Partner
Partner
Managing Partner
Junior Partner
Senior Associate
Associate
Office Administrator
HR & Accounts Executive
Datuk Wira Mohtarudin Bin Baki joins our Firm after a distinguished career spanning over 42 years in the legal services and Malaysian judiciary. Datuk Wira’s years of service commenced as a Magistrate in Alor Setar in 1978, Head of Prosecution of the Anti-Corruption Department 1980 (Kuala Lumpur), Judge Advocate at Ministry of Defence in 1982, State Legal Advisor of Melaka in 1983, Sessions Court Judge in 1984, Official Assignee in 2001, Judge of the High Court of Malaya in 2003 and lastly Judge of the Court of Appeal in 2011 until his retirement in 2019.
In 2023, by a Royal Decree by Duli Yang Maha Mulia Paduka Seri Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah ibni Almarhum Sultan Azlan Muhibbuddin Shah Al-Maghfur-Lah, Datuk Wira had the honour and privilege to be appointed on an ad hoc basis, to serve the state of Perak in the capacity as a Shariah Court of Appeal Judge.
In over forty years, he has led and decided cases in diverse areas of law and his vast legal experience and proficiency is undoubtedly an asset to the firm’s formidable litigation team. Datuk Wira’s incredible experience has brought tremendous value to our clients and to our litigation team, who have greatly benefitted from his wisdom and insights.
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Qualifications
Prior to being admitted as an Advocate and Solicitor of the High Court of Malaya, Mohd Kharip plied his trade in the banking industry, having joined Standard Chartered Bank Malaysia in 1972. He served in a number of branches throughout the country, in various departments within the bank, vis-à-vis foreign exchange and remittance, bank processing centres and in international trade services dealing with letter of credit, bills of exchange and bank guarantees.
Mohd Kharip joined as a partner in 2011 where his vast experience and expertise as a former banker has been a tremendous asset to the Firm. His appetite for learning and his lifelong love of the law propelled him to pursue a degree in law and his desire to contribute to society motivates him to seek new and exciting challenges.
It is with great sadness that we announce Mohd Kharip Shah Bin Yusof's passing on 26th October 2024. His professional ethics and dedication shall be followed through and will remain an integral part of the Firm.
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Rao is the co-founder of Messrs Rao & Kamal and has 30 years of experience in the criminal law sphere. He is a hard hitting court litigator with an exacting presence and style where his unwavering interest in all aspects of the law coupled with his versatility and experience as a litigator allows him to switch from criminal law to civil law; from private law to public law effortlessly.
Rao has a busy multi-disciplinary practice in serious crime where he heads our Criminal Defence Services Department, he handles administrative and planning law cases and employment and industrial relations disputes as well as cases in other fields. His strength lies in appellate advocacy where his frequent appearances before the Court of Appeal and Federal Court, in criminal, civil and public law litigation cases, makes him a seasoned and effective litigator for his clients.
Rao’s dedication, passion and commitment to client service and the highest standards of legal excellence has earned him the respect from clients as well as peers. He regularly gives seminars and lectures to private and public institutions including Universities and Statutory Bodies and he is also actively involved in continuing legal education for members of the Bar for both Kuala Lumpur Bar Committee and Selangor Bar Committee.
Rao is a strong advocate of children’s rights and participates in assisting Non-Governmental Organisations in various legal issues concerning the rights of children.
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Kamaljit is the co-founder of Messrs Rao & Kamal and hers is a story which is both diverse and motivational. Kamal, as she is universally known, has always been passionate about justice and the plight of the poor. Her passion coupled with her strong management skills, drew her immediately after law school, to serve as a legal advisor to the United Nations High Commission For Refugees (UNHCR) in conjunction with the Malaysian Task Force with respect to the interpretation and application of International Law and Conventions from 1993. There, her primary focus was on the plight of the Vietnamese Boat people. Following this and wanting to see how she could make an impact on those nearer to home, Kamal decided to pursue her career in law and was admitted into the Malaysian Bar in 1996.
