Lawyer’s Profile:

Teck Huat has extensive litigation experience and has appeared before the Courts at all levels in Malaysia as well as in Singapore.

Teck Huat represents a large number of insurance companies, shipping companies, press and media corporations, banks and financial institutions in complex claims and disputes in a wide range of fields including insurance, shipping, banking, corporate and commercial, insolvency and construction matters.

He advises and represents the biggest media organization in Malaysia in defamation matters and appears as its Counsel on a regular basis in trials and appeals.

He was admitted to the Brunei High Court on an ad hoc basis as leading Counsel for a trial in a defamation action in which he successfully argued the extended parameters of the defence of qualified privilege as expounded by the House of Lords in Reynolds v Times Newspaper [1999] 3 WLR 1010.   He has also appeared as Counsel in complex defamation actions in Singapore up to the Court of Appeal.

In the field of insurance, re-insurance and shipping, he advises and represents various insurance companies and other corporations in large and complex matters.  He also provides advisory and consultancy services in such matters.  Teck Huat has a number of cases reported in the law reports.

His practice involved litigation work from the outset.  He commenced practice with Niru & Co in March 1989 dealing essentially, in maritime/admiralty and insurance litigation.

In 1991, when Niru & Co merged with Harry Elias & Partners, he became a partner of that firm.  There, Teck Huat’s practice extended to include defamation and intellectual property litigation, apart from his original forte of maritime/shipping and insurance and re-insurance litigation.

In 1993, with the de-merger of the firms, Teck Huat recommenced practice as a partner in the re-constituted firm of Niru & Co. and continued with his extensive practice in insurance & shipping litigation work, whilst continuing to develop defamation and intellectual property litigation.

In October 2001, Teck Huat returned to Malaysia to further his legal practice.  He joined Zaid Ibrahim & Co. and established its insurance, reinsurance and shipping practice group, which he led until he left Zaid Ibrahim & Co. in June 2004 to start T H Liew & Partners which subsequently became Suflan T H Liew & Partners, with the addition of an eminent Counsel, the late Shamsuflan Shamsuddin to the Team.

Significant Matters:

