4th Women Lawyers Conference 2023 

The 4th Women Lawyers Conference (WLC) 2023 brought together women legal professionals, in-house counsel, pupils in chambers, and law students for three days of conversation, connection, and challenge. The conference was anchored by the belief that women are already strong, and that the task before us is to change the way the world perceives that strength.
 

Across three days, participants explored what it means to lead from wherever you stand, to claim financial independence and leave a legacy, and to navigate the complex personal and professional terrain that shapes every woman's legal career.
 

Day 1 | Opened with a plenary by Stephanie Yuen Thio, Joint Managing Partner of TSMP Law Corporation in Singapore, on projecting authenticity and resilience in the professional space. Breakout sessions addressed leadership without titles and the dynamics of assertiveness in a profession that has too often rewarded compliance.
 

Day 2 | Centred on reproductive rights and women's health, with a plenary by Fatimah Kamis of the Reproductive Rights Advocacy Alliance Malaysia, followed by breakout sessions on parenthood and reproductive choices, and on perimenopause and menopause as workplace and professional issues that deserve open conversation rather than silence.
 

Day 3 (in-person) | A full day of programming at Kuala Lumpur, opening with a celebration of women legal professionals moderated by AWL President Daniella Zulkifili. Karen Cheah, President of the Malaysian Bar, delivered a keynote on the state of the profession and the rising presence of women within it. Subsequent sessions covered legacy building from Islamic and non-Islamic perspectives, collaborative law as a career advancement tool, the realities of stalking, sexual harassment, and workplace toxicity, and strategic career decision-making. The day closed with a panel of sitting judges sharing their perspectives on women in the Malaysian judiciary, moderated by Datuk Khaw Lake Tee, followed by a networking and mocktails session.
 

Keynote and featured speakers included: Stephanie Yuen Thio (TSMP Law Corporation, Singapore), Karen Cheah (President, Malaysian Bar), Raja Eileen Soraya, Chew Kherk Ying, Jamie Wong, Goh Siu Lin, Sharina Shariff (Sisters in Islam), Rachel Tan (The Nurts Commerce), Daphne Au Kwan Yee (Micron), Azira Zainal, Davina Devarajan (Women for Refugees), and members of the Malaysian Bench including YA Puan Adlin Abdul Majid, YA Puan Sumathi Murugiah, and YA Hajjah Aliza.