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Alagesan’s
clients usually come crying or screaming for help.
But for this legal veteran, dealing with emotionally
distraught people is all part of a normal day’s
work at the Legal Aid Bureau.
Meet Vengadasalam Alagesan, a 45-year-old Legal
Executive who has spent the last 25 years of his
life helping people to solve their problems. According
to Alagesan, most people come to him with high expectations
of getting what they want. He explained, “Some
people come here and say ‘I want to claim
this, I want to claim that’, but they are
just saying this off the cuff. You have to tell
them ‘This is the most you can do, this is
the most you can get, and this is what will happen.’
At the end of the day, they will go home satisfied
knowing what they can and cannot do.”
Making a difference
He feels that the most satisfying aspect of his
job is enlightening people so that they can claim
what is rightfully theirs under the law. For instance,
Alagesan recalled a young pregnant woman who came
to him sobbing hysterically. “She was pregnant
when her husband left her and he refused to pay
for her maintenance. She was in a really difficult
situation because it was a love marriage and she
had left her parents to be with him.”
Alagesan calmed her down and helped to pinpoint
her immediate need, which was to get maintenance
from her husband to pay for her living expenses
and medical bills. The woman eventually managed
to resolve the matter amicably with her husband.
Alagesan said, “By the time the matter was
settled, she had already delivered. In the end,
she received maintenance for both herself and her
child. She was very happy and did not want to pursue
a divorce with her husband.”
All in a day’s
work
On a typical day, Alagesan handles around 25 cases
and conducts up to four meetings with different
clients to gather more information from them. After
meeting with his clients to solicit details of their
cases and to get instructions on how they would
like to proceed, Alagesan will then prepare the
court documents for the Legal Officer to take the
next step of fighting the cases in court.
Lessons from the veteran
Sharing his customer service philosophy, Alagesan
said, “When people have problems, all they
really want is to talk to you. So I just let them
talk and I pop in a question occasionally so I can
determine what it is they want.” As he believes
the problems his clients face can happen to anyone,
he does not label or treat anyone differently in
spite of their actions.
And when it comes to handling demanding clients,
he never fails to maintain his composure. Even when
a client who had a reputation for screaming and
intimidating the staff at the Bureau approached
him, Alagesan kept his cool.
“The man wanted to withdraw his application,
but nobody wanted to attend to him. So when I went
over to return his documents, he wanted to scream
at me. But I said, ‘Sir, we are both sitting
so close by, I can hear what you’re saying.
You don’t have to scream at me. Just tell
me what you want and we can go about it.’”
In the end, Alagesan got the man to sign all the
necessary documents without raising his temper.
And the man left the Bureau in a happy mood! |
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LEGAL
AID BUREAU
The Bureau provides assistance
in a wide range of civil
matters including divorce,
adoptions, claims for maintenance,
custody
of children, separation,
wrongful dismissals, tenancy
disputes, monetary claims
and estate matters. However,
the Bureau does not handle
criminal matters.
Three main types of services
are available: Legal advice
consists of oral advice
on questions of Singapore
law and procedures. Legal
assistance is available
for the drafting of various
legal documents including
wills and deeds of separation.
Legal aid covers representations
in court proceedings.
Applicants must be present
and resident in Singapore,
and lack the financial means
to otherwise obtain legal
advice.
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