05 June 2014, by Jeremiah Rais, Officer, PII & RM Department
Article and photos contributed by Jeremiah Rais, Officer, Professional Indemnity Insurance and Risk Management Department, Bar Council
The Risk Management for Staff Workshop made a comeback on 22 May 2014 and was held at the Raja Aziz Addruse Auditorium, Bar Council. More than 60 participants attended the workshop, ranging from legal support staff to Members of the Bar.
The workshop began with a session entitled “Communication: Connecting People” by Amir Bahari, who expounded on the importance of effective communication to engage clients and colleagues. Amir Bahari then elaborated on the importance of e-communication, and proper risk management steps that modern law practice should undertake when communicating via the internet.
To the surprise of the participants, Christopher Leong, President of the Malaysian Bar, entered the auditorium just before break to launch
Praktis, Malaysian Bar’s dedicated risk management website. The President iterated the need for better risk management among law firms and declared that the revamped website should serve as a valuable resource for lawyers and staff alike, in improving their risk management systems and processes.
The next session titled “Accounting with Integrity” was presented by Heron Khalid Goh. This session familiarised the participants with basic accounting principles and ethical considerations. The speaker reminded participants of the importance of proper management of client accounts and the need for adequate bookkeeping. The implications of the upcoming implementation of the Goods and Services Tax were also discussed.
The workshop continued with a briefing on the Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorism Financing Act 2001 by Murad Ali, who elaborated on the regulatory issues and impact of money laundering legislation on legal practices before the participants adjourned for lunch.
After lunch, Ezri Abdul Wahab delivered “Office Administration: Ace It!”, which outlined the importance of organisational structure, file management and proper usage of technology. The speaker also spoke on the importance of setting realistic goals and office camaraderie.
After that, Mysahra Shawkat, Executive Officer of the Professional Indemnity Insurance and Risk Management Department, outlined the common causes for negligence and the resources available by the department in her presentation titled “Risk Management: Productivity @ Work Part I”. GK Ganesan subsequently came on to deliver part two of the session. Despite the long day, the participants were enthralled with the entertaining delivery of his session, which concluded with a challenge to the participants to set routines in order to develop a stronger work ethic.
At the end of the workshop, an overwhelming 82% of participants expressed their recommendation for their peers to attend future workshops. There was a general sense of satisfaction among the participants as they found the workshop to be both useful and a valuable opportunity to network and share ideas.
The next workshop is scheduled to be held in October 2014. If you would like to attend the next Risk Management for Staff Workshop, please contact the Professional Indemnity Insurance and Risk Management Department by telephone at 03-2032 4511 or by email at
pirm@malaysianbar.org.my. We encourage early registration as seats are limited and registration is on a first-come, first-served basis.