Chee Ching Chan

What is your current role or position?

I am a Doctor at Medisinar Klinik & Surgery (Plaza Kivatu). I am also a Lawyer at RYCO Law Firm.

Where are you from?

I was an international student whilst studying at City. I am from Malaysia.

Which course did you study with us?

I studied Master of Laws (LLM) and graduated in 2017.

What motivated you to pursue the LLM?

I have a medical degree from University of Edinburgh and therefore I have a strong medical background. In addition, I studied full-time to earn a degree in law. From the beginning, I had a strong interest in medicolegal law. I was inspired to become a lawyer when I was a fourth year medical student at University of Edinburgh.

My inspiration came from Edinburgh alumnus Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Many doctors who graduated with University of Edinburgh continued their journey onto something else other than becoming a doctor.

The City Law School has lecturers such as Dr Evelyn Pollock with special interest in this area of law, so it was an ideal place to pursue my LLM.

What were you doing before studying the LLM?

I graduated from the University of Edinburgh gaining a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB) in 2006. After working for six years as a surgical doctor in Ear, Nose and Throat surgery, I decided to pursue my career in law starting with the three-year law degree at Cardiff University.

My work experience includes practising as a House Officer in the New Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, followed by as a Surgical Officer at Royal Victoria Hospital of Belfast, and lastly as ENT Surgical Trainee at Hull, Yorkshire.

I then studied the BPTC (Bar Professional Training Course) at The City Law School before pursuing the Master of Laws (LLM).

What are you doing now? How did The City Law School prepare you for your current role?

I successfully passed the BPTC in my first attempt and I had been graded as Very Competent (VC). I had obtained full marks for my BPTC Civil Litigation MCQ and along with my high marks in Civil Litigation SAQ, I received an overall ‘Outstanding’ grade in Civil Litigation.

After completing the BPTC, I enrolled into The City Law School’s LLM in Bar Professional Training as a continuation of the BPTC. I have strong interest in medical negligence and I therefore approached Dr Evelyn Pollock to be my supervisor for my LLM in Professional Legal Skills. She was approachable, kind and provided me a lot of guidance throughout the challenging six months.

I wrote a 20,000-word dissertation at the end of the course entitled “Should medical experts be accredited?” and I obtained my master's degree with commendation. This was my third master's degree (Master of Science in Surgical Sciences, Master of Sciences in Medical Sciences, Master of Laws in Professional Legal Skills). Subsequently, I started my pupillage in Messrs Raja, Darryl and Loh (RDL) in Peninsular Malaysia under my Master, Datuk Alex Decena.

My main area of practice is in the field of medical negligence because my Master, Puan Maidzuira Mohammed is a partner in RDL who mainly practises in the field of medical negligence defending doctors.

Upon completing my pupillage, I will be admitted into the High Court of Malaya and become a full-fledged advocate and solicitor. I am currently a practising doctor in Medisinar Klinik & Surgeri located at Penampang, Sabah, Malaysia.

Why did you choose The City Law School for your postgraduate studies?

I chose The City Law School for my LLM studies simply because it has a team of professors and lecturers specialising in the area of law I have an interest in, i.e. medicolegal law. Some of the lecturers are also practising barristers who provided insight to the real legal world.

Secondly, The City Law School is located near the courts so that I had the opportunity to attend the Coroner's Court. It is also located near all the Inns and chambers where I had to opportunity to do a mini pupillage at 42 Bedford Row.

Lastly, The City Law School is prestigious so obtaining an LLM from here enables me to be a well-qualified doctor and lawyer in Malaysia, particularly in the area of medicolegal law.

What helped you most while you were studying an LLM?

Firstly, I would recommend keeping regular communications with your supervisor. That was what I did when I was studying LLM in The City Law School. My supervisor gave me timely feedback and constructive criticism when I was drafting my thesis.

Secondly, I would advise making sensible timetable and stick with it. This will prevent rushing to finish writing the thesis at the last minute. Furthermore, a paced writing produces a better quality thesis in my opinion.

What knowledge and skills did the LLM help you develop? Which one has been the most useful since you graduated and why?

The one skill that LLM helped me to develop is the research and writing skill, which I still practise daily. This research and writing skill that I acquired will help me to pursue further study, including a PhD in the future.

How did you find studying in the UK or in London?

I have been studying in the UK since 2006 and I was still studying in the UK in 2016 before I came back to Malaysia. My best experience is undeniably making friends from all walks of life.

Some friends become my good friends and we still keep in touch. London is a big city and there are many large events, either academic in nature or recreational.