How One Can Be A Lawyer? (in reference to Legal Profession Act 1976)

Every each of us must have heard about lawyer profession. Well, at least slithery quotes about them. Just look it above! But how a lawyer, can be a lawyer? Do they need to be someone before they are called as lawyers? Can we become a lawyer?

The answers can be found in this one written law regulated by Malaysian government called Legal Profession Act 1976 (hereinafter called as LPA). This Act is administering all the lawyer-related matters, including the establishment of a body to control Malaysian lawyers, the ethics that shall be followed by lawyers, and the requirement needed to be a lawyer. 

Who can be a lawyer?

LPA says that only a "qualified person" can be a lawyer. Now, who is this qualified person? What does it need to be qualified? Again, LPA provides what it takes to be qualified. It is elaborated into 3 point

• (a) Any person who has passed the final examination in the last year of Degree of Bachelor of Laws in the University of Malaya, or the University of Malaya in Singapore, or the University of Singapore, or the National University of Singapore (obviously some of these universities are obsolete and some are from overseas 👻 This is because LPA was enacted looong ago in 1976 so lets forget about this for a while)
• (b) Any person who is a lawyer of England (this one also shall be done with few consideration... lets see the last point)
• (c) Any person who is considered as qualified and announced in the Gazette by Legal Profession Qualifying Board (LPQB)

Now the third point makes sense. But wait... Who is this LPQB? Do they has the authority in deciding who should be a lawyer? Or are they a scam?

Who is LPQB?

Remember that the LPA also regulates on the body governing lawyers-related matters? Now here where LPQB fits in the picture. Basically, LPQB is the one who provides and prescribes the qualification to be admitted as a Malaysian lawyer. That is why the qualified person (the one who is qualified to be a lawyer) is determined by the LPQB. Here where you can see the overview of LPQB!

 Now lets get back to our main topic. Based on (c) point above, a qualified person is someone who is announced by the LPQB as qualified. The question of the day... Whom does LPQB considers as qualified person? Err... it is quite an extensive list actually but NEVER MIND we will make it short for you.

1. Locally, who has graduated from a law degree of UM, UiTM, IIUM, UUM, UKM, UNISZA, or MMU. 
2. Internationally, selected lawyers from the UK.

If you want to observe the list, just click here. 😃

What about the 'unqualified'?

Any person not mentioned as qualified person above, may be regarded as 'unqualified' (I know it sounds a bit harsh) but heyyy it is not the end of the world! Lets say.. you are a graduate of a law degree in a university not mentioned above, such as USIM, or in from a foreign university, you still can be a lawyer in Malaysia, provided that you sit for an exam, which is called CLP, although it may be the toughest exam in this whole world with high rate of failure (ooppss sorry I know I am being harsh again). 

One other thing that need to be paid attention to, as to a qualified person, it is not the only license to be a lawyer. The qualified person criteria only one small first step to be a lawyer. After completing the first step, there are another steps, including chambering and obtaining a practising license (I can see it is not as easy as heating food in a microwave isn't it?)