Dato’ Thavalingam Thavarajah, who was admitted to the Malaysian Bar in 1990, has many years of experience in industrial relations and employment law.

He was a member of the Industrial Court Practice Committee of the Bar Council, on which he served for a decade. In 2008, he was appointed to a two-year term on the National Labour Advisory Council (NLAC). He was until recently the Honorary Secretary of the Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF). 
 

In addition to writing Constructive Dismissal — Commentaries and Cases (2008) and co-authoring Retrenchment Law and Procedure in Malaysia (2009), Dato’ Thava’s other literary accomplishments include such roles as:  

• contributing editor for the volume on the Employment Act 1955, Industrial Relations Act 1967 and the Trade Unions Act 1959 in the Annotated Statutes of Malaysia series (2002);
• panel author for Employment Law Asia (Malaysian Chapter) (2002); and
• principal author of Employment Termination Law & Practice Malaysia (2001).

He also sits on the editorial advisory board of the Industrial Law Reports (ILR) and was appointed as one of the panel judges for the Jessup Law Moot Finals 2010.

In 2004, the Attorney General’s Chambers invited him for a discussion on proposed amendments to labour law in Malaysia, in particular the Industrial Relations Act 1967; and, more recently, to review, revise and propose new legislation relating to business efficacy and promotion of commerce and trade in the country.

Dato’ Thava won the “Employment & Labour” category for the International Law Office’s (ILO) Client Choice Awards for the second year running (2010-11). (The awards recognise law firms and partners worldwide for their excellent client care and quality of service, assessing them on criteria such as quality of legal advice, value for money and commercial awareness). 

He was also listed as one of the “leading labour lawyers” in Malaysia by Euromoney Publications.

In his spare time, the father of two enjoys his game of squash and makes time for the violin. He was Honorary Secretary of the Squash Racquets Association of Malaysia (SRAM) in 2008. He also sits on the Doping Committee of the Olympic Council of Malaysia and the Disciplinary Boards of the Malaysian Hockey Federation (MHF) and the SRAM. 

 Practice Areas:

• Employment
• Industrial Relations

Qualifications: