Measure for Measure

The uninitiated could have been forgiven if they thought they had stumbled upon Oscars night. The Millennium Law Conference Gala Dinner was a feast for the senses and we do not just mean the food! Female guests and delegates stole the show and swopped staid black-and-white suits which lawyers are known for, for shimmering gowns, cheongsams, kebayas and saris. Slits were split, backs were bared, you get the idea ...

Unfortunately, the gentlemen did not quite measure up, as one lady lawyer lamented. She had taken the trouble to return home after the day’s activities had ended for a quick costume change and stop at the hairdressers, only to have her date show up in his courtroom best, straight from his chambers!

Picking up more nicknames, the President of the Law Society, Mr Palakrishnan, has added ‘Spiderman’ to his list (see SLG Feb 2000 for an octopus reference). One delegate at the Millennium Law Conference christened him thus after hearing his ‘Paper’ on the ‘Law Firm of the 21st Century’, and his prediction of the law firm of the future being a flat organisation, not built upon hierarchy, but ability and flexibility — a spider web organisation, whose interconnections show lightness yet completeness. Not one to take offence by the latest reference, Mr Palakrishnan was quick to quip that he hoped his ‘Paper’ was likewise characterised as showing ‘lightness yet completeness’. See our reproduction of the same in this issue’s Features section and decide for yourself.

Frisked at the Ritz

Reaching Out-back

The organisers of the Annual Bench-and-Bar Games, now renamed the Malaysia-Singapore Law Games, are pleased to announce this year the participation of Sabah and Sarawak. Singaporean lawyers, who always look forward to the ‘away games’ in Malaysia, not so much for winning chances, but as a quick getaway holiday with family thrown in, are eagerly waiting for these East Malaysian states to play hosts in the near future, too. Reaching out, anyone? Hint, hint ...

With Senior Minister Mr Lee Kuan Yew as Guest-of-Honour and delegates comprising The Master of the Rolls, Lord Woolf, and judges and dignitaries from various jurisdictions, security was understandably tight at the Millennium Law Conference Gala Dinner held at the Ritz-Carlton. Even so, having to pass through the metal detector caused a few to baulk. One red-faced lawyer had her purse frisked after it was heard rattling, only to reveal the culprits, her mini ‘Polo Mints’ rattling away in their doughnut-shaped container. Another wondered if security was the reason why his cutlery was so decidedly blunt!

Palm-III Justice?

'He's got the whole world in his hands' or so the song goes, but one junior lawyer did just that. Appearing in Court 26 (Subordinate Courts) for a mention, this enterprising young star intrigued judge and fellow brethren alike by whipping out his palm-pilot, wherein lay his instructions, court diary and no doubt a plea of mitigation and not referring to a single sheet of paper throughout the whole encounter. He's got the future in the palm of his hands, indeed!