HOB came across this piece this morning by a young Malaysian barrister asking why there are no decent biographies of Malaysian law luminaries…..
?
?
The lawyer writes for the Star newspaper…
Books on Malaysian legal luminaries lacking
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/5/18/focus/8702072&sec=focus
I AM among thousands of young lawyers in Malaysia who are keen to learn the law from senior lawyers and judges.
Practising law requires one to master the law and procedure, as well as learn from experienced lawyers. After all, that is what pupillage is all about.
I have managed to obtain a few auto biographies written by Indian lawyers such as M.C. Chagla and Motilal Setalvad, and also Indian judges such as PJ Reddy. Not to mention autobiographies from England by Sir Patrick Hastings, Geoffrey Robertson and Michael Mansfield. I found these autobiographies very inspiring and motivating.
However, I could not find any auto biographies written by our lawyers and judges. Is it because our lawyers and judges are not interested in educating the younger generation on their years of experience in the bar and on the bench?
I believe that the life and experience of prominent lawyers such as Datuk Seri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, Karpal Singh, P.S. Ranjan, Salehuddin Saidin and many others are worthy of being documented in the form of autobiographies.
The life and times of prominent judges with years of experience such as Datuk Seri Gopal Sri Ram and Tun Salleh Abas ought not to be excluded either.
It is of great importance that the stories of our prominent lawyers and judges are well documented in book form for the benefit of future generations and the legal profession.
BARRISTER-AT-LAW,
Kuala Lumpur.