Azlina Abdul Aziz has lived several lifetimes in one, to end up where she is now, a criminal lawyer at the age of 52, a feat she achieved not out of ambition but necessity - to save her son from the gallows.

A difficult childhood forced her into the role of caregiver early on, tending to an ex-army father with schizophrenia while helping to raise seven siblings.

With no financial stability and mounting responsibilities...