Mendaki Club workshop for Malay-Muslim students

The Mendaki Club Legal Chapter made a return in 2022 for the 5^th edition of the “Being a Legal Eagle” workshop. It was held at the Bukit Timah Campus on 10 December for Malay-Muslim students from various secondary schools, junior colleges, polytechnics and madrasahs. This year’s edition marks the first full-scale event since the start of the pandemic, and is the first edition led by a team of NUS Law undergraduates (Izzat Rashad ’23, Muhammad Syazwan ’24, Shirin Haiyub ’23 and Haziratul Zakirah ’24).

The objectives of the workshop were to introduce participants to the legal framework in Singapore and raise awareness of what it means to be a lawyer. To organise the event, the team worked hand-in-hand with a diverse group of facilitators from various universities and backgrounds, and at different stages in their legal careers.

Associate Professor Eleanor Wong (Vice-Dean, Student Life, NUS Law) and Izzat Rashad ‘23 (Head, Legal Chapter) gave opening addresses, before the participants engaged in various hands-on activities that were designed to provide participants with greater insight into a career in the legal profession, as well as into the various skillsets required.

In the morning, participants were brought through a demonstration of the cross-examination process, before the participants themselves were put in the hot seat of cross-examining witnesses using a simulated set of facts. The exercise was followed by a courtroom simulation where participants were required to craft arguments and present submissions to facilitators that role-played as judges on a panel.

The day ended with a brief guided tour of the Bukit Timah Campus, as well as small group panel sessions between the participants and facilitators. The panel sessions allowed participants and facilitators to have candid conversations on careers, studies, and how the legal workshop helped participants to make an informed choice about whether a career in law would be right for them.