{"id":8205,"date":"2021-01-18T17:59:56","date_gmt":"2021-01-18T09:59:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/alexchanglaw.com\/?p=8205"},"modified":"2021-08-12T13:44:07","modified_gmt":"2021-08-12T05:44:07","slug":"internship-experience-during-the-zoom-ing-era-caroline-gan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alexchanglaw.com\/index.php\/internship-experience-during-the-zoom-ing-era-caroline-gan\/","title":{"rendered":"Internship Experience During the Zoom-ing Era Caroline Gan"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

My one-month internship period in Alex Chang & Co was definitely an unforgettable one, especially taking into account the fact it took place during the Covid-19 Pandemic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This pandemic has undoubtedly turned the world upside down, with a new string of Standard Operating Procedures set in place, such as the requirement of wearing a face mask in public, maintenance of social distancing and the limitation on the number of people in premises, and many more in hopes of flattening the curve and prevent the spread of the virus. There has been a huge shift in norms and from there \u201cnew normals\u201d have emerged. As an effort to comply with the Ministry guidelines, and at the same time to uphold accessibility to justice, comprehensive SOPs for the courts were formulated, with the focus being placed on shifting traditional in-person applications and procedures online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Embracing Technology<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thanks to this\ninternship, I have first-hand experience on how technology is assimilated into\nthe judicial process. With the implementation of the conditional movement\ncontrol order, new lawyers are being virtually admitted to the High Court of\nMalaya through Zoom calls. As Mr Chang was the representative for the KL Bar, I\nhad the opportunity to witness the proceedings online as well. Although it is\nvastly different from the traditional long call, I was honoured to be able to\nwitness this historical proceeding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Court has also\nwidely utilized Zoom as a platform to conduct hearings, case managements and\neven witness handling. Managing cases online though convenient, does come with\nits stumbling blocks, mainly in the form of internet connections. Case managements\nonline tend to run longer than physical ones, especially if either of the\nparties\u2019 internet connection is not stable enough. That being said, since\neverything is being done online, parties are spared the hassle of driving to\ncourt, finding a parking and waiting for their case to be heard. As such I am\nof the opinion that online case management is a move in the right direction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zoom Trials<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The highlight of my internship will definitely be the opportunity to participate in an online trial. Although I was not able to stay until the case comes to a fruition, it was nonetheless an unforgettable experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Given that trials being conducted online are still considered a novel proceeding in Malaysia, I deeply appreciate the opportunity to be able to witness one myself, and to be given the chance to take part in the preparations for it is truly amazing. \u201cHow much preparation is needed before you present your case at court?\u201d for me, the answer is A LOT. Besides having to know the case inside out, I learned that the way the documents and information is prepared and stored is very important as well as you have to be able to access that information during trial as soon as possible. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the trials are being\nconducted online, an additional test run of the system is required before the\nstart of the trial. Devices such as speakers, an additional laptop, multiport\nadapters and table lamps should be prepared to facilitate the trial or to handle\nemergency situations. This would require foresight of the parties to be able to\nbe prepared for any contingencies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the trial, the\nwitnesses had to give their evidence and be crossed through Zoom. Checks and\nbalances mechanisms where devised in order to ensure the fairness of the trial\nis not compromised. For example, the witness must be in a separate and\nindependent room away from the party calling him. If both parties are in\ndifferent locations during trial, the other party would have to send a\nsupervising solicitor over while the witness is giving evidence or being cross\nexamined. Likewise, the party calling the witness can also have a\nrepresentative to ensure that the supervising solicitor does not interfere with\nthe witness. Yet certain aspects such as the ability for the judge to observe\nthe demeanour of the witness, cannot be replicated via online trials.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What about if the\nwitness is in a different country? Where travelling is impossible and to employ\na supervising solicitor is not practical? Well, this was easily solved by\nhaving three cameras instead of just one. Aside from the one the witness is\nusing to communicate with the court, the other two cameras were placed in the\nwitness room at a location which allowed a panoramic view of the witness in the\ncircumstances the evidence was given. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another\nnotable change would be the way documents are referred to during trial as\ncounsels would have to utilize the \u201cshare screen\u201d function on the application\nto share documents to the judge and other parties. Even though the proceedings\nwere conducted online, it seems to me to be a mere change in venue from a\nphysical to virtual one and does not in any way, alter the essence and\nprocedure in a civil trial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Furthermore,\nit seems that with Zoom trials, counsels are able to have as much desk space as\nthey want, rather than being limited to the table provided in the court room.