On the 9th of October 2019, a DiaLAWgue session was held by the Law School, featuring the Partners and Associates of Trowers & Hamlins, an international law firm. This session was an amazing opportunity for the students as currently, there are only two international law firms licensed to practice in Malaysia. The title of the talk was “Practising Law in a Foreign Law Firm as well as Basic Structures of Islamic Finance”. The hall was packed as it would be the last DiaLAWgue session for the semester.
One of our Senior Lecturers, Mr Lai Mun Onn kickstarted the session by introducing the distinguished speakers. There were a total of five practitioners from the firm who attended the session.
After that, a brief sharing was delivered by one of the partners regarding his experience working in an international law firm in Malaysia. This was followed by an enlightening talk presented by Mr Elias Moubarak, a partner at Trowers & Hamlins, regarding the basics of Islamic Finance. The talk was extremely insightful as the students were exposed to a completely new area of law that has been gaining traction in the international sphere. Students were also given the opportunity to pose questions to Mr Moubarak.
Moreover, a panel discussion was carried out by the practitioners in Trowers & Hamlins. Much to the delight of the audience, a few of the lawyers were actually alumni of the university! When asked, “What are the challenges you face while practicing in an international law firm?”, the crux of the answer was the different time zones of their clients and colleagues around the globe. Due to the time difference, they had to start work earlier or end later than the “usual” working hours to ensure optimal efficiency. They also mentioned having to sacrifice weekends and public holidays to be able to complete their tasks and that it was all worth it as they enjoyed what they do.
The Law School’s heartfelt gratitude goes out to the Partners and Associates of Trowers & Hamlins for sharing their experience and exposing students to less orthodox avenues available to them as future law graduates. Being able to hear firsthand the daily grind and job scope of lawyers practicing in an international law firm was indeed an enlightening experience. Beyond that, it is safe to say that the students have all gained valuable insight from the session and are looking forward to a prospective career in an international firm.
