The Firm
1st July 1999, marked our tryst with destiny.
For nearly 25 years and counting it has been a marvelous and an audacious journey. The faces, the places, the people, the transactions, the disputes, the colleagues at the Bar, the opponents – all of them, the good and bad had given us such a burst of colour and the constant rush of excitement.
Looking back it was late in the evening, but it still feels like yesterday that Cindy Lim and I selected an office on the 17th Floor of Plaza 138. The Petronas Twin Towers were barely complete. The world was on the threshold of a new Millenia, our nation and the region were in the aftermath of the 1997economic crisis. We made a bold new start.
On 1st April 2005 we moved to Wisma Genting, Jalan Sultan Ismail – the financial heart of Kuala Lumpur. It was home for 12 memorable years. In this time our practice transformed and regionalized. Global alliances were built and our cross border practice took root. 2016 saw our migration to Q Sentral, an MSC Status Building nestled within KL’s modern transportation hub. Our offices gazed over the lush Royal Lake Gardens and the Houses of Parliament. It was the place to build into the next horizon.
We are today a strong and credible boutique practice with a growing regional presence in Singapore, London, China, Dubai and Indonesia. The strategic ties we built over the years had bloomed into deep and meaningful alliances.
We are proud to host an influential client base of leading Malaysian companies, MNCs, PLCs, public institutions and statutory bodies in almost every sector of the economy.
We diversified and grew from our traditional practice in employment, industrial and public law, far beyond our expectations. In the years that followed we saw through successful endeavors in a wide and unimaginable sphere, ranging from the largest of infrastructure projects, board room tussles, acquisitions and mergers, industrial disputes, defamation proceedings and various other topical issues of our time- we were there.
We look forward with hope and determined ambition and we reminiscence with immense gratitude the people and the clientele who have been with us – I thank you all, for the faith and trust that you have placed in us. To all our prospective employees, partners and clients we remain committed to exceeding our best and we welcome you to share the future with us.

RUTHERAN SIVAGNANAM
Managing Partner


Managing Partner
RutheranSivagnanam
LLB (Hons) Leeds,
Barrister-at-law, Lincoln’s Inn

Managing Partner
RutheranSivagnanam
LLB (Hons) Leeds,
Barrister-at-law, Lincoln’s Inn

