Top 8 Private Universities in Malaysia for Recognised Law Degree

Education Pathway at Top Universities to Become a Lawyer in Malaysia

Study at a Top Private University in Malaysia for Law

Students who love to read, talk, and write should consider law. You like to stand up for others and help people. When you are good in subjects like Sejarah, Moral, English or Biology, you can consider a career in Law. A few of these skills are exceptional oral and written communication skills, strong analytical skills, the ability to simultaneously balance multiple tasks, leadership skills, able to perform in-depth research, remember facts as well as use the facts in a logical manner.

Which are the Top Private Universities to Study a Recognised Law Degree in Malaysia?

1. University of Reading Malaysia (UORM)
2. Taylor’s University
3. Multimedia University (MMU)
4. Brickfields Asia College (BAC)
5. University of Wollongong (UOW) Malaysia
6. HELP University
7. Advance Tertiary College (ATC)
8. SEGi University

What do lawyers do in Malaysia?

Although lawyers affect nearly every aspect of society in a range of positions and industries, their basic duties are the same–to represent the needs of their clients in civil and criminal trials. Lawyers can specialize in bankruptcy, international, elder, probate, or environmental law.

The growing field of intellectual property is also seeing a growing level of attention from lawyers. Other than practicing law in the courtroom, lawyers can find jobs in other areas such as:

• Advocates & Solicitors
• LegalSecretary
• Corporate Counsel
• Judiciary
• Arbitrator
• Company Secretary
• Attorney-General’s Chambers
• Forensic Investigator
• Journalist
• Legal Writer & Editor
• Academician
• Politician

Lawyers can also choose to work in other industries

• Education and academic administration
  • You can work as a lecturer or marketing staff in the colleges that offer Lawprogrammes. Legal knowledge is also useful in non-teaching positions at universities, work in the law library or admissions.
• Banking and finance
  • Lawyers with experience in securities, trusts and estates, tax or banking law, you can venture into the lucrative field of banking and finance. Positions include:  risk manager, estate planning advisor, trust officer, financial planner, commercial loans officer and mutual fund administrator.
• Conflict resolution
  • Arbitration, mediation and negotiation are growing fields employing individuals with legal backgrounds as arbitrators and mediators. Hospitals, school associations, universities and government agencies all hire professionals with strong communication and dispute resolution skills. Note that mediation positions may not be full-time – mediators tend to be retained on a contract basis to assist with a specific dispute.
• Government and politics
  • The federal and provincial governments often hire lawyers as policy analysts to gather and research information, analyze issues in written reports and coordinate the development of strategic policy. Matters involving policy related issues range from health and transportation to education and the environment. Politics is another popular field for lawyers. Positions include speech writer, political fundraiser, campaign manager, lobbyist or even political candidate.
• Human resources
  • Companies need talented professionals to recruit new people and oversee their staff. You can work as a hiring coordinator, human resources administrator or training manager. And don’t forget working within the legal profession as a non-lawyer – inside knowledge of the legal industry makes you well suited for a job as a law firm administrator, head of associate recruiting, marketing director or professional development manager.
• Legal consulting
  • Some lawyers consult to law firms in law office management, marketing and client development. If you’re tech-savvy, you can put your knowledge about legal software to work as an information technology consultant. With a nursing background, you can work as a legal nurse consultant, reviewing medical records in medical malpractice and personal injury cases, providing advice to the lawyers involved and acting as an expert witness.
• Legal writing, editing and publishing
  • A lawyer’s research and writing skills are particularly useful. Several lawyers work as freelance legal writers and editors – contributing articles for legal publications, writing do-it-yourself law books and researching/writing booklets on legal topics like divorce and landlord/tenancy matters for poverty law groups and government-funded organizations. Other one-time lawyers are now legal or business columnists for newspapers and magazines. Still others write content for law firm websites or are full-time editors for bar association newsletters and law, business or accounting publications.

Job Demand for Lawyers in Malaysia

There are 14,300 registered lawyers in Malaysia.

Number of Legal Firms by State in Malaysia

Number of Lawyers by State in Malaysia

How do you become a Lawyer in Malaysia?

