As countless businesses struggle for survival due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, many in Malaysia’s workforce continue to face rising unemployment rates, pay cuts and delayed salaries. To make matters worse, there are those who have lost their livelihoods due to wrongful terminations, giving rise to stressful and time-consuming employment disputes nationwide. Jumping into the fray, Shang & Co developed AskAILA, Malaysia’s First Artificial Legal Assistant which aims to provide employers and employees with accessible legal advice at a fraction of the cost of legal advice from that of a law firm.

In addition to the harrowing experience of going through legal dispute with their employers, a recent survey found that more than a quarter of Malaysians are worried about their job security, adding paranoia and anxiety to an already dire situation. Unfortunately, many Malaysians are not able to easily access the legal information or professional guidance needed to effectively enter into a dispute with an ex-employer. Even if they do manage to find a lawyer, hiring a private legal counsel could prove to be too costly, especially in a period of financial uncertainty.

“With COVID-19 affecting both businesses and employees negatively, the constant struggle to survive and make ends meet has resulted in many difficult decisions. Letting an employee go is not an easy choice for any employer. Meanwhile, for employees, losing a job without a potential alternative is very daunting. Understanding the sensitivity of the situation, we created AskAILA as a preemptive solution for both parties to seek legal advice and guidance when discussing employment terms, be it termination or otherwise. Ultimately, our vision is to prevent unnecessarily time-consuming and costly employment disputes by ensuring that both employer and employee are armed with adequate legal knowledge and guidance,” stated Dato’ Fion, Founder of AskAILA

AskAILA is a software application powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI) that is trained and equipped with Malaysia Labour Law and regulations sufficient to support Human Resources and Employers in Malaysia. Its main purpose is to provide adequate assistance to users in need of legal advice. The software is currently used to supplement Shang & Co.’s team of lawyers led by Dato Chris Chin, the Founding Partner of Shang & Co, with the assistance of Shayne Thum and Regene Ng, Partners of Shang & Co. by providing users the most efficient solutions in the fastest amount of time, thus saving cost and resources.

Packed with features that will prove to be useful for employers in SMEs looking up Malaysian Labor Law, AskAILA delivers 24/7 assistance in HR related matters by providing necessary HR sample documents and checklists to eliminate errors and non-compliance to save litigation costs and damages. Aside from that, a highly dedicated team of legal advisors and experts will be ready on station to provide assistance any time of the day.

“There is no trained AI in Asia that specialises in Labor Law, making AskAILA the first of its kind. This revolutionary platform embodies the Malaysian spirit - to push through as one nation and to overcome any obstacles that come our way, to come up with innovative methods to better adapt to our current situation. We are sure that AskAILA can provide employers and employees alike an ease of mind because we believe that when employers are being guided with proper advice to reduce unnecessary legal disputes that may cause financial burden for all parties involved. All in all, AskAILA aims to reduce procedural error committed by employers that may cost the company up to millions of Ringgit in compensation,” added Dato’ Chris Chin

AskAILA is now available at a fixed fee from RM 268 a month. To find out more, please head on to the AskAILA official website at https://www.askaila.online.

Established in the year 2011, Shang & Co is a top award-winning law firm in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Their team of lawyers have extensive experience in advising and representing individual, private and corporate clients for matters relating to divorce, employment and commercial among others. Shang & Co.’s extensive dispute resolution experience and in-depth knowledge gives them the ability to deliver strategic and cost-efficient solutions to their clients even in the fast-changing and challenging environment. Shang & Co.’s focus and experience in different areas of practice give them the cutting-edge to serve private, individual and corporate clients in advisory, planning and disputes representations.