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Before I begin my thoughts on working at Muhendaran Sri, I thought about writing this piece and doing so in the most honest and accurate manner I can think of. What I decided to do is to write notes to any predecessor as well as anybody interested in placing their feet into the firm (and maybe any firm). I did so not just with the intention of sharing what I learned either by observation or by being taught but also to give an earnest attempt in breaking down what I went through. Hence, the format is a personal diary that I will update every month.

I'll break down my experiences in the timeline below:

My first week

Nervous would be an understatement. The nerves did not really subside after a month. It persisted all the way to the end but it just shifted to excitement after some time. Even at the interview stage, I hoped that my apparent confidence didn’t betray how I really felt. I didn’t want to feign modesty nor overestimate the value I can add, I was more concerned with letting them know “alright, I’m going to be real, I don’t know what I’m capable or even worse incapable of”. This is expected of anyone and all I can say is, it does warm up and get better. Remain honest, I know, easier said than done.

One of the rituals here was Mister Muhendaran staring me in the eye and calling me a “cockroach” and then laying down what he expected of me. He said that the profession was defined with only one phrase, “sacrifice” and I proceeded not to question him ever since. I believed it not just in his conviction but in the workplace culture that surrounded me as I spent my time here. If sacrifice is choosing duty above all else you can see it in the work ethic of the LA’s like Wan Loo and Eugence when they poured their heart and soul into every case assigned to them.  Even the pupil was neck-deep in work.

Miss Sri would actually call me up amidst my task and offered help. I would then frantically take down her notes as gospel. She’s a very determined educator and it shows time and time again. I was never hesitant of asking her things.  Mister Muhendaran had a more, throw you in the ocean and hope you can swim approach but after pressing he will take his time to nudge you in the right direction. They complement each other well in this respect.

First month in

This is probably going to be your rougher month especially if you just like me have no experience in the legal profession and like me have a tendency to expect the worst outcome first. You will lose your bearings and you will say stupid things. Here are things to help solve them (well at least mitigate your cluelessness).

1.            Read the files. This is important as it helps you familiarize yourself with what you’re doing. You don’t have to have everything in your head, you just need to know why is it you’re doing it. I didn’t even know what was a “counsel note” but I remember panicking when told to go and find it. The files are not just template banks rather they show you the juicier angle ie. the stories. Reading one story makes the next one slightly more predictable. You won’t feel like you’re in the dark. The caveat here is that some files are very difficult to understand so don’t rush it.

 

2.            Daily “To-do lists”. This is a personal habit but it worked REALLY well for me. Every day before I run the hamster wheel id make a list of things to do basing it off what I haven’t completed the previous day. I organize it from top to bottom of most urgent to “ahh we still have time”. Saved my life a lot of times as I caught on to deadlines a week before I had to.  When things get tough you can always turn here to see what it is you really need to keep your eyes on.

3.            ASK, ASK, ASK! Don’t know? Either look it up or ask. I would sparingly ask questions on my first few days but after warming up to the people around me, I got brave and decided to look dumb rather than be dumb. Looking like you're clueless is not as bad as actually being clueless. You’d find very quickly at Muhendaran Sri people are keen to help you and when I say keen, I mean REALLY keen to help you. They take pride in your individual progress here and I don’t know what it’s like in other firms but this fact alone makes it stand out pretty well. One of the times when I did something without understanding what I was doing was giving Mister Muhendaran a list of phone numbers because I was told to. He just went straight for the throat when he said “What is this, nombor ekor ah?”. Learn from me, try to know why you’re doing things.

4.            Remember when I said above honesty is important? Yeah, it is the cornerstone of trust. If you don’t know something you better be honest. If you missed a point, you better be honest. If you think you made a mistake, be honest. It is easier said than done because human nature goes for the safety mode escape scrutiny option, my suggestion is to pick the alternative.