The 1st step after SPM or IGCSE/O-Levels is to find the right college to study your A-Levels or South Australian Matriculation. After you obtain at least 2 principals in the A-Levels, you can either go for the law degree i.e. LLB (Hons) from recognised universities such as Taylor’s University or UOWM KDU College or take up the UK Law Degree Transfer Programme at the same universities and study 2 years in Malaysia and go to the UK for your final year. Upon completing your degree, you may choose to take up the Bar Vocational Course (BVC) in the UK and be called up to the English Bar or choose to come back to Malaysia to sit for a qualifying exam in order to obtain the Certificate in Legal Practice (CLP). When you complete all the required exams, you will undergo a 9-month training commonly known as chambering or pupilage. This is the period where one is exposed to the working world of law. You can be paid between RM300-RM1000 for this period. While serving the 9-month pupilage you will still need to sit through some exams conducted by Malaysian Bar and partake in Malaysian Bar legal aid programme before you can be called to the Malaysian Bar to become a qualified lawyer

Four Steps to Become a Lawyer in Malaysia after SPM or O-Levels

1. Take a Recognised Pre-University Course. Students after SPM or IGCSE/O-Levels will need at least 5Cs or Credits including English and Maths. The internal Foundation at Malaysia’s private universities is now recognised for students who want to take the CLP in order to practice.
2. Earn a law degree from an approved university. Before enrolling with a university, verify that the LL.B course is an honours programme and is approved by the Legal Profession Qualifying Board Malaysia, or by the Malaysia Bar. Failure to graduate from an approved program will preclude you from applying to take the Malaysian Bar examinations.
3. Complete a Bar Vocational Course (BVC) or Certificate in Legal Practice (CLP). The BVC is offered in Great Britain and is a popular option for most Malaysians due to its excellent reputation and job prospects. The alternative in Malaysia is the examination known as the Certificate in Legal Practice. Passing either one is mandatory to be called to the Bar. Note that graduates of the University of Malaya or National University of Singapore have already satisfied these requirements and do not need to sit for these examinations.
4. Sign up for “chambering.” This is a practical training course that lasts nine months, during which the new graduate is attached to a lawyer, law firm, legal agency or other such program to acquire practical legal skills. It is a nonsalaried position; however, most law firms will provide a basic monthly allowance, and depending on the size of the firm this may range from 300 to 1,000 Malaysian Ringgit. During the training attachment, you will still be required to pass all Malaysian Bar examinations and legal aid programs. Only upon completion of these will the graduate be called to the Bar as a fully-qualified lawyer and allowed to practice independently.

The Certificate in Legal Practice (CLP)

This Certificate in Legal Practice (CLP) is one of those qualifications entitling the holder to become a qualified person. The examination is conducted by the Board by virtue of section 5(e) of the Act. Applications to sit for the CLP examinations are open to holders of Bachelor of Laws (LL.B) degrees conferred by the universities in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and certain universities in Australia and New Zealand whose qualifications are not gazetted under section 3 of the Act. Like all law graduates, CLP graduates must proceed to read in chambers or better known as chambering, which is a form of apprenticeship similar to a pupillage in England. After completing nine (9) months of chambering, the student may finally be called to the bar and become a qualified lawyer. Examinations are normally held around July each year. Every student is required to sit for five subject papers. The said examination is conducted once a year where candidates are examined on the following subjects: a. General Paper; b. Civil Procedure; c. Criminal Procedure; d. Evidence; e. Professional Practice For holders of Bachelor of Laws (LL.B) degrees from England, Wales and Northern Ireland, the board has set certain guidelines on qualifications and requirements to qualify to sit for the CLP examinations. The Certificate in Legal Practice (CLP) is a course and examination taken by foreign law graduates in order to become a qualified lawyer in Malaysia. The examination is conducted by the Legal Profession Qualifying Board of Malaysia and is governed by the Legal Profession Act 1976. The Board allows degree holders from certain universities in the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand to sit for the examination. If a student fails one paper he or she may be given a conditional pass and be allowed to resit that subject two more times. However, if a student failed in two or more papers, he must sit for the whole examination again in order to obtain the certificate. A student is allowed to sit for the examination four times. The Legal Profession Qualifying Board only sets the examination and does not provide classes to prepare the candidate for the examination.

Entry requirements for the CLP examination 

In order to qualify as a candidate of the CLP examination, you must fulfill the following criteria:

FOR U.K. LAW DEGREE HOLDERS:

A. A minimum of 5 credits at SPM level or its equivalent obtained in one and the same examination .

The qualifications which are accepted as equivalent to SPM are as follows:

GCE ‘O’ level examinations by the U.K. Boards; OR
the Singapore Cambridge GCE ‘O’ level.

AND

B. A minimum of 2 principal passes at STPM level or its equivalent obtained in one and the same examination . The duration of the STPM course or its equivalent shall be a minimum of 1 academic year .

The qualifications which are accepted as equivalent to STPM are as follows:

• ‘A’ level (passes at Advanced Level) by the U.K. Boards;
• the Singapore Cambridge GCE ‘A’ level; OR
• the Unified Examination Certificate; OR
• Foundation from IPTA or IPTS*; OR
• Matriculation Certificate from Kementerian Pelajaran Malaysia*; OR
• Diploma from IPTA or IPTS*; OR
• First Degree from IPTA or IPTS*; OR
• International Baccalaureate Diploma*.

