The Legal 500 Asia Pacific provides unbiased commentary and insight into the legal markets of the region. Their rankings reflect the results of detailed analysis and interviews conducted by their experienced researchers.

We are delighted to announce that Zain & Co. was ranked in eight practice areas for their 2024 edition. We also congratulate six of our partners - Salwah Abdul Shukor, Rajiv Vijayanathan, Vatsala Ratnasabapathy, Sharmini Natalie Durai, Rebecca Jeyanthi Selvaraj and our "Next Generation Partner" Dennis Heng Kai Khong - for being individually ranked.

Banking and Finance

Our Banking and Finance team is headed by Zainal Azlan Abdul Kadir, with his “experience in advising on documentation and structure regarding conventional and Islamic financing”. Key partner Zain Azrin Zain Azahari “regularly engages with corporate clients to draft facilities agreements, security documents, and handle commercial property deals”.

The team was described as “very committed and can work within a tight deadline for a complex instrument implementation. The firm also possesses deep legal knowledge and is able to negotiate terms for the client’s benefit.” Another client praised the team for giving “their full commitment towards understanding the case and demonstrat[ing] great capability in the matter.’

Corporate and M&A

Our Corporate and M&A team acts for a broad portfolio of clients, with Salwah Abdul Shukor leading the team with her “demonstrable experience advising on M&A, IPOs and Islamic estate planning mandates”. Key practitioner Rajiv Vijayanathan (with his noted experience in the oil and gas sector) advises on joint ventures and infrastructure projects, while Rebecca Jeyanthi Selvaraj advises, reviews, drafts and negotiates various commercial agreements.

As described by a client, our “team members have diverse legal backgrounds and specialisms, and therefore, clients get a thorough and all-encompassing view of the matter at hand”.

Dispute Resolution

Our Dispute Resolution team have experience in a broad range of matters and industries. The team is jointly led by: Anita Sockalingam, a seasoned litigator; Vatsala Ratnasabapathy, who is “recognised for her know-how in construction arbitration”; Kok Su Ann, who is “experienced in land acquisitions”; and Sharmini Durai who “showcases strengths in employment law, often representing corporate clients in constructive dismissal and unfair dismissal cases”. Vatsala Ratnasabapathy has also been ranked as a "Leading Individual" for Dispute Resolution, while Dennis Khong has been named a "Next Generation Partner" in the industry.

The team “provides a client-centric approach and understands the underlying sensitivity needed to deal with issues. The firm has a strong focus on dispute resolution, with extensive experience and success in handling various disputes, setting them apart as a go-to practice in this field”. One of our clients also described our team as a “close-knit team dealing primarily with construction disputes”.

Intellectual Property

Led by Salwah Abdul Shukor, our Intellectual Property practice counts banks, financial institutions, and media corporations in our key roster of clients. Our scope of work includes “advising on various non-contentious IP matters such as anti-counterfeiting concerns, copyright and enforcement matters, franchising and licensing, and applications for patents and trademarks.”

Labour and Employment

Our “top-notch” team is jointly led by employment dispute experts Sharmini Durai and Rebecca Jeyanthi Selvaraj. Our team acts for corporate clients in unfair dismissal claims, advises on employment-related agreements and contracts, deals with compliance issues, and also assists with the arrangement of employee secondments in foreign jurisdictions.

Our team has been praised for “not just provid[ing] a legal analysis of the risks and labour and employment issues, but also consider[ing] the practical aspects of managing groups of employees or the individual employee in question”. Further, “the team provides a holistic view of the labour and employment risks experienced by the company and offers advice on trainings and potential risk areas we could address, and not just targeted advice to the specific issue on hand”. The team also "offer[s] competitive rates for their top-notch legal service, are very collaborative, responsive and analyse fully the issues we present or consult them with.”

Projects and Energy

Our Projects and Energy team is “well-equipped to advise on the construction and leasing of large-scale real estate projects, as well as on the development of projects in the energy sector”, with clients spanning the telecommunications, oil and gas, property development, and construction industries.

The team’s key lawyers include oil and gas and infrastructure specialist Rajiv Vijayanathan, experienced practitioner Mariza Azen Mat Rasip, and corporate and M&A-focused practitioner Rebecca Jeyanthi Selvaraj.

Real Estate and Construction

The “highly skilled” Mariza Azen Mat Rasip leads the Real Estate and Construction practice at Zain & Co. Our practice covers a wide range of matters including advising on large-scale property acquisitions and disposals, joint ventures, and the structuring of mixed-use developments. We also carry out due diligence on target properties as well as offer real estate financing expertise.

Our team has been praised for its ability to provide “actionable and practical solutions that suit the industry”, while also delivering “legal services [with] the utmost professionalism, never short of quality whilst achieving [the] client’s business objective. With their global affiliation and equipped with resourceful team of legal practitioners and support, Zain & Co. is one amongst the top law firms in Malaysia.”

TMT (including FinTech)

The Legal 500 describes our team’s strengths as “advising on licensing of software and hardware and outsourcing arrangements, assessing the viability of establishing a commercial presence in Malaysia and handling licensing and distribution issues for film and media companies.”

The team is headed by Salwah Abdul Shukor, who has a strong track record in M&A work involving companies in the TMT sphere. Pauline Ngiam, who is well-regarded for her work on commercial transactions and contracts, is another key practitioner.