List of Reported Cases

1. The ‘Asian Plutus’; ‘Asian Plutus’, Owners of Cargo Laden on Board v ‘Asian Plutus’, Owners of & Other Interested Persons – [1990] 2 MLJ 449
2. Lim & Sons (Pte) Ltd v Owners of and Other Person interested in the Ship or Vessel ‘Trade Fair’ – [1994] 1 SLR 704
3. United Overseas Bank Ltd v Mohamed Arif – [1994] 2 SLR 296
4. Owners of the Ship or Vessel ‘Trade Fair’ v Lim & Sons (Pte) Ltd; ‘The Trade Fair’ – [1994] 3 SLR 827
5. Uni-France Offshore Engineering Pte Ltd v Owners of and/or Other Persons Interested in the Ship or Vessel ‘Cotan Challenger’; ‘The Cotan Challenger’ – [1996] 1 SLR 297
6. Marina Centre Holdings Pte Ltd v Pars Carpet Gallery Pte Ltd – [1997] 3 SLR 625
7. The Lotus M – [1997] 2 SLR 570
8. Universal Westech (S) Pte Ltd v Ng Thiam Kiat & Ors – [1997] 2 SLR 139
9. Penguin Engineering & Construction Pte Ltd v Titan Logistics (S) Pte Ltd (Pioneer Offshore Enterprises Pte Ltd, third party) – [1997] 2 SLR 126
10. Pars Carpet Gallery Pte Ltd v Marina Centre Holdings Pte Ltd – [1997] 2 SLR 486
11. Ng Thiam Kiat & Ors v Universal Westech (S) Pte Ltd and another appeal – [1997] 3 SLR 419
12. Ang Kim Soon v Sunray Marine Pte Ltd – [1997] 3 SLR 619
13. Damayanti Kantilal Doshi & Anor v Shobhana J Doshi – [1998] 1 SLR 530
14. The Botic – [1999] 4 SLR 749
15. Win Line (UK) Ltd v Masterpart (Singapore) Pte Ltd & Anor – [2000] 2 SLR 98
16. Overseas Union Insurance Ltd v Turegum Insurance Co – [2001] 3 SLR 330
17. Overseas Union Insurance Ltd v Home and Overseas Insurance Co Ltd – [2002] 4 SLR 104
18. Overseas Union Insurance Ltd v Home & Overseas Insurance Co Ltd and another application – [2002] 2 SLR 497
19. A Kanesananthan v Singapore Ceylon Tamils’ Association [2003] SGHC 93 – [2003] 3 SLR 539
20. The “Hyundai Fortune”[2004] 4 SLR(R) 548; [2004] SGCA 41
21. Ang Kuang Hoe v Chia Chor Yew [2004] 1 SLR 696
22. Putra Perdana Construction Sdn Bhd v AMI Insurance Bhd & Ors – [2005] 2 MLJ 123
23. The “Inai Selasih” (ex “Geopoted X”) [2005] 4 SLR 1
24. The “Inai Selasih” (ex “Geopotes X”) (Appeal) [2006] 2 SLR 181
25. Centaurus Enterprise (S) Pte Ltd v Foong Yew Eong Christopher and Others [2008] SGHC 195
26. Ferco Seating Systems (M) Sdn Bhd v The Product People Pty Ltd – [2009] 6 MLJ 874
27. Sarawak Shell Bhd v The Owners or other persons interested in The Ship or Vessel ‘The Red Gold’ and another action – [2011] 1 MLJ 239
28. The Owners or Other Persons Interested in the Ship or Vessel ‘the Red Gold’ v Sarawak Shell Bhd and another Appeal – [2012] 4 MLJ 729
29. AM Assurance Bhd v AXA Affin Assurance Bhd – [2012] 5 MLJ 137
30. Sabah Shell Petroleum Co Ltd & Anor v The Owners of and/or Any Other Persons Interested in the Ship or Vessel the ‘Borcos Takdir’ – [2012] 5 MLJ 515
31. Seri Mukali Sdn Bhd v Kertih Port Sdn Bhd – [2012] 7 MLJ 437
32. Tekital Sdn Bhd v Sarina bt Kamaludin & Ors – [2012] 8 MLJ 734
33. Ahmad Zukni Johari v Sistem Televisyen Malaysia Bhd (TV3) & Another – [2012] 6 CLJ 851
34. Newfield Peninsula Malaysia Inc v The Owners Of The Ship Or Vessel “Tanjung Pinang 1” [2012] 1 LNS 1084
35. Admal Sdn Bhd v The New Straits Times Press (Malaysia) Berhad & Sistem Televisyen Malaysia Berhad [2013] 1 LNS 276
36. Perusaphaan Sinar Jaya Sdn Bhd v Etiqa Insurance Bhd [2013] 8 MLJ 317
37. Dato’ Seri Mohammad Nizar Bin Jamaluddin v Sistem Televisyen Malaysia Berhad & Another [2013] 7 CLJ 483
38. Datuk Husam Musa v The New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd & Ors [2013] 1 LNS 798
39. Crowe Horwath v Suruhanjaya Sekuriti [2014] 1 LNS 804
40. Best Venue Sdn Bhd v Allianz General Insurance Company (M) Bhd [2015] 4 CLJ 219
41. Zaina Salleh Abdul Rahman v The New Straits Time (M’sia) Berhad [2015] 1 LNS 834
42. Sistem Televisyen Malaysia Sdn Bhd & Others v Nurullah Zawawi & Anor [2015] 9 CLJ 357
43. Allianz General insurance Company (M) Berhad & Others v Kapar Energy Ventures Sdn Bhd [2016] 1 LNS 1784
44. AmGeneral Insurance Bhd v Iskandar bin Mohd Nuli [2016] 1 MLJ 818
45. Allianz General Insurance Malaysia Berhad v Maxi Development Sdn Bhd & Ors [2017] 1 LNS 806
46. Iskandar bin Mohd Nuli v AmGeneral Insurance Bhd (Previously known as AmG Insurance Bhd) [2017] 5 MLJ 25
47. Integrated Marine Works Sdn Bhd v Petronas Penapisan (Melaka) Sdn Bhd [2018] 1 LNS 381
48. Prai Power Sdn Bhd v GE Energy Parts Inc & Others [2018] 1 LNS 404
49. Allianz General Insurance Company (Malaysia) Berhad v Chubb Insurance Malaysia Berhad (Formerly Known as Ace Jerneh Insurance Berhad) [2018] 1 LNS 825
50. Goh Bee Lan v Yap Soon Guan and another [2018] SGHC 11
51. Jhaveri Darsan Jitendra and others v Salgaocar Anil Vassudeva and others [2018] 5 SLR 689
52. Motor Insurers’ Bureau of Singapore and another v Am General Insurance Bhd (formerly known as Kurnia Insurans (Malaysia) Bhd) (Liew Voon Fah, third party) [2018] 4 SLR 882
53. Lakshmi Anil Salgaocar v Hadley James Chilton and others [2018] 5 SLR 725
54. Lakshmi Anil Salgaocar v Jhaveri Darsan Jitendra and another [2018] SGHC 90
55. Sabyasachi Mukherjee and another v Pradeepto Kumar Biswas and another suit [2018] SGHC 271
56. Athanasius Allapan Anthong v Myteksi Sdn Bhd [2019] 2 LNS 2203
57. Lakshmi Anil Salgaocar v Jhaveri Darsan Jitendra [2019] 2 SLR 372
58. Allianz General Insurance Company (Malaysia) Bhd v Virginia Surety Company Labuan Branch [2020] 5 CLJ 345
59. Motor Insurers’ Bureau of Singapore v AmGeneral Insurance Bhd [2020] 3 CLJ 581
60. Raja Syahrir bin Abu Bakar & Anor v Manjeet Singh Dhillon and other appeals [2020] 3 MLJ 482
61. Shankar’s Emporium Pte Ltd and others v Jethanand Harkishindas Bhojwani and another [2020] SGHC 244
62. 3 Corporate Services Pte Ltd v Grabtaxi Holdings Pte Ltd [2020] 4 SLR 941
63. Jethanand Harkishindas Bhojwani v Lakshmi Prataprai Bhojwani (alias Mrs Lakshmi Jethanand Bhojwani) [2021] 3 SLR 1055
64. Rahman Mohammad Jillour v Paretam Singh s/o Kishen Singh (alias Pritam Singh Gill) [2021] SGHC 30
65. The Jeil Crystal [2021] SGHC 292

