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• Law Schools A-Z (Recognized by Malaysia)
• Certificate in Legal Practice (CLP)
• Pupillage

Section 10 - 19 of the Legal Profession Act 1976 (the Act) provides the governing admission and qualifications for admission to the Malaysian Bar. The Notification made from time to time can be found in s 3 thereof. Any decisions regarding the recognition of qualifications for the purposes of admission come under the jurisdiction of the Qualifying Board, established under Part II of the Act. Several guidelines for admission has already been issued.

WHAT IS LEGAL PROFESSION QUALIFYING BOARD MALAYSIA ?

The Board is established under the Part II of the Legal Profession Act 1976 (the Act). It decides on the qualifications entitling a person to become a "Qualified Person" within the meaning of section 3 of the Act for purposes of admission as an advocate and solicitor in Malaysia.

To become a "Qualified Person", one must :

• has passed the final examination leading to the degree of Bachelor of Laws of the University of Malaya, the University Malay in Singapore, the University of Singapore or the National University of Singapore
  
  
• is a barrister-at-law of England or
  
  
• is in possession of such other qualification as may be notification in the Gazette be declared by the Board to be sufficient to make a person a qualified person for the purpose of the Act.

WHAT ARE THE QUALIFICATIONS FOR ADMISSION TO THE MALAYSIAN BAR ?

A "Qualified Person" may be admitted as an advocate and solicitor in Malaysia, under section 10 and 11 of the Legal Profession Act 1976 (the Act) and subject to section 14, if he or she satisfied the following conditions :

• he or she attained the age of eighteen years
  
  
• is of good character
  
  
• is either a Federal citizen or a permanent resident of Malaysia
  
  
• has satisfactorily served in Malaysia the prescribed period of pupillage for qualified persons and
  
  
• as from 1st January 1984, passed or is exempted from the Bahasa Malaysia Qualifying Examination conducted by the Board

WHAT IS CLP AND HOW CAN I APPLY TO SIT FOR THE EXAMINATION ?

CLP is the abbreviation for Certificate in Legal Practice. It is one of those qualifications entitling the holder to become a "Qualified Person". Holders of LL.B. degrees conferred by the university in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and certain universities in Australia and New Zealand are eligible to apply to sit for the CLP examination.

The examination is conducted by the Board by virtue of section 5(e) of the Legal Profession Act 1976 (the Act) once a year. The examination is headed by the Director of Examinations appointed by the Board.

Candidates are examined on the following subjects :

• General Paper
  
  
• Civil Procedure
  
  
• Criminal Procedure
  
  
• Evidence and
  
  
• Professional Practice

The Board has set certain guidelines on qualifications and requirements for holders of LL.B. degrees from England, Wales and Northern Ireland to qualify to site for the CLP examination.

IS IT COMPULSORY TO SIT FOR THE BAHASA MALAYSIA QUALIFYING EXAMINATION (BMQE) FOR ADMISSION TO THE MALAYSIAN BAR ?

You have to sit for the BMQE, unless you are able to provide proof of your proficiency to the Board and that exemption is granted to you.

The Board is granted the powers to conduct and organize the BMQE by virtue of section 5(f) and 11(2) of the Legal Professional Act 1976 (the Act). The BMQE is conducted by the special panel appointed by the Board.

WHO ARE THE MEMBERS OF THE BOARD ?

The Board consists of

• The Attorney General who is the Chairman
  
  
• Two judges nominated by the Chief Justice
  
  
• The Chairman of the Bar Council and
  
  
• A Dean of the Faculty of Law nominated by the Minister of Education
  
  
• Chief Registrar of the Federal Court who is the Secretary to the Board

The Board is granted powers to appoint other officers and staff to perform its day to day functions.

HOW CAN I CONTACT THE BOARD ?

The offices of the Board is located at :

Legal Profession Qualifying Board Malaysia,
27th Floor,
Menara Tun Razak,
Jalan Raja Laut,
50350 Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia.
Telephone : +6 03 269 10054
Facsimile : +6 03 269 10054