Datuk zaid ibrahim biography malaysia
About Us
T H Liew & Partners was established in Kuala Lumpur in June 2004. The predecessor of this practice was P H Looi & Co. which was in existence from the early 1990s.
The Firm changed its name to Suflan T H Liew & Partners (STHLP) in March 2015. The lawyers in STHLP included former litigation lawyers from Zaid Ibrahim & Co. (ZICO).
In May 2022, the Firm changed its name to Zaid Ibrahim Suflan T H Liew & Partners (ZISTHLP) when Datuk Zaid Ibrahim joined the Firm as a Senior Partner. Datuk Zaid was the Founder and Precedent Partner of Zaid Ibrahim & Co (ZICO) for 30 years. He has the singular distinction of having built the largest law firm in Malaysia during that period. In 2008, Datuk Zaid left ZICO to take up appointment as a Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department for Legal Affairs and Judicial Reform. He was then a Senator in the Dewan Negara.
The principal partner, Mr Liew Teck Huat, was the Head of the Insurance and Shipping Litigation Practice Group in ZICO. Mr Rueben Mathiavaranam, a partner in the Firm, was also a leading counsel in the litigation practice group in ZICO, engaged in the specialist areas of insurance, libel and slander. Ms Lim Qi Si is a junior partner in the Firm with a good litigation background in civil and commercial litigation including insurance disputes. Mr Surendra Naidu, an experienced insurance lawyer of about 30 years standing at the Malaysian Bar also brings corporate expertise to the Firm. He was a company secretary for many years including a long stint with South East Asia Insurance Berhad in the 1970s.
ZISTHLP has, since its inception, been in full association with Niru & Co LLC, a boutique law Firm in Singapore. Mr Liew Teck Huat is also a Senior Director of Niru & Co LLC.
Niru & Co was founded in 1978 by another Malaysian born lawyer, Mr Niru Pillai, who is the Managing and Senior Director of the Firm.
Niru & Co LLC provides ZISTHLP with specialist exper
Lawyer’s Profile:
Datuk Zaid obtained a LLB (Hons) from the University of London. He is a Barrister-At-Law, Inner Temple. Datuk Zaid was admitted as an Advocate and Solicitor of the High Court of Malaya in 1976.
Datuk Zaid was the Founder and Senior Partner of Zaid Ibrahim & Co. for 30 years until 2008. He holds the singular distinction of developing Zaid Ibrahim & Partners into the largest law firm in Malaysia. He was also instrumental in developing the ZICO brand name throughout Southeast Asia.
Datuk Zaid left Zaid Ibrahim & Co. in 2008 to take up appointment as a Minister in the Government of Malaysia. Datuk Zaid served in the Cabinet of the then Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Badawi in 2008 as a Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department for Legal Affairs and Judicial Reforms. Datuk Zaid was previously a Senator in the Dewan Negara, Malaysia.
Datuk Zaid initiated the preparation of the Judicial Appointments Commission to address the lack of a suitable framework and process in the way Judges were appointed. Datuk Zaid was also involved in the preparation of the framework for the establishment of the Malaysia Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).
Datuk Zaid has now retired completely from politics and has also ceased to be member of any political party.
Apart from his passion for the law, Datuk Zaid is a prolific writer who has contributed numerous articles across wide ranging subjects particularly in relation to Malaysian political and socio-economic issues.
Memberships/Appointments:
- Former Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department for Legal Affairs and Judicial Reforms
- Former Senator in the Dewan Negara, Malaysia
- Barrister-at-Law, Inner Temple, England & Wales
- Member, Malaysian Bar
- Member, Kuala Lumpur Bar Committee
Speaking Engagements/Articles written:
Dato’ Zaid is a prolific writer. He has produced many books and articles of general interest. Amongst the books authored are:
- Ampun Tuanku – an analysis and discu
This article first appeared in Forum, The Edge Malaysia Weekly, on February 13 - 19, 2017.
An old friend of mine, a former journalist, posted this on Facebook recently: “Are politically correct principles adequate to take Zaid Ibrahim to the next level of his political career?”
Knowing him, I think he was referring to Datuk Zaid Ibrahim’s role in urging the Abdullah Badawi administration in 2008 to apologise to former chief justice Tun Salleh Abas and the five judges sacked during the 1988 judicial crisis. Apologise the government of the day did and compensation was paid to all six. Zaid was then the law minister.
And obviously, the ex-journo friend of mine was also referring to Zaid’s resignation from Abdullah’s cabinet, also in 2008, in protest over a spate of arrests under the Internal Security Act.
So, will all that take Zaid “to the next level of his political career”? As we know, he has now joined the DAP.
Well, to me, it should. By doing what he did, Zaid has earned “an image of integrity that could be used to cement existing support for the opposition”, in the words of Ooi Kee Beng, deputy director of Singapore ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, as reported by Malay Mail Online.
And a former member of a think tank linked to the Prime Minister’s Office during the 2013 general election told me that Zaid “is an asset to the opposition in parliament as he is very articulate”.
Thus, he went on to say, “DAP should give Zaid good seats — one parliamentary seat in Kuala Lumpur or Selangor, and perhaps one in a state assembly. That would be strategic”.
If that happens, it would put Zaid at the next level of his political career. Wouldn’t you agree?
But it is not about Zaid per se. What would the DAP get by having him as its member?
Most political pundits and commentators agree that Zaid in DAP will not likely help the party tap the rural Malay electorate.
He is too “liberal” for their liking. His views on hudud are well known a
Zaid Ibrahim
Malaysian politician and lawyer
In this Malay name, there is no surname or family name. The name Ibrahim is a patronymic, and the person should be referred to by their given name, Mohd Zaid.
DatukMohd Zaid bin Ibrahim (Jawi: محمد زيد بن إبراهيم; born 10 April 1951) is a Malaysian politician, lawyer and former Minister in the Prime Minister's Department for Legal Affairs and Judicial Reform (March 2008-September 2008). He was previously a Senator in the Dewan Negara, the upper chamber of the Parliament of Malaysia.
He was a member of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), before being suspended on 2 December 2008. UMNO is part of the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition which he joined in 2000. He was the Member of Parliament for Kota Bharu from 2004 to 2008. He is also the founder of Zaid Ibrahim & Co., the largest private law firm in Malaysia. Presently he is a member of United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), a component of Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition.
He also acted as the defense attorney for former prime minister Najib Razak in the RM42 million SRC money laundering case. Najib was imprisoned on 23 August 2022, following an unsuccessful appeal.
Early life and legal career
Born in Kota Bharu, Kelantan, Zaid went to Sultan Ismail College, Kota Bharu before started his law studies in Universiti Teknologi Mara, Shah Alam (or Institut Teknologi Mara as it was known then) by taking his LL.B (Hons.) External Programme which was conducted by the University of London. Upon graduating from ITM, he went to London and was accepted as a Barrister-at-Law, Inner Temple. In 1987 he founded Zaid Ibrahim & Co., which as of 2008 is the largest law firm in Malaysia with over 140 lawyers.
Early membership with UMNO
In 2000, he joined UMNO, becoming Kota BharuUMNO division chief a year later. He was later suspended but became Kelantan Umno deputy lion chief two years late