Kamal later joined Antah Sedgwick Insurance Brokers and was part of the team that pioneered the Malaysian Bar Professional Indemnity Scheme together with Lloyd’s of London.
In the years following her admission as advocate and solicitor in 1996, Kamal has handled cases in an assortment of areas of law including banking litigation, criminal litigation as well as family and probate matters.
Kamaljit’s primary focus these days is as Managing Partner of the firm though she continues to maintain a vibrant practice handling family related matters, probate and administration, real estate transactions and will writing. She heads our Family, Probate and Conveyancing department.
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Gayathri began her legal career at Messrs Rao & Kamal and was made junior partner in 2024. Gayathri heads our Litigation and Dispute Resolution Department and her practice and experience has permitted her to appear in countless trials and appeals at all levels of the Malaysian Courts including the Federal Court.
Gayathri’s area of practice is wide ranging and she is particularly active in the areas of tortious, contractual and construction disputes. Her client portfolio includes local authorities, management corporations, statutory bodies as well as numerous public and private universities who she advises on all aspects of the law and risk management.
With over 15 years of experience in her demanding practice, Gayathri has also appeared in arbitration proceedings at the Asian International Arbitration Centre (AIAC), adjudications under the Construction Industry Payment Adjudication Act 2012 (CIPAA), inquiries held by the Malaysian Dental Council and the Appeals Board under the Federal Territory (Planning) Act 1982 to name a few.
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Grace is a Senior Associate in Messrs Rao & Kamal having joined the firm in 2016. She has 28 years of experience in civil and commercial litigation where she has handled a wide range of cases and is versed in various legal disciplines including commercial and securities law, land & construction law and administrative & planning laws.
Over the years, she has advised public listed and private companies, local authorities, securities companies, developers amongst others. She has extensive experience in handling complex cases and getting the best results and outcomes for her clients including procuring and challenging injunctions (such as Mareva, Fortuna and Anton Piller) and other equitable remedies.
She has appeared and argued cases in the higher courts and arbitration proceedings at the Asian International Arbitration Centre (AIAC) and Pertubuhan Arkitek Malaysia (PAM).
Grace’s area of practice these days is primarily in an advisory capacity, providing our clients with legal advice & opinions and services such as contract drafting, fine tuning business documents and processes and risk management. She continues to maintain a vital civil and commercial litigation practice.
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Xin Ying joined Messrs Rao & Kamal in 2022 after practicing several years at a banking litigation firm in Petaling Jaya. Since joining our Firm, Xin Ying has gained extensive experience in a diverse range of areas of law including corporate and commercial disputes, employment disputes as well as judicial review matters.
Xin Ying’s strength and capabilities lies in debt recovery proceedings and she is proficient in all matters of execution, bankruptcy and winding up proceedings. Xin Ying’s diligence and enthusiasm for the law coupled with her resourcefulness ensures that clients are always provided with practical solutions and answers.
Her client portfolio includes multi-national companies, government linked companies, developers as well as several private and public universities and medical centres. Besides her own busy practice areas, Xin Ying regularly supports senior lawyers in trials and appeals at the higher courts.
As part of our firm’s Corporate and Social Responsibility program, Xin Ying regularly conducts clinics, talks and seminars on various topics of the law for our clients.
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After several years working in the hospitality industry, Kiran joined a major global consulting firm in 1997 as a personnel consultant to multinational corporations and local companies. With her strong organisational skills and flair for management, Kiran joined our team at Messrs Rao & Kamal as office administrator in 1999.
Kiran oversees operations across the office and is responsible for coordinating activities within the firm to ensure efficiency, client service care, strategic planning & scheduling and general administration for the smooth running of the firm.
Qualifications
Yages is a highly valued member of our firm and undertakes the accounting and financial management as well as the administrative and operational tasks in Messrs Rao & Kamal.
She works under the supervision of the Managing Partner and Office Administrator and is responsible for the important day to day duties including all accounting work, payroll, policy compliance and executing essential workforce related processes and keeping the firm running smoothly. Her role serves as a point of contact for clients and the firm’s internal divisions.
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