From good to grotesque - whither local law graduates?

i only managed to find time to read the online Star paper when i came across Dr Azmi's reply to Gopal Sri Ram's statement inter alia that:

"the standard of lawyers, most of whom graduated from local universities, range from the good to the grotesque...
Many of them are bad because of the low-quality training they received at local institutions of higher learning"

Azmi's response is excellent, and i am in total agreement with all the points he raised.

Here i'd like to add on my two sens' worth in responding to Gopal Sri Ram's statement from my perspective as a graduate of UM. i will also consider other criticisms which have been levelled at local law graduates in the process.

the first and most obvious is the lack of English skills prevalent among most local law graduates. this common complaint has made its rounds and there is a perception that most of us cannot string a proper sentence in English, let alone complete a written submission or write a simple letter to a client.

i believe that students need to recognise the importance of English in legal practice and beyond. i understand that UM has introduced English classes and i commend this move. in fact, i suggest that it be followed up with English for Legal Usage classes to reinforce the skills learned at the basic level. perhaps some may argue that this is unnecessary, but as i see it - lectures are conducted in Malay and tutorials in English so this would be the bridge between both, enabling local law grads to have the best of both worlds i.e. a solid footing in both Malay and English.

the second is the perception that local law graduates are less well-versed in etiquette and street 'smarts' as our foreign counterparts or as Azmi once put it, we don't have chutzpah. we are just too damned polite.
again, this is down to the students' attitude and the faculty in instilling a sense of enquiry and professionalism in its students. this can be done in stages - the talk of soft skills is nothing more than making students realise the importance of other abilities besides being able to understand and memorise legal principles.

we live in a world that is increasingly competitive, and these criticisms must wake us up to where we need to improve. nevertheless, i would also like to highlight the strengths of local law graduates:-

1. a sound grasp of Malaysian law - unless foreign grads have done the CLP, they would be quite ignorant of Malaysian legal principles and even good Malaysian textbooks on the subject. this familiarity often translates into increased research ability to navigate the laborious labyrinths of Malaysian statutes and case law. we are better

2. humility and reliability - on the flipside of lacking the 'street smarts' , local law grads are mostly humble and reliable workers who will ultimately get the job done, which in the results-oriented world of practice, is what counts the most.
'backroom boys and girls'?
i strongly disagree with this statement, but i will refrain from listing famous academics and lawyers who claim UM as their alumni. this is self-explanatory.

i will continue my ideas on improvement in a subsequent blogpost. suffice to say, let this not dent our confidence but give us increased self-belief in moving forward to meet the challenges of the future.