THOMAS PHILIP x TAYLOR’S UNIVERSITY LEGAL PRACTICE EXPERIENCE PROGRAMME 2021

Thomas Philip collaborated with Taylor’s University for an 8-week Legal Practice Experience Programme from 28th April 2021 to 16th June 2021. This Programme concluded with an Advocacy Showdown held virtually via Zoom, with student Poh Kah Man winning Best Advocate. She walked away with the cash prize of RM500 sponsored by Thomas Philip!

The Objective of the Programme and It’s working

Pioneered by the firm’s Managing Partner, Mathew Thomas Philip, the Programme is a mentorship program intended to supplement students’ academic studies with practical experience. It is specifically designed to hone skills in factual and legal analysis, critical thinking, legal research, persuasive writing and advocacy based on an actual case.

Five students from Taylor’s University were selected by their subject tutor, Miss Puteri Sofia binti Amirnuddin to participate in this programme. On the first day of this programme, the students had the opportunity to tour our firm (in compliance with the necessary precautions) prior to the implementation of the lockdown restrictions. 

Each of the students were paired with a lawyer from the firm who acted as their mentor. The lawyers who volunteered for these roles were Voon Su Huei, Jagshey Pipariya, Jason Yong Kok Yew (Jason), Jason Cheong Kah Lok and Phoebe Loi Yean Wei. The mentors would meet their respective students once a week to guide them through the modules of this programme. 

During these one-on-one meetings, the students were taught to identify the issues of a case, conduct effective legal research, draft submissions, play the role of a counsel interviewing a client as well as submit before a Judge (played by one of the Partners of our firm, Tan Jee Tjun) in a Moot Court. The students were also given the opportunity to follow their respective mentors to court to observe proceedings. 

The Students’ Feedback

Feedback from the students was very POSITIVE- all of the students felt that they have gained invaluable knowledge and experience out of this Programme! Some students also shared that they are able to apply what they have learned from the Programme in their studies. Overall, the students found their interaction with their respective mentors to be a pleasant experience. 

Furthermore, the students found the legal research and legal drafting modules to be particularly useful. The students reported that they were now able to conduct legal research more effectively. The students also found their practical experiences in legal drafting to be entirely different from what they have learnt in theory. 

The Mentors’ Feedback

The mentors thought that this programme benefited students as a whole and may be advantageous to the firm in the long run (ie. allow the firm an opportunity to scout for aspiring talents). However, although the mentors thought that this programme was well-coordinated, it could be further improved by providing the mentors with a specific guide sheet on what is expected of a mentor.

Conclusion

Based on the feedback provided by the students as well as the mentors, it is safe to say that this programme was a success! The students found this Programme beneficial to their educational growth while all the mentors agreed that they would like to be a mentor again in the Legal Practice Experience Programme 2.0! 

The author would like to express her gratitude towards everyone for their enthusiastic participation in this programme. Special thanks to Taylor’s University and Miss Puteri Sofia for organising this collaboration, Tan Jee Tjun for agreeing to be the Judge for the Advocacy Showdown and Miss Adeline Chin for co-hosting this Programme. Finally, thank you to all the mentors for sparing their time despite their busy schedules to volunteer in this programme!