Description
As part of the Client Account Campaign launched on 21 June 2025 by the Bar Council Risk Management and ELEVATE Committee (previously known as the Bar Council Risk Management Committee), which can be viewed here, the committee is organising a series of focused talks aimed at promoting awareness and best practices in managing client accounts. Through this initiative, lawyers would be able to better understand the responsibilities of being a sole proprietor or partner and manage client accounts prudently.
The talk is divided into the following three parts, which may be conducted in any sequence, provided all parts are completed:
Part I:
- Getting Started! Focus: Should We Be Partners?
- The Lawyer’s Guide: Stakeholders’ Duties and Responsibilities When It Involves Money
Part II:
- Getting Started! Focus: Accounting and Taxation
- Claims Under the PII Scheme
- ELEVATE Session
Part III:
- Getting Started! Focus: Fundamentals of Legal Practice
- The Lawyer’s Guide: Leaving Practice and Closing a Law Firm
For more information, please click here.
NOTE: Should you wish to participate virtually, kindly register and inform us via email to:
Wardah Hanim Hazidan (Malaysian Bar Secretariat)
([email protected] / 03-2050 2001)
Speaker
Balakumar Balasundram
Balakumar Balasundram graduated from the University of Keele, UK, with a Bachelor of Social Science in Law and Economics in 1988. He subsequently obtained the Certificate in Legal Practice in 1989. He commenced pupillage with Choong Yik Son & Robiha for three months and completed the remaining period with Azim, Ong & Krishnan.
He was admitted as an advocate and solicitor of the High Court of Malaya in September 1990. Balakumar’s area of practice encompasses, but is not limited to, advisory and litigation relating to life and general insurance, reinsurance and takaful law. He is an active member of the Inter-Pacific Bar Association, member of the Asian Institute of Insurance (“AII”) (formerly known as the Malaysian Insurance Institute) and a lifetime member of the Medico-Legal Society of Malaysia.
R. Jayabalan
R Jayabalan graduated with a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B) (Hons) from the International Islamic University Malaysia (“IIUM”) in 1996 and obtained his postgraduate Master of Business Administration (“MBA”) from IIUM in 2005.
He was admitted as an advocate and solicitor of the High Court of Malaya in April 1997 and has been an active trial and appellate litigator since then. His areas of practice include professional liability, employment law, medical negligence and personal injury claims, contract and commercial disputes, and judicial review, among others.
Jaya is currently the Secretary of the Malaysian Bar and a Bar Council member. He is also the Co-Chairperson of the Bar Council Risk Management and ELEVATE Committee. He previously served as the Treasurer of the Malaysian Bar and Chairman of the Johore Bar Committee and chaired several Bar Council committees. He actively speaks at seminars and training sessions for lawyers and writes on legal issues and matters of interest to the legal profession. He is also the author of the book, Jaya’s Civil Trial Handbook – Essential Practice & Procedure for Malaysian Courts (2025).
Sheelaa Ragavan
Sheelaa Ragavan read law at Multimedia University and holds a Master of Laws ("LLM") from Universiti Malaya. She began her career in civil litigation before moving into the insurance industry, where her work has focused on professional indemnity and financial lines in Malaysia and Singapore. She has been closely involved with the Malaysian Bar PII Scheme and now leads Aon’s work on the Scheme. In this role, she oversees claims and day-to-day scheme operations, supports the Malaysian Bar on programme structure and renewal strategy, and works with insurers and other partners to deliver the Scheme for Members of the Bar. Drawing on her background as a former practising lawyer, she brings a practical understanding of law firm risk and the realities of legal practice to her work in insurance.
Terms and Conditions
Event Policy
Places are limited and registration is on a first come, first served basis. The registration for this session will close on 1 Oct 2026 (Thursday), at 12:00 pm.
For events with registration fees, all payments must be made in advance, including bank charges. Registration will be confirmed once proof of payment is provided by email or fax, and full payment is received.
The organiser reserves the right to modify, cancel or postpone the event, should circumstances arise that make such action necessary, whereupon all registration fees paid will be refunded.
Cancellation
Cancellations must be made in writing.
Please note that there will be no refunds for cancellations, but substitutions are allowed. Kindly inform us in writing with the relevant details at least three days in advance.
If you have failed to inform the organiser on your cancellation for three consecutive times, you may be blacklisted for future events.
Transferral
You are allowed to transfer your place to another participant, but you must notify the organiser with the necessary details at least three days in advance.
Attendance
CPD points for the CPD Scheme will not be awarded to lawyers and pupils in chambers from Peninsular Malaysia who arrive more than 15 minutes late, are not present throughout the event, or leave before its scheduled end.
Privacy
The personal information that you provide to the Malaysian Bar, whether now or in the future, may be used, recorded, stored, disclosed or otherwise processed by or on behalf of the Malaysian Bar for the purposes of facilitation and organisation of this event, research and audit, maintenance of a participant database for the promotion of this event, and such ancillary services as may be relevant.
Disclaimer
• Materials (if any) will be emailed only. No printed notes will be provided.
• No recording of the event is permitted via any means at any time.
• No part of the event content may be used/reproduced in any form without the written and explicit consent of the Malaysian Bar and speaker(s).
