This is the call speech that I prepared for Kimberly, who has kindly invited me to be her mover. Congrats Kimberly on your call to the bar.
Dengan izin Yang Arif,
Saya, Louis Liaw Vern Xien peguam pengusul hadir bagi pihak Pempetisyen, Kimberly Goh Jin Jia. Bersama saya adalah rakan-rakan bijaksana saya yang masing-masing mewakili Yang Berbahagia Peguam Negara Malaysia, Majlis Peguam Malaysia dan Jawatankuasa Peguam Kuala Lumpur yang mana mereka telahpun diperkenalkan kepada Mahkamah tadi.
Dengan rendah diri Yang Arif, saya memohon kebenaran untuk meneruskan hujahan saya dalam Bahasa Inggeris.
May it please your Ladyship,
It is with much pleasure and honour that I appear before Your Ladyship to move the petition of Kimberly Goh Jin Jia, the Petitioner.
I will begin by introducing the Petitioner.
The Petitioner was born on 15th April 1998 in Jakarta, Indonesia, and has since 1 year old moved back to Malaysia and resides in Selangor.
The Petitioner is the second child of her proud parents Mr Goh Youn Peng and Ms Liani Wijaya, and the sister to her elder brother Mr Kenneth Goh Jin Jien, and younger brother Kelvin Goh Jin Jiet. The Petitioner’s father and elder brother are present in Court today.
My Lady,
The Petitioner pursued her LLB at the University of Reading, in the United Kingdom where she successfully graduated with a Second Class Honours in the Upper Division. Thereafter the Petitioner undertook her Bar Professional Training Course at BPP University London, which she completed and was called to the Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn in October 2023.
Upon returning from the United Kingdom, the Petitioner then began her pupillage in the chambers of Ms. Tan Mui Teck, at Messrs Sidek Teoh Wong & Dennis on 5th March 2024.
I was informed, My Lady, that in her 9 months pupillage, the Petitioner had the opportunity to work in both the conveyancing and litigation department of the Firm.
During her time in the conveyancing department, the Petitioner assisted in the preparation of, among others, security documents, correspondence and communications with the banks, and the execution of the transactional documents.
On the other hand, during her time in the litigation department, the Petitioner had the opportunity, among others, to draft cause papers from applications to submissions, to appear independently before registrars, magistrates, and judges in chambers, as well as to second chair in High Court and Court of Appeal matters.
When asked what was a memorable matter she handled, the Petitioner enthusiastically told me about an appeal at the Court of Appeal for which she helped draft the appeal submissions. She told me that the feeling of having her draft submissions adopted by her lawyer and then brought to life before the panel gave her a sense of fulfillment and a glimpse into the role of an advocate; the icing on the cake was that the panel accepted the submissions and the panel decided in the Petitioner’s clients’ favor.
At the end of the pupillage, the Petitioner found litigation to be her cup of tea and had decided that that is the career she will pursue, leading her now as a soon-to-be associate of Messrs Chooi & Co, under the team of another esteemed female advocate, Ms Janet Chai.
That said, the Petitioner is grateful for her entire time during her pupillage and said that it was an enriching and eye-opening experience, which she will not only cherish forever but which has cemented her love for the law.
And today, the Petitioner having completed her 9 months of pupillage, as required under Section 11(1)(d) read together with Section 12 of the Legal Profession Act, now stands before this Honorable Court.
On this special occasion, the Petitioner would like to thank those who have made this possible.
Firstly, the Petitioner would like to thank her family who have been the Petitioner’s pillars of strength and an unwavering source of motivation. She is forever grateful for their support and sacrifices. This achievement is as much theirs as it is the Petitioner’s.
Next, the Petitioner would like to specifically extend her deepest gratitude to her pupil-master, Ms. Tan Mui Teck, for bringing the Petitioner under her wing and overseeing the completion of the Petitioner’s pupillage.
I always say that whether procedural law or substantive law, those are things that can be found in books, in case laws, and can be self-taught. However, as to how to behave as a lawyer, how to interact with court staff, how to appear before judges, and how to handle clients, these things, can only be learned from observation and by learning from those around us.
For that, the Petitioner thanks all the lawyers she worked with, in particular her pupil master Ms. Tan, the lawyers in the litigation department (especially En. Syed Fadzil, Ms. Aimee Lee, Ms Ili Ariena, Ms. Tengku Nazihah & Ms. Joycelyn Keziah), for their guidance, wisdom, and support, which have been instrumental in shaping the Petitioner into who she is today, and which the Petitioner believes, has given her sufficient confidence and competence in the journey she’s about to embark on.
Finally, the Petitioner would like to thank the guidance, as well as the fun times, provided by her colleagues at Messrs. Sidek Teoh Wong & Dennis, namely her pupilmates – Aida, Alif, Akmal, Athira, Azrie, Balqis, Batrisya, Dina, Eleanur, Farah, Faritz, Haikal, Hallisya, Hazim, Raja Sara, and Soo Wen.
I will end on this note My Lady,
From my brief time knowing the Petitioner, the qualities that the Petitioner has that stood out were her (1) perseverance and grit towards adversities in life, and (2) her genuine curiosity towards the law.
Grades and accolades naturally take the spotlight during these occasions, but, I submit my Lady, that the qualities of perseverance and curiosity, are crucial and form the cornerstone of a successful legal career. With these qualities, an advocate and solicitor will always, eventually find the answers she seeks, and overcome any obstacles that may come before her.
I am confident that with those qualities, in addition to the tutelage and training she had received both during law school and during pupillage, the Petitioner has satisfied all the requirements under section 11(1) of the Legal Profession Act, and is a fit and proper person to be admitted and enrolled as an advocate and solicitor of the High Court of Malaya.
That said, pupillage is only the beginning, and as the Petitioner today waves goodbye to the end of the beginning, I wish the Petitioner all the best, and if the going ever gets tough, I remind the Petitioner to just remember 2024, how she managed to overcome the adversities and how much she has grown, and just trust that she will be fine.
I submit that the Petitioner’s cause papers are in order and my learned friends from the Attorney General Chambers, the Bar Council of Malaysia, and the Kuala Lumpur Bar Committee respectively have no objections to this petition.
[The respective representatives do not have any objections]
My Lady, I humbly pray that the Petitioner, Kimberly Goh Jin Jia, be admitted and enrolled as an advocate and solicitor of the High Court of Malaya.
[The Honourable Court proceeded to admit the Petitioner, Kimberly Goh Jin Jia as an advocate and solicitor of the High Court of Malaya.]
I seek the Court’s permission to invite the Petitioner’s master to robe the Petitioner.
PS: Brownie points to anyone who can catch my pop reference.