Steven Thiru & Sudhar Partnership

Established in May 2018, Messrs Steven Thiru & Sudhar Partnership is a young firm that is not short on experience. The two Senior Partners are well known  in the legal profession. Steven Thiru was the 31st President of the Malaysian Bar and T. Sudhar was a former President of the Malaysian Institute of Arbitrators.

The firm can lay claim to a solid pedigree in terms of the range and breadth of work, experience and track-record in litigation matters . The firm prides itself on its ability to represent clients at all levels of the courts including providing advisory / pre-trial advice and conducting trials and appeals  in a range of litigation and dispute resolution work.

Over a short time the firm has gained a formidable reputation for its advisory, litigation and arbitration work in the main in  general litigation , competition and anti-trust, digital and data protection law, employment law, human rights and public law, judicial review, land acquisition and reference , regulatory /compliance , tax and revenue matters. The firm is based in Kuala Lumpur but undertakes work nationwide and is able to handle cross-border work as well.

Litigation and dispute resolution highlights to date include:

• Successfully dismissing a Plaintiff / Main Contractor’s Originating Summons for interim measures against the Defendant / Employer pending arbitration in respect of construction assets on Site consequential to the termination of a construction contract. The value of the entire project is estimated to be in the region of RM5.4 billion.
• Representing the major transport system developer in a RM300 million claim for breach of contract/ misrepresentation and negligence.
• Successfully defending the public utilities electricity supply vendor in a claim for wrongful termination of supply against a counterclaim of RM99 million.
• Representing a government-owned water asset management corporation in an arbitration matter involving the development of a water treatment plant and water reticulation system. The RM993.8 million dispute is the first of its kind to be heard in Malaysia.
• Representing the Malaysian Institute of Accountants in the first completed disciplinary proceedings involving the auditors of 1MDB.
• Successfully obtaining judgement against an employee for tort of conversion and dishonest assistance for the sum of US$5,361,200 (RM21 million).

The firm also boasts a solid track record in employment and industrial relations. It’s expertise includes consultation on employment terms and conditions, employee misconduct, retrenchment and all aspects of employment and industrial relations including representing clients in employment disputes.

Highlights of the employment and industrial relations section:

• Defending the decision by a client to dismiss an employee who had been accused in the media of sexual grooming and being a sexual predator
• Providing advice to a major transportation company on acts of insubordination and for a breach of fiduciary duties owed by employees to its employer, and the appropriate disciplinary action to be taken against senior employees
• Establishing the principle that failure to furnish an employee facing disciplinary proceedings with all relevant and material evidence amounts to a fundamental breach of procedural fairness and natural justice.
• Advising and representing an employer in a suit brought by an employee who was dismissed for participation in political activities contrary to the employer’s Code of Ethics.
• Advising an international school on steps to manage a senior employee experiencing mental health issues, and the proper procedures to medically board out the employee, if necessary.
• Assisting both local and international corporations realign their manpower and human resource capacities in the light of the Covid-19 pandemic in compliance with labour and employment law and regulations.

Steven Thiru sums up the firm’s philosophy, “We subscribe to time-tested values, these include a commitment to professionalism and mutual respect.  When it comes to representing our clients, we will leave no stone unturned. We are relentless in pursuit of our client’s interests and bring the best of our knowledge and experience to every matter we handle.”