Nur Fathin Amira Sapawi, who had just completed her final semester as a law student in UiTMLaw, recently had the opportunity to broaden her experience and test the waters of legal practice at globally renowned legal firm, Herbert Smith Freehills (“HSF”) in Kuala Lumpur before embarking her journey in the legal fraternity as a Pupil in Chambers.
HSF has more than twenty branch offices around the world including Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Their expertise includes mining, financial sectors, infrastructure, and energy.
UiTMLaw has been collaborating closely with HSF Kuala Lumpur for the last two years and recently put this relationship on an official footing by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the prestigious firm.
In line with the MoU signed, UiTMLaw and HSF have numerous collaborations in order to give the UiTMLaw students exposure in international and cross-border legal practice.
During her one-month period as a legal intern in February 2020, Nur Fathin Amira Sapawi was exposed to the day-to-day operations of a global law firm, by assisting various Associates in different areas of law such as Arbitration, Islamic Finance, Corporate Practice, Trade and Shipping. Her daily responsibilities include conducting legal research, proofreading legal opinions and agreements as well as providing case summaries.
Although the internship was brief, the legal eagles at HSF made a young promising law student feel very welcome. The experience that she had gained from her time at HSF, the International Law Firm of the Year in Malaysia (awarded by Asian Legal Business in 2020), is a remarkable experience that she will always cherish.
She respected the professionalism that the firm had displayed, and the serene atmosphere that the firm had always maintained. The fact that the firm ensured that diversity and inclusion will always be a top priority, is something that she admired. Nur Fathin Amira Sapawi hopes that with the experience gained, she could spread her wings and be a part of the international legal fraternity.
This is the second time that she has brought glory to the faculty. In 2017, her team was crowned as the Champion of the Foreign Direct Investment Moot 2017, Asia Pacific.