Good lawyers must know when to tell clients they are wrong, says CJ

Lawyers must have the courage to tell clients when their preferred legal strategy is a disaster, rather than simply doing what they are told, Chief Justice Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh said today.

Wan Ahmad Farid said good advocacy went beyond knowledge of the law, requiring lawyers to understand human behaviour, exercise sound judgment, and uphold their ethical responsibilities.

He said lawyers should be prepared to tell paying clients that their favourite argument was legally flawed, even if doing so risked losing a lucrative retainer.

“True courage in advocacy doesn’t yell. In fact, true courage is usually delivered in a calm, steady whisper,” he said in his keynote address at the Negeri Sembilan Bar Conference 2026 here today.

“The ultimate test of an advocate’s mettle isn’t standing up to a hostile judge or a bullying opponent.

“The real test is having the unshakeable backbone to look your own paying client in the eye … and gently tell them that their favourite argument is a legal disaster.”

Wan Ahmad Farid said lawyers also needed to look beyond the immediate legal dispute, as conflicts were often driven by emotions, egos, and personal grievances.

Using a fictional dispute between two banana-fritter business partners, he said a seemingly million-ringgit contractual fight could actually stem from one partner feeling publicly unrecognised.

“If you don’t understand that psychological wound, you will spend three years and half a million ringgit in legal fees arguing about banana batter, and you will never settle,” he said.

Wan Ahmad Farid said intellectual honesty, patience with complexity, and courage were qualities that distinguished an outstanding lawyer from an average one.

He also reminded lawyers that they were officers of the court, with duties not only to their clients but also to the court, the profession and the public.

“Make sure that human engineering prevails over legal engineering. And aspire to be lawyers beyond average,” he said.

Negeri Sembilan Bar committee chairman Karthigesan Shanmugan said the justice system must become more people-centric, particularly in the lower courts, which he described as the “doorstep of Malaysian justice”.

He called for “practical judicial wisdom” in applying the law with fairness, proportionality, common sense, and an understanding of human circumstances.

He also urged a shift from “case management” to “justice management”, saying efficiency must remain the servant of justice, and that the system should resolve disputes fairly, efficiently and meaningfully.

Subscribe to our newsletter and get news delivered to your mailbox.