25/02/2026
self-awareness”. How important is it to have self-awareness in the professional world, not just in everyday life? After a rollercoaster flight to Wellington at the Chinese New Year on Monday, the High Court matter on Tuesday took eight hours straight. It concretely reminds me how important it is to be self-aware and confident in your professional field. In everyday life, we all have a reasonable level of self-awareness of what we can and cannot do. As a mum, I know which medicine to give my children when they have a cold, but that doesn't mean I can be a doctor. People who engage an interpreting service for their legal matter, because they cannot speak English, but this does not represent they are unintelligent; or, they may be experts in other professional fields, but this does not mean they can understand all legal submissions, whether in written or oral form. In the Chinese way, we say: “隔行如隔山 Every field is its own mountain”. The Law looks simple from the outside, but it's very technical as each profession has its own expertise.
Sometimes, it is a pity to see unfit interpreters taking on jobs in the Courtroom but cannot fulfil the requirements professionally. As a professional translator and interpreter in the legal setting, I always knew I would not be as good as a medical interpreter. This is not because I dislike needles and blood; I am also not interested in the medical field. Law, finance, international business and litigation are my passions. Recently, an experience with a client’s former lawyer, who was not an expert or advocate in family law or immigration law, and who knew the law only in the property law field. She took on a client with a very complex matter involving family violence, relationship property disputes, parenting agreements, and complex immigration matters. She not only provides misleading legal advice but also constantly makes mistakes in proceedings due to her incompetence in the field. She was also an overcharged client, with charges higher than KC’s rates. In some manner, she also appeared to be manipulative and oppressed her client by threatening that “if you do not engage with me, I will not let the KCs, who are very close friends in personal life, help you with your case? She even took the further step of drafting a self-representing document for the client to file with the FAM court after she resigned without instruction to do so, as she was well aware that the client could not speak English. Her behaviour not only caused the client extreme distress and panic but also, most importantly, breached the Code of Conduct for Lawyers and/or Conveyancers' Rules. Incompetent and or unfit professionals should always be self-aware of what they can and cannot do. Obliviousness, self-deception, or unawareness of taking on a matter that cannot be handled professionally and/or properly would result in financial and psychological damage to the client and, most importantly, affect their future career.
