TICKET TO THE LEGAL PROFESSION
On my philosophy
JAMIE WONG
• Jamie is the founder of
Messrs Jamie Wong
• She has great experience in
the legal field, having worked
at an international law firm,
Simmons & Simons, Hong
Kong and Malaysia’s
prominent legal
establishment, Zaid Ibrahim
& Co
• She was also an editorial
researcher back in 2009 for
the textbook; Law of Contract
(4th Edition) 2011,
LexisNexis, Malaysia.
• She actively contributes to
the development of the
profession and has given talks
on the topic of Fundamentals
of Legal Practice for the
Malaysian Bar, Winning Ways
through Civil Litigation for the
Sabah Law Associations and
Client Management for the
Kuala Lumpur Bar.
I was a sickly kid with asthma but I managed to overcome it with sports.
Basketball, one of the most competitive games I know, was and ever will
be my true love. I was a talented amateur, with great ball sense and
moves but I am petite. This posed a challenge to my hunger of attaining
national player standards.
My dad would say, "If you truly wish to get there, ‘enough’ is not good
enough, you’ve got to aim for the stars… become exceptional! Even then
that can’t be enough." It was his way of explaining to me that
complacency was a doorway to definite failure. To help me realise this,
my father would insist on training me personally at an outdoor court near
his office every other day, on top of my practice routine at school, in spite
of his already packed schedule. Oh how I dreaded that! He wasn’t just
strict. The sessions were intense and I’d be right knackered thereafter.
Eventually though, the efforts paid off - I made it as a Kuala Lumpur state
player for over 10 years, and have been amongst the nominees for “Top
Scorer” at some of the national championships. My dad was proud, but
he always reminded me that it was “still not good enough”.
I have ever since lived by a notion of never being afraid to try, however
impossible it may seem. It has become ingrained in me to always try to
overcome life’s obstacles, leaping the hurdles pr esented before me. If I
don’t pass, I tighten my laces and try again. This ever-growing passion in
besting challenges has powered me to always run those extra miles,
whatever the journey entails, chopping through vines.
On my way to becoming a lawyer
It is by no accident that I decided to become a lawyer.
I recall my parents’ fretted expressions each time I asked them for cash
for schooling material. I always wondered why, and soon found out that
they were not exactly minting money.
In school, I’ve had a hard time learning English as we did not speak it at
home. Other well-to-do kids were mostly of English-speaking upbringing
and I envied them for their ability to read, speak and write with ease.
Those days, I have had difficulty comprehending English dialogue, and to
compose a proper sentence was like ascending a hill with no tracks. In
fact, reading the menus in restaurants had been a real bear.
I learned that in Malaysia, lawyers have to possess a good command of
English in order to become successful in the profession.