left). Datin Zaleha Yusof will focus on research in domestic issues.

PUTRAJAYA: For the first time, the country will have two solicitors-general.

The position of the country’s second most senior law officer will now be shared between Datuk Idrus Harun and Datin Zaleha Yusof, who was made S-G (II) effective June 1.

An official said in view of their department’s expanded workload, the S-Gs were needed to help the attorney-general in his duties.

This is especially so in the conduct of prosecution cases, civil litigation and in planning and research activities.

"With the distribution of responsibilities, the A-G can focus on other areas of the law," the official said.
These include international affairs, legal advisory services, law revision and reform, and the management of the A-G’s Chambers.

Zaleha, 51, is expected to concentrate on research in domestic and international issues.

A parliamentary draftsman for a year before her current promotion, Zaleha joined the chambers in 1979.

Among the key posts she held were those of Terengganu state legal adviser and commissioner of the law revision and law reform division in the chambers.

She is married to High Court judge Datuk Ramly Ali.

Idrus, 52, was promoted to S-G in April last year.

The Federal Constitution states that the solicitor-general is empowered to perform any of the functions that can be performed by the attorney-general.

Under the Criminal Procedure Code, the S-G shall have all powers of a deputy public prosecutor and shall act as a public prosecutor in the absence of the attorney- general.

The country has had 15 solicitors-general since A.D. Farell was appointed to the post in 1955.

Among the notables were former Lord Presidents Tun Mohamed Suffian Hashim (1959-1961) and Tun Salleh Abas (1966-1979), former Law Minister Tan Sri Abdul Kadir Yusof (1963) and retired A-G Tan Sri Abu Talib Othman (1979-1980).

Meanwhile, Zaleha’s deputy, Datuk Nor Bee Ariffin has been promoted to parliamentary draftsman.

Civil division head Tun Abdul Majid Tun Hamzah, who is leading the prosecution in the Altantuya Shaariibuu murder trial, has been upgraded from JUSA B to A.

Tun Majid has been in his current position since August last year.

Other key promotions are:

• Datuk Engku Nor Faizah Engku Alek (Perak state legal adviser to deputy parliamentary draftsman I)

• Hanipah Farikullah (deputy commissioner of the law revision and law reform division to head of advisory division)

• Datuk Illani Mohamed Ibrahim (Malacca state legal adviser to deputy parliamentary draftsman II)

• Siti Zawahir Mohamed (unit head at drafting division to senior deputy chief (Syariah) advisory division)

• Siti Zainab Omar (municipal unit head, advisory division, to Malacca state legal adviser)

• Ahmad Kamal Md Shahid (Terengganu state legal adviser to Perak state legal adviser)

• Datuk Che Mohd Ruzima Ghazali (Kelantan state legal adviser to senior federal counsel to the Ministry of Energy, Water and Communications)

• Azlan Abdul Halim (senior federal counsel to the Ministry of Energy, Water and Communications to Kelantan state legal adviser).