Accolades/Awards:

Memberships/Appointments:

He was a teaching member of the Singapore Law Society Advocacy Committee from 1996 to 1999.  He was also tutor in law in the Faculty of Engineering of the National University of Singapore.

Speaking Engagements/Articles written:

Apart from his extensive litigation practice, Teck Huat also conducts regular conferences and seminars, including presenting a paper on Maritime Arbitration at a seminar organised by the Regional Centre for Arbitration, Kuala Lumpur.

Teck Huat has also been invited to speak on various topics on insurance, reinsurance, shipping and defamation issues to various participants in the industry.

Year called to bar, University:

Teck Huat was called to the Singapore Bar in 1989.  He graduated from the National University of Singapore.

Languages spoken other than English:

• Malay
• Mandarin
• Cantonese
• Hakka

Lawyer’s Profile:

Rueben obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Law (Honours) degree from the University of Kent at Canterbury, England in 1987 and a Master of Laws degree from the University of Malaya in 2002. He is a Barrister-At-Law, Lincoln’s Inn, London (admitted in 1989), a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory and the High Court of Australia (admitted in 1990) and an Advocate and Solicitor of the High Court of Malaya (admitted in 1990). Rueben is also a Fellow of both the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, United Kingdom (FCIArb.) and the Malaysian Institute of Arbitrators (FMIArb.), holds a Diploma in International Commercial Arbitration [DipICArb. (CIArb)] and a Certificate in Adjudication from the Kuala Lumpur Regional Centre for Arbitration (now known as Asian International Arbitration Centre (AIAC)).