\nThis helps parties to present their case in a more effective manner as\ndocuments or statutory authorities referred can be arranged and placed in the\nmost accessible position.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\nis undeniable that online trials will never replace the solemnity and grandeur\nof submitting a case in physical court. The traditional method of advocacy is\nin every way preferable, but what is usually preferable may not always be\npractical and given the circumstances, it is likely that technology will be the\nway forward. As such although I was not able to attend court physically, I am\nstill grateful to have the opportunity to have the real-life experience in\nobserving court trial, albeit through Zoom.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Internship\nduring the Zoom-ing Era<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Throughout the\nmonth-long period, I was exposed to hands on works that added much value\nto the internship. I have been assigned to read case files, learnt\nabout the proceedings in the court, conduct proper legal research on\nvarious topics, write articles, translate documents and to even draft cross\nexamination questions. Most importantly, I learned the importance of reading\njudgments properly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having completed the Bar Professional Training Course in the UK, I am not familiar with the Rules of Court in Malaysia. Mr Chang thus required the interns to read one Order daily and to write a summary on it. He would quiz us on the rules to ensure we fully understand its application. I am thankful for this exercise as it had definitely prepared me for practice in the future.  Aside from the legal work, I also observed the day-to-day running of a legal business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The biggest takeaway I received from this internship experience is the importance of truly enjoying what you do. The saying \u201cchoose a job you love and you never have to work a day in your life\u201d does indeed hold water. Despite the long working hours, this is an invaluable opportunity in helping me to achieve another milestone, and most importantly, for allowing me to further ensure what I want to be in the future. Although it is not easy, but I believe that this is how you improve and learn to tackle the daily challenges of practice in reality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although\nthe pandemic did affect my internship experience in that I was not able to\nattend physical court, it did further enhance my insight and knowledge on novel\nareas, such as the judiciary\u2019s approach in embracing technology. As such I do\nnot think that my internship experience was hindered in any manner. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Appreciation<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I would like to express my gratitude to the very friendly Ms Janice, Ms Chow and Ms Elaine for their guidance and patience. Especially to Ms Janice who prepares our delicious lunch on a daily basis. Not to forget legal assistant, Ms Lim for always taking the time to explain and guide me despite her busy schedule, thank you for sharing your experiences and advice. Also, the fellow pupil and intern Aini and Jeff, who helped me throughout my internship and also for my learning experience. Thank you for always lending a helping hand whenever I needed it. Last but not least, I would like to thank Mr Chang for his guidance, willingness to teach and knowledge that I will never forget. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Caroline Gan
University of London
Bar Professional Training Course<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Carol Gan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

My one-month internship period in Alex Chang & Co was definitely an unforgettable one, especially taking into account the fact it took place during the Covid-19 Pandemic. This pandemic has undoubtedly turned the world upside down, with a new string of Standard Operating Procedures set in place, such as the requirement of wearing a face […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1805,"featured_media":8206,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[6],"tags":[85],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alexchanglaw.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8205"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alexchanglaw.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alexchanglaw.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alexchanglaw.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1805"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alexchanglaw.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8205"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/alexchanglaw.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8205\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10372,"href":"https:\/\/alexchanglaw.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8205\/revisions\/10372"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alexchanglaw.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8206"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alexchanglaw.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8205"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alexchanglaw.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8205"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alexchanglaw.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8205"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}