9 January, 2019
Tell us a bit about yourself and your background.
My name is Sharizan Sarif, I am one of the corporate partners at Azmi & Associates. I graduated from the International Islamic University of Malaysia in 2004 and I did my pupillage with Azmi & Associates.
I was out of the Firm for a while to start my career at SME Bank as an assistant legal manager.
In 2012, I rejoined this Firm and eventually became a partner in 2014.
What is your practice area in the Firm and why did you venture into this area?
My practice area generally is corporate and commercial. I have been interested in all matters and issues relating to companies since my university days, specifically since I first took company law subject for my LLB.
Since then, I started and rarely missed reading newspapers’ business’ section everyday, even though I could not fully understand what I read! What motivated you to work in the legal field as a corporate lawyer? My interest in the subject matter itself i.e. company law.
In your opinion, what are the highs and lows of being a corporate lawyer? The good part about being a corporate lawyer is that you are able to do things which you like and be paid for the work! As for the lows, there are certain aspects of work which you are required to do though it may not be your plus point and this is not unusual. Everything comes as a package, so you have to accept it as a whole or even try to like it.
Could you share with us some of the corporate and commercial exercises that you have worked on with the Firm?
Generally, I do all sorts of corporate and commercial matters especially for private companies.
These ranges from M&A, business transfer, joint venture, structuring and restructuring, foreign investment. From time to time, I am also roped in to advise public listed company for their corporate exercise.
What has been the hardest case that you have faced as a corporate lawyer and how did you manage to handle it?
I think in terms of work, every assignment has its own challenges and issues that require me and my team to do a lot of research and discussion to understand the issues and come out with solutions. So far, the answer is always out there, whether directly or indirectly. However, the most difficult part of being a lawyer is client management.
In your view, what are the personal qualities that would make a good corporate lawyer?
You need to have interest in whatever you do. Only when you have it, you would put extra efforts and go extra miles in your work. You have to like and enjoy reading about a variety of subject matters so that you are able to see things in a broader perspective, think things through and see how things are connected with one another.
At the same time, you need to be very particular and meticulous with the details.
Can you relate any notable achievements since you joined the Firm?
It would be watching how my career has progressed and is progressing in the right direction since my pupillage days. What is your advice to young lawyers who wish to venture into this area? They have to ascertain and really understand their interest.
Sometimes, you would not know if you are interested (or otherwise) in any particular area until you have tried it out, so give it a try! Once you have ascertained that this is your interest, you must immediately start to dedicate your time and efforts into it especially when you have more time at your young age.
And if you have found out that this is not your cup of tea, don’t dabble further and wait too long to venture into other area.
Can you share with us your deepest goal?
I have always wanted to see the lawyers whom I work with excel in their respective careers more than to see what I achieve.
For further information, please contact:
Sharizan Sarif, Partner, Azmi & Associates
sharizan@azmilaw.com