Career

Rueben was admitted to the Bar of England & Wales in 1989 by the Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn, London after which he returned to Malaysia to embark on his legal career. In December of the same year, he commenced his pupillage in the legal firm of Azman, Davidson & Co, Kuala Lumpur under the tutelage of his Master, Dato’ William Stanley Walker Davidson, an eminent lawyer and founding Senior Partner of that firm. Having successfully completed his pupillage, Rueben was admitted as an Advocate & Solicitor of the High Court of Malaya in October 1990. Shortly thereafter, he was admitted as a Barrister & Solicitor of the Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory and the High Court of Australia.

Upon his admission to the High Court of Malaya as an Advocate & Solicitor, Rueben was retained as an Associate in Azman Davidson & Co as of November 1990 and was later made a Partner in 1997.  Having been with Azman Davidson & Co for 13 years out of which a Partner of the firm ever since 1997, Rueben then accepted the offer of partnership in Malaysia’s largest law firm, Zaid Ibrahim & Co in February 2003. In May 2006, he ventured out to set up his own practice under the name and style of Rueben Williams. A year later, Rueben Williams merged with the firm of BH Lawrence & Co. and Rueben remained there as a Partner in the firm’s Litigation Division until the end of May 2009 after which he reverted to the former Rueben Williams on 1 June 2009. In June of 2014, Rueben accepted the invitation to become a Partner in Messrs T H Liew & Partners (now known as Zaid Ibrahim Suflan TH Liew & Partners), in which firm he practices until this day.

On 25 February 2010, Rueben was appointed a Notary Public by the Attorney-General of Malaysia.

Experience

Rueben has 31 years of litigation experience particularly in the areas of civil and commercial litigation encompassing a broad range of contractual disputes, acting for regulatory authorities like Labuan FSA (Labuan Financial Services Authority) in disputes involving them and others, defamation (libel & slander), arbitration, construction, debt collection, landlord and tenant and employment law. He has appeared before the courts at all levels in Malaysia and has represented and acted for many large corporations in a wide range of disputes.

Rueben has also appeared both as Counsel and presided as an Arbitrator in arbitration proceedings and is at present an Arbitrator and Adjudicator on the panel of the Asian International Arbitration Centre (AIAC).

Significant Matters:

• Acting as counsel and co-counsel in a case involving the registration of a foreign arbitral award in Malaysia obtained by World Sport Nimbus Pte Ltd (WSN) against Sri Lanka Cricket from the High Court all the way up to the Federal Court in which the matter was subsequently settled in favour of WSN.
• Representing various personalities and companies/organisations in their libel claims including Malaysia’s leading actress at the time Sofia Jane Hisham, the charitable organisation behind the iconic Kek Lok Si Temple in Penang, Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun, former Deputy Minister and MCA CWC Member, and defending various news organisations like the New Straits Times (M) Berhad, Sistem Televisyen Malalysia Berhad, Utusan Melayu (Malaysia) Berhad, Star Publications (Malaysia) Berhad in libel claims brought against them by various parties including Lim Guan Eng, former Chief Minister of Penang, Tan Sri Adnan Yaakob, former Chief Minister of Pahang, Dato Seri Tajuddin Abdul Rahman, former Minister for Agriculture and Agro-Based Industries.
• Advising and assisting Star Publications (M) Berhad, publisher of Malaysia’s leading English newspaper in conducting their Voluntary Separation Scheme (VSS) offered to their employees nationwide.

Memberships/Appointments:

• Arbitrator and Adjudicator on the panel of the Asian International Arbitration Centre (AIAC).
• Notary Public, Kuala Lumpur appointed by the Attorney-General of Malaysia.
• Served on the Bar Council’s Industrial Court Rules and Practice Sub-Committee, Kuala Lumpur Bar Committee’s Public Relations Sub-Committee and as an Examiner of the Malaysian Bar’s Ethics & Professional Conduct Written Examination.
• Formerly a Committee Member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (United Kingdom) Malaysia Branch for 2 terms.
• Past Secretary and Treasurer of the Kuala Lumpur Cricket Association (KLCA).
• Legal Adviser to the Malaysian Tenpin Bowling Congress (MTBC).
• Former Tender Board Committee Member of the Royal Selangor Club, Kuala Lumpur.
• Secretary of the Royal Selangor Club Cricket Section, Kuala Lumpur

Speaking Engagements/Articles written:

• January 2003: “Dealing with Breaches of An Employment Contract “ at a conference entitled “Structuring Employment Contracts and Effective Handling of Termination and Dismissals”;
• July 2008 & September 2009: “Essentials of Safe and Proper Article Writing from the Perspective of the Law of Defamation” at a Seminar cum Workshop for journalists at the New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd.
• February 2012: “A Simple Guide to Safe and Proper News Reporting and Article Writing from the Perspective of the Law of Defamation” at a seminar cum workshop for journalists at Media Prima Berhad.
• February 2014 & January 2015: Lectured at the Malaysian Institute of Arbitrators Membership upgrade course for the years 2014 & 2015 on “The Arbitration Hearing Process”.
• July 2017: “The Law Relating to Responsible Journalism” – Lecture and tutorial for journalists from Berita Nasional Malaysia (Bernama).
• October 2019 “News Reporting from Source to Print” – Lecture and tutorial for journalists from New Straits Times Press (M) Sdn Bhd.

Books authored:

• Evans on Defamation in Singapore and Malaysia (3^rd Edition) by Doris Cheah and Rueben Mathiavaranam (Lexis Nexis)

Year called to bar, University:

• Graduated with a BA (Hons) Law (Kent) in 1987 (from the University of Kent at Canterbury, England) – BA (Hons) Kent (Law)
• Obtained Bar-At-Law (Lincoln’s Inn) in 1989 – Barrister, of Lincoln’s Inn
• Admitted to the Bar of England & Wales by the Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn in 1989
• Admitted as an Advocate & Solicitor of the High Court in Malaya in 1990
• Admitted as a Barrister & Solicitor of Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory in 1990
• Admitted as a Barrister & Solicitor of the High Court of Australia in 1990
• Graduated with a Master of Laws from the University of Malaya in 2002 – LLM (Malaya)
• Obtained Diploma in International Commercial Arbitration from the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (UK) in 2013 – (Dip. ICArb.) (CIArb.)
• Certificate in Adjudication from the Asian International Arbitration Centre (AIAC) in 2014
• Admitted as Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators –  (FCIArb.)
• Admitted as a Fellow of the Malaysian Institute of Arbitrators –  (FMIArb.)

Languages spoken other than English:

• Malay
• Tamil

Lawyer’s Profile:

Lim Qi Si is a Partner in STHLP.

Qi Si graduated from the University of the West of England (UWE) Bristol with a LL.B (Honours) degree in 2006. In 2007, Qi Si was called as a Barrister-at-Law of Gray’s Inn, England & Wales.

Prior to legal practice in Malaysia, Qi Si worked in one of the largest telecommunications companies in England, Orange PCS until 2009.

In late 2009, Qi Si joined STHLP (TH Liew & Partners then) and was admitted as an Advocate & Solicitor of the High Court of Malaya in 2010. Qi Si was made a Junior Partner in 2013.

Over the years with the Firm, Qi Si has been involved exclusively in litigation work. Qi Si has consequently developed extensive litigation experience particularly in the areas of defamation (libel & slander), insurance, re-insurance, shipping and general commercial litigation. Qi Si has appeared before the Courts at all levels in Malaysia (including the Federal Court of Malaysia) in both leading and assisting roles.

In the field of defamation, she has appeared as Counsel in complex defamation actions on a regular basis in Trials and Appeals and handled them independently as well as together with Lead Counsel, Mr Liew Teck Huat.  STHLP represents the biggest media organization in Malaysia in various defamation actions. Qi Si has independently conducted Trials and presented Oral Submissions before the High Court after a full Trial.

Qi Si has also appeared as counsel in complex shipping and insurance cases. She handled a complex ship arrest case from inception to sale and distribution of the sales proceeds in the course of which she dealt with an array of opposing counsel representing cargo, crew and bunker interest. QI Si also rendered substantive support work for lead counsel in two substantial oil and gas disputes which involved ruptured subsea pipelines caused by vessels working in oilfields. Qi Si has also appeared in multiple personal injury cases as insurance counsel achieving creditable outcomes.

Qi Si was also personally involved in the drafting of the cause papers in defamation actions as well as in her other specialist practice areas She has invaluable experience in dealing with the marine department as well as attending meetings with the marine department to resolve any issues arising from an arrest.

