00:00The Bar Council can now set the minimum wage for chambering students
00:04after Parliament passed an amendment to the Legal Profession Act 1976 last week.
00:10The Bar Council has since appointed economic advisory firm EconWorks
00:14to provide the recommended framework for the minimum wage.
00:17In a circular to all legal firms, the Council said EconWorks will conduct two surveys,
00:22one directed at law firms and the other at pupils and first-year legal assistants.
00:28The Council said the data will allow it to understand the baseline pay structure
00:32and the gap between firms and pupils.
00:35In 2022, a group of young lawyers called for pupils to be paid the current minimum wage
00:40of RM1,500 even though they are not classified as employees under the Employment Act 1955.
00:47However, a Kuala Lumpur-based lawyer said the move would mainly impact smaller firms
00:52as the bigger ones already pay between RM2,500 to RM4,000 per month for pupils.
00:58Natasha Biest, FMP News.
