Description
The COVID-19 pandemic has ushered in a slew of new developments. The realities of practising law must now balance and uphold fairness and determine whether a case can be held remotely. Attending hearings from afar is a daunting task. According to studies, long hours spent in front of a computer or on the phone are more tiring than sitting in a courtroom with all the participants present.
The first session will see Devkumar Kumaraendran present an overview of the future of criminal law practice, especially in light of the changes the world went through as a result of the pandemic in 2020. Virtual criminal appeals and case managements have already begun, and calls for virtual criminal trials are ongoing. But are we ready? Are criminal lawyers and the legal profession as a whole prepared for the oncoming and inevitable digital age? Will all trials be held virtually? Can sentencing be done without the accused present in court? Will the advocate be reduced from an orator to a virtual image?
In the second session, Zenathnara Narayanasamy will present her views on criminal court practices regarding the reception of evidence during trials and court procedures dealing with the prosecution, defence counsels, accused persons, witnesses and other parties. The discussion would include the foreseeable advantages of adopting technology and its possible drawbacks.
Registration Fees
Members of the Bar, pupils in chambers and law students:
RM40 per webinar
RM100 any three webinars
RM200 any six Webinars*
*Pay for six and get one free webinar
Non-Members: RM80
Speaker
Zenathnara Narayanasamy is a practising lawyer and a member of the Bar Council Criminal Law Committee. She has over eight years of track record of litigation successes and public engagement initiatives. Zenath qualified with a Bachelor of Laws degree from University of London in 2010 and was admitted as an advocate and solicitor of the High Court of Malaya in 2014.
Zenathnara demonstrated work on criminal defense practice, having represented adults, juvenile offenders, and children in pre-trial proceedings, trials, and appeals in Courts for Children, subordinate courts, Appellate Courts (High Courts and Courts of Appeal), and the newly formed Court for Sexual Crimes against Children. She has also undertaken watching briefs for non-governmental organisations and victims.
Devkumar Kumaraendran (“Dev”) is an experienced criminal advocate of 20 years standing and is the senior partner of the Chambers of Kumar and Co, in Penang. He has demonstrated a history of working in areas of criminal litigation, civil litigation, cyberlaw, tech and digitalisation advice, banking litigation, practice insurance and personal injury litigation, negotiation and commercial litigation. Dev also has experience in dealing with capital punishment cases and white-collar crimes throughout the country.
Dev was the Secretary of the Penang Bar Committee (2007 to 2013); member of the Bar Council Criminal Law Committee (2010 to 2013, 2019 to 2022); Bar Council Advocacy Trainer (2015 to date); member of the Penang Bar Committee (2007 to 2013, 2019 to 2022); Chairman of the Penang Bar Continuing Professional Development Sub Committee (2019 to 2022); and Chairman of Penang Bar Legal Technology Sub Committee (2021 to 2022).
Dev was responsible for establishing the running of the Legal Aid Dock Brief programme in Penang in 2005.
Terms and Conditions
A Step-By-Step Guide to Join the Webinar
(1) For seamless streaming, download the Zoom app
You will be given a webinar ID and a password to join the webinar once your registration has been confirmed.
(2) Log in to Zoom, and provide your username
For Members of the Bar or pupils-in-chambers, use the format below for identification purposes when prompted:
Full name (as per NRIC) | Bar Council membership number or petition number
For non-members, provide your full name only.
(3) Setup your space
Ensure that you have a strong Internet connection. You may use an earpiece for clarity.
(4) Mute your microphone
When the webinar is ongoing, please mute your microphone on Zoom at all times to ensure there is no interruption from your end.
(5) You may raise questions during the Question-and-Answer session only
Please take note that no speaking is allowed when the webinar is taking place.
If you wish to raise a question, please type in the chat box and the speaker will respond accordingly.
(6) Please, do not do this
Screen recording, sharing the webinar ID and password links, reproducing the content of the webinar on any platform are strictly not allowed.
Any unregistered person may be removed without prior notice, and no CPD point will be awarded. Failure to adhere to this may result in disciplinary action by the Bar Council.
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Event Policy
Places are limited and registration is on a first-come, first-served basis.
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.
For events that are not organised by Bar Council, please note that you are subject to the relevant terms and conditions specified by the external providers.
Cancellation
Cancellations must be made in writing.
If you have failed to inform the organiser on your cancellation for three consecutive times, you may be blacklisted for future events.
Refunds
Refunds will be processed after the event is completed. This may take up to 30 business days. The conditions for refunds are as follows:
- Full refunds will be issued if the event is cancelled or postponed by the organiser due to some circumstances.
- No refunds for this course. However substitution is allowed.
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.
Transferral
You are allowed to transfer your place to another participant, but you must notify the organiser with the necessary details.
Attendance
CPD points 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 Bar Council, whether now or in the future, may be used, recorded, stored, disclosed or otherwise processed by or on behalf of the Bar Council 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 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 Bar Council and speaker(s).