Qi Si was also involved in assisting in a large number of complex commercial litigation claims including insurance, corporate and insolvency matters. She has conducted Trials and Appeals independently in insurance disputes and witness interviews in order to prepare Witness Statements for Trial, argued contentious applications before the High Court, Court of Appeal and Federal Court, drafted various cause papers as well as provide guidance to Junior Associates in the firm.

Significant Matters:

• Overseeing and attending to the entire process of the ship’s arrest up to obtaining the order for sale of the vessel, The Prince of Ocean. This includes drafting of all the cause papers prior to and throughout the entire arrest and sale process, dealing with the marine department as well as attending meetings with the marine department to resolve any issues arising from an arrest.
• Represented and advised clients in family disputes particularly in contested divorce proceedings.
• Represented and advised (and continuing to do so) various local insurers in insurance and reinsurance disputes in major classes of insurance business in Malaysia, particularly in motor accident claims, fire etc.

List of Reported Cases

1. Sarawak Shell Bhd v The Owners or other persons interested in The Ship or Vessel ‘The Red Gold’ and another action – [2011] 1 MLJ 239
2. The Owners or Other Persons Interested in the Ship or Vessel the ‘Red Gold’ v Sarawak Shell Bhd [2012] 4 MLJ 729
3. Sabah Shell Petroleum Co Ltd & Anor v The Owners of and/or Any Other Persons Interested in the Ship or Vessel the ‘Borcos Takdir’ – [2012] 5 MLJ 515
4. Tekital Sdn Bhd v Sarina bt Kamaludin & Ors [2012] 8 MLJ 734
5. Ahmad Zukni Johari v Sistem Televisyen Malaysia Bhd (TV3) & Another [2012] 6 CLJ 851 (Defamation)
6. Mahadi Mohameddiah v Ibrahim Isa & Ors [2012] 2 MLRH 1 (Defamation)
7. Newfield Peninsula Malaysia Inc v The Owners Of The Ship Or Vessel “Tanjung Pinang 1” [2012] 1 LNS 1084
8. Admal Sdn Bhd v The New Straits Times Press (Malaysia) Berhad & Sistem Televisyen Malaysia Berhad [2013] 1 LNS 276
9. Perusahaan Sinar Jaya Sdn Bhd v Etiqa Insurance Bhd [2013] 8 MLJ 317
10. Dato’ Seri Mohammad Nizar Bin Jamaluddin v Sistem Televisyen Malaysia Berhad & Another [2013] 7 CLJ 483 (Defamation)
11. Datuk Husam Musa v The New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd & Ors [2013] 1 LNS 798
12. Best Venue Sdn Bhd v Allianz General Insurance Company (M) Bhd [2015] 4 CLJ 219
13. Zaina Salleh Abdul Rahman v The New Straits Time (M’sia) Berhad [2015] 1 LNS 834
14. Sistem Televisyen Malaysia Sdn Bhd & Others v Nurullah Zawawi & Anor [2015] 9 CLJ 357
15. Allianz General insurance Company (M) Berhad & Others v Kapar Energy Ventures Sdn Bhd [2016] 1 LNS 1784
16. AmGeneral Insurance Bhd v Iskandar bin Mohd Nuli [2016] 1 MLJ 818
17. Allianz General Insurance Malaysia Berhad v Maxi Development Sdn Bhd & Ors [2017] 1 LNS 806
18. Iskandar bin Mohd Nuli v AmGeneral Insurance Bhd (Previously known as AmG Insurance Bhd) [2017] 5 MLJ 25
19. Integrated Marine Works Sdn Bhd v Petronas Penapisan (Melaka) Sdn Bhd [2018] 1 LNS 381
20. Prai Power Sdn Bhd v GE Energy Parts Inc & Others [2018] 1 LNS 404
21. Athanasius Allapan Anthong v MyTeksi Sdn Bhd [2019] 2 LNS 2203
22. Renveer Singh Mohan Singh v Grab Management Services Sdn Bhd [2019] 2 LNS 2828
23. Raja Syahrir bin Abu Bakar & Anor v Manjeet Singh Dhillon and other appeals [2020] 3 MLJ 482
24. Motor Insurers’ Bureau of Singapore v AmGeneral Insurance Bhd [2020] 3 CLJ 581
25. Allianz General Insurance Company (Malaysia) Bhd v Virginia Surety Company Labuan Branch [2020] 5 CLJ 345