5.            Ups and Downs. This is a given. I think this will give you a very realistic view of what practice is beyond textbooks and beyond anecdotes given by seniors. There were some days when I felt so bad about my performance I wanted to hunker down and bury my head in the ground like an ostrich. There were other days where it was the direct opposite where I wanted to beat my chest like King Kong. Just know that if they do scold you, it is likely because they know you can do better. That kept me going. It made me veracious in my attempts despite my mistakes. That counts.

Second month in

As of now you slowly manage to understand what is going on and you slowly begin to appreciate what is actually happening around you. I was lucky enough to follow people to court or to even sit in meetings just to observe.

You start realizing when people ask to discuss things, it doesn’t turn into a formal oral examination rather people are just curious to know what you really think. Often chatting about case strategy, how to behave in (insert incredibly nuanced situation here), what certain clients are like, what type of line of questioning is appropriate and you can even slide questions to know about them and what they believe in or how they perceive not just the industry but the world around them. Legal talk turns to bonding session. I get excited over this.

This happens really often not in just instances where you’re in an official meeting but you have these conversations over breakfast and/or lunch. It just feels like your thoughts on a situation are welcome. That is not to say that you won’t meet resistance but Wan Loo told me earlier on that I had to believe in myself and because of that, I would take the initiative to push to tell what I found or what I thought. It’s in these small things that add up to what I think is your motivation to push through. You would, again and again, find yourself posed difficult questions but the only thing I can say here is the keyword “Try”. I’ve come close to answering very difficult questions but I’ve still got a long way to go.

People around you appreciate your mettle. Getting something wrong and heeding corrections make for a better story arch than coming in arrogant and refusing to budge. Pulling yourself up when you make a mistake or pushing through difficult things is the spice of life and over here such attempts are not overlooked. The second month felt like “this is where it really begins” as you find yourself entrusted with more and more things you would think an intern would be shooed away from. You’re still a cockroach but now you metaphorically have wings.

I would find myself pumping myself up before I do something. Every task assigned to me felt like an adventure as I maneuver around the office looking for suggestions or help.

Final month in

When it was just the first week of my third month, I started thinking stuff like “I’m going to really miss it here”. Obviously, my hunch was right. It was not as intense but it was definitely something I was mentally blocking hoping that time wouldn’t move too fast. Unfortunately, when you do that, it does go very very fast. It felt like a week. At this point in time, I could crunch in on clerical tasks Wan Loo has assigned me pretty quick and I understood things better than when I first came in. I could understand certain things quicker after getting my base. Sometimes still clueless but at least now I know what I don’t know. I even managed to squeeze in better time management skills by actually attending classes again.

It was at this month that Wan Loo finally called one of the things assigned to me not as “it’s okay” or the usual “what’s this?” but as “good” and whilst I didn’t show how affected I was by it, I used it as a clutch to know I was capable not just of mediocre work but of good work. I subsequently tried harder.

That’s the ethos here, the service the firm provides is good and for good reason. The people don’t strive for “it's okay”, they strive to raise the bar. I keep in my head comments that I need to work on and I refuse to be a defeatist especially if no one around me is.

Over here, I learned to take ownership of my mistakes (sometimes to the point of even brazenly raising my hand when it was my mistake like I was Spartacus), I learned to trust other people, I learned to see beyond myself, and of course, I learned the Muhendaran Sri way, the way of the cockroach. It felt like I was in Karate Kid learning to wax on and wax off. Ironically, despite such a label I have yet to meet an instance where I was unduly treated. I was treated well here. They fed me well too. A bit too well. I actually lost a button from my pants after working just a month over here. That alone is why you, the reader should apply when the chance presents itself. Take the shot. Not just at the firm but at yourself, you’d be surprised by the things you are capable of.

The growth I went through here was tangible and the relationships I made here were meaningful. 

Some days feeling like I was in some Hollywood legal drama. Some days feeling like I was in a sitcom. Most days feeling like i belonged. :)

-Danial Heron Khalid Goh

THE WRITE UP is made by an intern at Messrs. Muhendaran Sri, Solicitors at The Zhongshan Building, 84A Jalan Rotan, Off Jalan Kampung Attap, 50460 Kuala Lumpur.