“Before the election, nobody expected a change in government,” recalled Dato’ Nitin Nadkarni, the Chairman of the Partners’ Committee and Head of the Energy, & Projects, and International Arbitration Practice at the Malaysian law firm Lee Hishammuddin Allen & Gledhill (LHAG).
Tracing its origins back more than a century, LHAG has nurtured a reputation for excellence and expertise in dispute resolution, international arbitration, tax, employment and industrial relations, and corporate law, while staying above the political fray, a notable achievement given Malaysia’s colonial and postcolonial history.
“We positioned ourselves as a professional law firm. And finding sustained success regardless of who is in power speaks to the strength of our practice,” Nadkarni said.
Consistently enlisted to handle high-profile cases and little-known ones alike, LHAG has proven to be a domestic legal powerhouse. The firm has also widened its focus outside the country as it taps its strong regional network to assist Malaysian clients wanting to expand their businesses abroad.
Meanwhile, the firm’s leaders have cited the current government’s business friendly approach to governance and its commitment to economic development as positive steps towards creating a level playing field for big ticket projects and opening the market to more foreign investment.
“Malaysia’s current leaders are business-oriented. Mahathir himself has a track record emphasizing economic development. As a firm, we would like to take advantage of the coming growth - if not immediately, certainly in the long term,” Partner Kumar Kanagasingam said.