Accolades/Awards:

• Recipient of the HELP University College Merit Award in 2004
• Recipient of the Lord Templeman Scholarship from the University of the West of England (UWE) Bristol in 2005
• Recipient of the Shahrizat, Rashid & Lee Award in 2004
• Recipient of the Lee Hishammuddin Allen & Gledhill Award in 2005

Memberships/Appointments:

• Barister-at-Law, Gray’s Inn, England & Wales
• Member, Malaysian Bar
• Member, Kuala Lumpur Bar Committee

Year called to bar, University:

Qi Si graduated from the University of the West of England (UWE) Bristol with a LL.B (Honours) degree in 2006.

In 2007, Qi Si was called as a Barrister-at-Law of Gray’s Inn, England & Wales.

In 2010, Qi Si was called to the Malaysian Bar as Advocate & Solicitor of the High Court of Malaya

Languages spoken other than English:

• Malay
• Mandarin
• Cantonese
• Hokkien

Lawyer’s Profile:

Mr Surendra Naidu started his career in Athi Nahappan & Co in 1973 as a Company Secretary and was involved in corporate work in Datuk Athi Nahapan’s Group of Companies. He served as Company Secretary in Brentnall Beard Sdn Bhd and South East Asia Insurance Bhd.

Mr Naidu started his legal career in Lawrence Dhillon and Partners.  He subsequently started his own legal practice under Nurhayati & Naidu in Klang where he handled wide ranging legal work encompassing commercial/civil litigation as well as non-contentious work such as advisory work for insurance companies.

He joined T H Liew & Partners (now known as Zaid Ibrahim Suflan T H Liew & Partners) in 2005 as a Partner.

Year called to Bar, University:

Mr Surendra Naidu was called to the Malaysian Bar in 1985 and is a Graduate of The University of Wales at Cardiff

Languages spoken other than English:

• Malay
• Telugu
• Tamil
• Kannada

Lawyer’s Profile:

Kang Nyong is a Partner with the Firm.

Kang Nyong graduated from the University of Malaya with a LL.B in 2017 and was admitted as an Advocate & Solicitor of the High Court of Malaya in 2018.

Prior to joining Zaid Ibrahim Suflan T H Liew & Partners, Kang Nyong practised at a boutique litigation firm and handled mostly civil litigation cases such as contractual disputes, landlord and tenant disputes, moneylending, construction disputes and insolvencies.

Apart from contentious matters as above, Kang Nyong also handled property transactions, untested divorces and probate and administration.

He also handled several conveyancing cases, uncontested divorce proceedings and uncontested administration of estate proceedings.

At Zaid Ibrahim Suflan T H Liew & Partners, Kang Nyong handles a wide range of civil and commercial litigation matters notably in commercial disputes, trusts, insurance and oil and gas disputes. He also assists in handling substantial and complex arbitral proceedings.

Kang Nyong regularly appear as counsel in court for hearings and as assisting counsel in complex and large disputes.

During his time at university, Kang Nyong was a Mandarin debater who participated in various Mandarin debate tournaments local and abroad.

Accolades/Awards:

• Macau International Varsity Debating Contest 2017, Semi finalist
• World Cup Golden League International Debate Tournament 2016, Third Place
• Northern Malaysia Mandarin Debate Tournament 2014, 1^st Runner Up

Memberships/Appointments:

• Member, Bar Council
• Member, Kuala Lumpur State Bar

Year called to the Bar, University:

• LL.B (Hons), University of Malaya – 2017
• Admitted as an Advocate & Solicitor of the High Court of Malaya – 2018

Lawyer’s Profile:

Zhen Kit is a Senior Associate in Messrs Zaid Ibrahim Suflan T H Liew & Partners, focusing on general litigation practice particularly in insurance and tortious actions.

