Desperate to rescue her son after he was charged with murder, a local housewife began poring over legal documents and text materials, something she never saw herself doing.
Today, Azlina Abdul Aziz is a lawyer who operates her own law firm and is living proof of the phrase: ‘When there’s a will, there’s a way.’
Never finished high school
Azlina told Harian Metro that she never completed her secondary studies due to personal circumstances.
“I grew up in a poor family in a FELDA settlement and left school early because of financial hardship and family circumstances, which saw me not having an SPM cert.
“I also faced multiple challenges since childhood, which were influenced by my father’s mental health condition,” she said.
Azlina then went on to get married, but unfortunately that led to a divorce. She remained as a single mother for many years before she met her Australian husband and settled at his home country in 2003.
In 2010, she returned to Malaysia with her family and looked to living a quiet life as a housewife until one fateful event changed everything forever.
Son gets charged with murder
In 2016, Azlina was informed that her son, who has learning disabilities, had been arrested along with several others in a murder case.
At first, I thought it was a drug case, but when the police said it was murder, I was in shock.
“My son has a learning disability and was charged alongside others in the case. He looks normal, but he is actually slow,” she added.
Studied law to understand proceedings
Not wanting to be in the dark over her son’s case, Azlina began reading legal materials to understand court proceedings while attending her son’s trial and visiting him in jail.
“Going back and forth to prison every week opened my eyes to the struggles faced by other inmates’ families.
“I saw many parents who did not understand the procedures, so I tried to help as best I could.”
At the encouragement of her friends, Azlina decided to pursue a law degree at the age of 43 by using her work experience to qualify for university entry through a special pathway.
“I still remember going to the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) to ask how I could further my studies in law.
“The officer who attended to me was rather surprised because I had no SPM and was a housewife. So I had to summon the courage,” she recounted.
Throughout the course of her law studies, Azlina continued to keep tabs on her son’s court proceedings.
She added that she studied law as she wanted to understand and help her son.
In 2022, Azlina’s son was acquitted of the murder charge and attended her convocation ceremony.
Becomes lawyer
The next year, Azlina was called to the Bar at the Kuala Lumpur High Court, much to the delight of her family.
Today, she operates her own law firm which focuses on civil and criminal cases, largely drawn from her own life experiences.
I have been a client myself, so I know what that feels like. I am determined to be a lawyer who truly helps people and does not take advantage of others in their time of need.
“From my own personal experience, I have become a lawyer who genuinely understands a client’s problems and will try my utmost to help, because I have been through all of it myself.”
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