Revelation of the Life of a Law Firm
Learning
is a lifetime process, without which even a billionaire cannot preserve his
success overtime. The attachment at Messrs Richard Wee & Yip is such an
eye-opener pertaining to the life of a lawyer and at the same time, it prepares
me to face my own challenges in the future.
Thanks
to the past experiences shared by others, wherein I have had the advantage to
make reference to, I concur on the sacrifice and contribution by every member
of the firm. Because of them, I am further equipped with soft skills and
knowledge on certain areas such as drafting and conveyance. With all due
respect, I prefer to share what I have learnt from RWY on the aspect of ‘how to
be a REAL lawyer’.
A
lawyer is often being described as ‘lifeless and dull’, if not ‘cocky and
impertinent’. Is that really so? To what extent it is true? Well, while I do
not doubt that it may be the case for other lawyers, I am certain that RWY
provides friendly working atmosphere and the lawyers are down-to-earth in
nature.
Lesson No.1 – treat others with utmost
sincerity and courtesy.
One of the lawyers, through his experience, once told me that only his
colleagues will back him up when he is in deep trouble; a cruel truth of life.
I believe that this is the catalyst of the firm in nurturing a relationship of
trust and respect among the members of the firm. In the spirit of achieving
that, politeness and willingness are prioritised; not seniority. Even I am
treated as if I were a qualified lawyer!
Lesson No.2 – enjoy the process and the
journey. It is a
culture of RWY to give a ‘pat on the shoulder’ when a good job is done and to
celebrate anything worth celebrating. During lunchtime, sometimes with the
presence of the partners, conversation was exchanged and often ended with
laughter. Even the birthdays and the last day of attachments are celebrated in
the firm just to appreciate our contribution, as well as recognition as an
individual.
Lesson No.3 – show dedication and
integrity to the profession. Notwithstanding the fact that we are allowed to err because we are
human, works must be done in a systematic and efficient manner. If this code is
broken, even the best lawyer will have to face the music. From my observation,
RWY is passionate and meticulous on the things it is doing and frowns upon any
negligence and irresponsible behavior of the lawyers and employees, especially
when it relates to work.
The
firm is indeed not only a workplace and a factory but also a big family. Like a
Swiss made watch, every member plays a role like a component in a watch. As
paramount as it sounds, even the tiniest part fails, the whole watch collapses.
While I am not saying that RWY is flawless, because nothing is, I do not
question the greatness of this firm. It is good that the attachments learn
something of everything. If I have to make any suggestion, I would opine that
RWY could allocate the attachments more to the respective areas where they show
interests in, if possible. This will not only increase the efficiency of the
work done, it may stimulate the potentials of one to the fullest.
‘You can teach a student a lesson for a
day; but if you can teach him to learn by creating curiosity, he will continue
the learning process as long as he lives’, said Clay. P. Bedford. I am extremely grateful for
RWY to have prompted me to question the interpretation and enforcement of law
in Malaysia and every doubt has been answered with bluntness without hiding the
ugly side of the truth. Once again, thank you for the blessings and wishes RWY
has for me. Indebtedness is at least what I can express; the spirit of Messrs’
Richard Wee & Yip is what I will carry.
Henry Ng
No comments:
Post a Comment