Zhen Kit graduated with a Bachelor of Law degree from the University of Malaya in 2020.  He did his pupillage with Messrs Arifin & Partners in 2020 to 2021, where he was exposed to a wide spectrum of practice areas, including Civil & Commercial litigation, banking litigation, probate and estate administration as well as selective corporate work, etc.

During his university days, he has participated actively in various volunteering at charity-based organisations. He was a member of the Community Outreach Programme, a volunteer-based organisation run by the Law Faculty in University of Malaya. He was in community service in Indonesia in collaboration with the Faculty of Law, Universitas Indonesia in 2017.

He was also chosen as a Student Advisor at Klinik Bantuan Guaman Universiti Malaya (KBGUM), a legal aid clinic run by final year law students, supervised by academic staff and professional lawyers. He was selected as one of the interns at Jabatan Bantuan Guaman Kuala Lumpur, in collaboration with KBGUM in 2019.

Accolades/Awards:

–

Memberships/Appointments:

• Malaysian Bar Council

Speaking Engagements/Articles written:

• Co-author of “A Socio-Legal Analysis of Child FGM in Malaysia: Quo Vadis in Child Protection?“ (2020) 4 UMLR 65

Year called to bar, University:

• 2021, University of Malaya LLB (Hons)(Malaya)

Lawyer’s Profile:

Sufiah is a Legal Associate at Messrs Zaid Ibrahim Suflan T H Liew & Partners where she is involved in handling general, Civil and Commercial litigation practices particularly in insurance and tortious disputes as well as arbitration proceedings.

Sufiah graduated from the University of Malaya in Law (Hons) in 2020 after which she went on to obtain a Postgraduate Diploma in Syariah Law and Practice from UiTM in 2022.

During her university days, she played a role as the trailblazer for female representatives in the University of Malaya’s campus political arena. She was elected as the Student Representative of the Law Faculty in UM’s Student Representative Council 2019 (UMSU). During her term, she was the Interim President of the UM Student Union in 2020 while also serving as the UM Chairperson for the Legal Advisor to reform the student parliament. This was unprecedented as there were no codified rules at the time of its establishment.

Besides her involvement in campus politics, she was also chosen as the Student Advisor at Klinik Bantuan Guaman Universiti Malaya (KBGUM), a legal aid clinic being run by final year law students and being supervised by academic staff and professional lawyers. Sufiah served as a legal intern at the State Legal Advisor Office in Penang.

Sufiah began her legal career under the tutelage of Lee & Partner. During her pupillage period, she was exposed and guided in many different areas of law. She has been involved extensively in conveyancing and retail banking documentation together with advisory works. She frequently handled a wide array of civil litigation disputes involving the law of defamation, construction and contractual disputes, divorce proceedings as well as probate and estates administrations.

Accolades/Awards:

• Champion for Presidential Debate 2019
• (“Relevancy of Race-Based Parties in Forming Malaysian Governmental Policies”)
• Semi-Finalist SPRM Anti-Corruption Debate 2019
• Overall Best Oralist Award in Pertandingan Penghujahan Mahkamah 2018

Memberships/Appointments:

• Malaysian Bar Council

Speaking Engagements/Articles written:

–

Year called to bar, University:

• 2021, University of Malaya
• LLB (Hons)(Malaya)

Lawyer’s Profile:

Sumita Balasubramaniam is a Legal Associate at Messrs Zaid Ibrahim Suflan T H Liew & Partners where she is involved in general, civil and commercial litigation particularly insurance and defamation disputes.

Sumita read law at Cardiff University, Wales, United Kingdom, and graduated with honours in 2017. She was admitted as a Barrister-at-Law in England and Wales as a member of the Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn in 2020 following her completion of the Bar Professional Training Course at BPP University, London. Sumita is also a recognised and accredited SIMI Civil/ Commercial Mediator.

Sumita completed her pupillage at Jessy & Associates, a boutique labour and industrial law firm in Penang. Upon completion, Sumita was admitted as an Advocate & Solicitor of the High Court of Malaya in January 2022 and commenced practice as an Associate with Harjit Sandhu, Wan & Associates in Kuala Lumpur.

Languages spoken

• English
• Malay
• Punjabi (Basic)
• Conversational Mandarin