PETALING JAYA, Dec 8 — Fahri Azzat used to spend hours trying to find lawyers in other states to appear on his behalf when there was a mention in court.
This problem led him to develop a mobile phone app where lawyers can connect with each other to “call in favours” to conduct mentions on behalf (MOB) with a click of a button.
The app, Locum Legalis, started operating last month.
Fahri said it also worked for clients as their bill would be lower since travel and time costs could go down by as much as 90 per cent.
“It takes about three minutes in the courtroom for an MOB. Assuming a lawyer is in Kuala Lumpur and he has a matter in Penang, it could take up half a day and cost a lot of money to travel to the court to fix a hearing date,” he said.
“It would cost the client a lot of money, about RM1,000. But by getting a lawyer in Penang, it would go by their charges, which is usually between RM100 and RM150.”
Before the app was created, a lawyer who had an MOB would have to manually search for a counterpart in another state to assist with the matter.
“The lawyer would have to go through a directory and call up legal companies to find out if there is anyone who would be able to assist,” Fahri said.
“All the lawyer needs to do now is to log onto the app and source for a lawyer. A lawyer who is available and is able to do the mention would then respond. The pair would be able to communicate privately to discuss the necessary arrangements.”
Fahri personally verifies each user that joins the app to ensure only lawyers are able to access the facilities.
“I personally cross-reference their details on the Bar Council website, along with their Bar Council number. This will make sure that not everyone can access the site.”
Fahri said he would be adding additional features to enhance the app’s functionality.
“There will be a payment feature for lawyers to pay each other on the spot, instead of issuing invoices and cheques, which could take up to a week,” he said.
“There will also be a section to advertise jobs. So, if anyone is looking, they will not have to look too far for one.”
