ALOR SETAR (March 31): Making a midlife career change is no easy feat, let alone when the chosen career involved acquiring a professional degree.
Former journalist, Opat Rattanachot Aisin, 42, however, has proven that every dream can be realised, as long as there is strong effort and commitment.
Hailing from a Siamese minority group from Alor Setar, Opat said his interest in becoming a lawyer arose after he regularly covered the court beat for his newspaper. He was Utusan Malaysia‘s assistant crime desk chief.
“I have been a journalist for more than 15 years and while working in Sungai Petani, I often had the opportunity to cover court cases and mingle with lawyers.
“Curiosity about the mindsets of lawyers and a judges led me to decide to pursue a Bachelor of Jurisprudence (External) part-time at the Universiti Malaya (UM) in 2002,” he said after being admitted as an advocate and solicitor of the High Court of Malaya here today.
Opat’s admission today was conducted through proceedings before Judicial Commissioner, Dr Arik Sanusi Yeop Johari in the High Court here.
According to Opat, his journey in law studies was not easy because apart from his busy schedule as a full-time journalist, he had various constraints including family commitments.
“As a part-time student, I had to divide my time well and had to commute from Kedah to take classes in Kuala Lumpur but thanks to perseverance and continuous efforts for four years, I finally managed to get a Bachelor of Jurisprudence (External) from UM in 2017,” he said.
He also said that to be a “qualified person” within the meaning of the Legal Profession Act 1976, he had to pass the Certificate in Legal Practice (CLP), which later led him quit his job in order to give full attention to his studies.
Opat, who has a son, has not looked backed until becoming a certified lawyer today, even though holds a Bachelor of Communication from Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM).
“I am determined to continue to play my role as a ‘people’s journalist’, at the same time to carry out my duties as a lawyer with high integrity and full of ethics,” he added.