AND

C. A recognised law degree (see “WHO HAS TO SIT FOR, & PASS, THE CLP EXAMINATION?”) which was studied for a minimum of 3 academic years and contain a minimum of 12 law subjects out of which you must have passed 6 core subjects (i.e. Law of Contract; Law of Torts; Constitutional Law; Criminal Law; Land Law; and Equity & Trusts which each was studied for the duration of 1 academic year). The law degree must have been obtained within 6 years of initial registration with the university (EXCEPT for the LL.B from the University of London (External) which must be completed within 7 years upon successful completion of the Intermediate Examination or a referral thereof AND you must have obtained at least a Second Class Lower law degree).

*Note: The program conducted must be recognized by the Ministry od Education (MOE) and/ or accredited by the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA).

FOR AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND LAW DEGREE HOLDERS:

A. A minimum of 5 credits at SPM level or its equivalent obtained in one and the same examination .

The qualifications which are accepted as equivalent to SPM are as follows:

• the ‘O’ level examination by the various Boards in the United Kingdom;
• the School Certificate examination in Australia (Year 10); OR
• the School Certificate examination for New Zealand schools, colleges and high schools (now known as
• National Certificate in Educational Achievement (NCEA) Level 2).

AND

B. A minimum of 2 principal passes at STPM level or its equivalent obtained in one and the same examination . The duration of the STPM course or its equivalent shall be a minimum of 1 academic year .

The qualifications which are accepted as equivalent to STPM are as follows:

• the ‘A’ levels examination by the various Boards in the United Kingdom;
• the Australian Matriculation examination (Australian Matriculation Programme (AUSMAT)/ South Australian Matriculation (SAM) in collaboration with Senior Secondary Assessment Board of South Australia (SSABSA));
• the New Zealand University Entrance Level 3 (which has replaced the New Zealand Bursaries Examination) is accepted as equivalent to STPM; OR
• any other qualifications which may be accepted by the Qualifying Board as equivalent to STPM (which includes Year 12 qualification i.e. the New South Wales Higher School Certificate; the Victorian Certificate of Education; the South Australian Certificate of Education; the Queensland Senior Certificate; the Western Australia Certificate of Education; the Tasmanian Certificate of Education; the Australian Capital Territory Year 12 Certificate; and the Northern Territory Certificate of Education).

AND

C. A recognised law degree (see “WHO HAS TO SIT FOR, & PASS, THE CLP EXAMINATION?”) which was studied for a minimum of 3 academic years and contain a minimum of 12 law subjects out of which you must have passed 6 core subjects (i.e. Law of Contract; Law of Torts; Constitutional Law; Criminal Law; Land Law; and Equity & Trusts which each was studied for the duration of 1 academic year). The law degree must have been obtained within 6 years of initial registration with the university.

The CLP Examination

The CLP is one of those qualifications entitling the holder to become a qualified person. The examination is conducted by the Board by virtue of section 5(e) of the Act. Applications to sit for the CLP examinations are open to –

1. all Malaysian citizens or permanent residents of Malaysia; or
2. citizens of Brunei Darussalam; and
3. holders of LL.B. degrees conferred by universities in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand as recognized by the Board;  Bachelor of Jurisprudence (B.Juris), University of Malaya; and Bachelor of Legal Studies (Hons), University Technology MARA.

The CLP examination is conducted twice a year i.e. the Main Examination in July and the Supplementary Examination in October for candidates who obtained conditional passes in the Main Examination. Candidates are examined on the following subjects:

1. General Paper;
2. Civil Procedure;
3. Criminal Procedure;
4. Evidence; and
5. Professional Practice.

The Board has set the following guidelines on qualifications and requirements to qualify to sit for the CLP examination:

1. 1. New Guidelines on Qualifications and Requirements to Qualify to sit for The Malaysian Certificate in Legal Practice (CLP) Examination (For Law Degrees from the United Kingdom).
   2. Guidelines for Recognition of Australian and New Zealand Law Degrees.

In addition, press releases and notifications are issued by the Board from time to time.

Bahasa Malaysia Qualifying Examination

By virtue of sections 5(f) and 11(2) of the Act, the Board is granted the powers to conduct and organise the Bahasa Malaysia Qualifying Examination (‘BMQE’). The BMQE consists of an oral test on the proficiency in Bahasa Malaysia for admission to the Malaysian Bar. The BMQE is conducted by a special panel appointed by the Board. The Board has issued a notification on the BMQE. Also see the BMQE (Qualified Persons) Fees Rules 1984.