Mr Rutheran Sivagnanam is the founder of RSA Chambers and our Managing Partner. He heads the Dispute Resolution & Corporate Advisory Practice Group.
Mr Sivagnanam started practice nearly 3 decades ago in the field of employment, industrial relations and administrative law. These continue to be amongst the firm’s leading practice divisions. Here he continues to lead the firm in taking on difficult cases, leveraging upon his wide industry knowledge and multidisciplinary strengths. This enables him to marshal convincing arguments drawn from a wide spectrum of legal principles and practical sectoral knowledge. In the field of Employment Law, he pioneered wage reform by restructuring old collective agreements and phasing out rigid practices, and replaced them with new and robust reward schemes and PLWS systems. He took on industrial conflict and fiduciary infractions at the highest levels. Since our inception he has aggressively diversified the firm and his own sphere of practice, across the Corporate and Commercial value chain. This transformed RSA Chambers over the last 2 decades into what it is today – a robust full service practice, with a credible cross border footing.
Mr Sivagnanam’s sphere of practice now includes:
- Employment & Industrial Relations Law – encompassing the full spectrum of individual and collective disputes and related advisory services
- Dispute Resolution – Litigation, arbitration, adjudication and industrial arbitration
- Construction law & Public Sector Projects
- Joint Ventures – real estate development and projects
- Public law including engagement with regulators
- Corporate and Commercial law – encompassing a diverse range of contracts for sale, financial instruments, commodity trades and other transactional matters
- Law of Trusts – succession planning, asset holding, pension & investment funds and private wealth, remedial and institutional constructive trusts.
He has been able to carve out a unique and niche practice in the fast paced corporate sector where he is called upon to advise leading corporations, prominent entrepreneurs, high net individuals and institutions in a wide range of complex issues and transactions. These include navigating the establishment of joint ventures, acquisitions, capital raising and insolvency related issues and other matters of strategic importance to his clients.
An area of work which he had constantly been involved in since the onset of the Asian financial crisis in 1997 and across the Banking Crisis
of 2007 and now in the post Covid 19 era, entailed the re-organisation and restructuring of companies, managing change and creating value. He was part of the GLC Transformation Program under Khazanah Nasional Berhad which enabled him to utilize much of his experience,
Mr. Sivagnanam and the RSA Team also provides close hand advisory support to specialist businesses in the establishment of contractual relations with their target clients and to support them in ensuing disputes. These services arise in connection with Real Estate Joint Ventures, Public Sector projects, Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Projects, Engineering Contracts and similar transactions. In each of these respects, the RSA Team have been successful in providing strategic support for the structuring and drafting agreements, the mitigation of risks, and management of claims and disputes.
In his dispute resolution practice Mr. Sivagnanam regularly appears before the Industrial Court of Malaysia, the High Courts, the Courts of Appeal and the Federal Court in a wide cross section of disciplines. He also undertakes Arbitration regionally and internationally. He is no stranger to complex multi-party proceedings. RSA Chambers has a long tradition of being able to assemble teams of counsel and related experts in Malaysia and abroad working cohesively under our directions.
Mr Sivagnanam and Ms CM Lim also represent clients in capital markets work both in regard to the restructuring of existing facilities and the raising of fresh capital.
Qualifications:
- LLB (Hons) University of Leeds
- Barrister-at-Law, Lincoln’s Inn
- Admitted to the Bar at the High Court of Malaya
Affiliations:
- Member of the International Bar Association (IBA)
- Member of the Institute of Directors (IOD), London
- Registered Foreign Lawyer, Singapore International Commercial Court (SICC)
- Member of the Industrial Law Society, UK
- Member of the Society of Construction Law, UK
- Member of the Administrative Law Bar Association, UK
Mr Rutheran Sivagnanam is the founder of RSA Chambers and our Managing Partner. He heads the Dispute Resolution & Corporate Advisory Practice Group.
Mr Sivagnanam started practice nearly 3 decades ago in the field of employment, industrial relations and administrative law. These continue to be amongst the firm’s leading practice divisions. Here he continues to lead the firm in taking on difficult cases, leveraging upon his wide industry knowledge and multidisciplinary strengths. This enables him to marshal convincing arguments drawn from a wide spectrum of legal principles and practical sectoral knowledge. In the field of Employment Law, he pioneered wage reform by restructuring old collective agreements and phasing out rigid practices, and replaced them with new and robust reward schemes and PLWS systems. He took on industrial conflict and fiduciary infractions at the highest levels. Since our inception he has aggressively diversified the firm and his own sphere of practice, across the Corporate and Commercial value chain. This transformed RSA Chambers over the last 2 decades into what it is today – a robust full service practice, with a credible cross border footing.
Mr Sivagnanam’s sphere of practice now includes:
- Employment & Industrial Relations Law – encompassing the full spectrum of individual and collective disputes and related advisory services
- Dispute Resolution – Litigation, arbitration, adjudication and industrial arbitration
- Construction law & Public Sector Projects
- Joint Ventures – real estate development and projects
- Public law including engagement with regulators
- Corporate and Commercial law – encompassing a diverse range of contracts for sale, financial instruments, commodity trades and other transactional matters
- Law of Trusts – succession planning, asset holding, pension & investment funds and private wealth, remedial and institutional constructive trusts.
He has been able to carve out a unique and niche practice in the fast paced corporate sector where he is called upon to advise leading corporations, prominent entrepreneurs, high net individuals and institutions in a wide range of complex issues and transactions. These include navigating the establishment of joint ventures, acquisitions, capital raising and insolvency related issues and other matters of strategic importance to his clients.
An area of work which he had constantly been involved in since the onset of the Asian financial crisis in 1997 and across the Banking Crisis of 2007 and now in the post Covid 19 era, entailed the re-organisation and restructuring of companies, managing change and creating value. He was part of the GLC Transformation Program under Khazanah Nasional Berhad which enabled him to utilize much of his experience,
Mr. Sivagnanam and the RSA Team also provides close hand advisory support to specialist businesses in the establishment of contractual relations with their target clients and to support them in ensuing disputes. These services arise in connection with Real Estate Joint Ventures, Public Sector projects, Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Projects, Engineering Contracts and similar transactions. In each of these respects, the RSA Team have been successful in providing strategic support for the structuring and drafting agreements, the mitigation of risks, and management of claims and disputes.
In his dispute resolution practice Mr. Sivagnanam regularly appears before the Industrial Court of Malaysia, the High Courts, the Courts of Appeal and the Federal Court in a wide cross section of disciplines. He also undertakes Arbitration regionally and internationally. He is no stranger to complex multi-party proceedings. RSA Chambers has a long tradition of being able to assemble teams of counsel and related experts in Malaysia and abroad working cohesively under our directions.
Mr Sivagnanam and Ms CM Lim also represent clients in capital markets work both in regard to the restructuring of existing facilities and the raising of fresh capital.
Qualifications:
- LLB (Hons) University of Leeds
- Barrister-at-Law, Lincoln’s Inn
- Admitted to the Bar at the High Court of Malaya
Affiliations:
- Member of the International Bar Association (IBA)
- Member of the Institute of Directors (IOD), London
- Registered Foreign Lawyer, Singapore International Commercial Court (SICC)
- Member of the Industrial Law Society, UK
- Member of the Society of Construction Law, UK
- Member of the Administrative Law Bar Association, UK

Head of Corporate& Conveyancing
Cindy LimChoon Moi
LLB B.EC. (Monash, Australia)

Head of Corporate& Conveyancing
Cindy LimChoon Moi
LLB B.EC. (Monash, Australia)

Cindy is a founding member of RSA Chambers. She read in Chambers in Messrs Skrine & Co. in 1995 and is a Partner of the firm heading the Corporate and Conveyancing Practice Division. To support her role she has undertaken on going training in the field of FIDIC Contracts, Construction Law and Capital Markets work.
Her general sphere of practice in the field of corporate and conveyancing encompasses:
- Acting for leading Developers and Banks. She advises Developers on issues arising from Sales and Purchase Agreements throughout the construction and delivery process.
This includes common property rights and obligations, warranty obligations, claims and matters arising from the laws governing strata titles and the obligations of housing developers generally.
- Coordinates sale and purchase transactions for local and overseas buyers. It is an end to end service which encompasses all aspects of regulatory approval and consequential taxation issues, including the establishment of wealth holding structures for investors and cross border buyers.
Her general corporate and transactional practice includes:
- Property Joint Ventures: She supports our Managing Partner and drafting team in the structuring and completion of various JV models.
- Drafting and co-ordinating the suite of sub-contracts that are employed in a given development and issues that arise during the process of development.
- Advising and preparing contracts and rendering other advisory services for the corporate and commercial sector. Including – agreements for the specialist services in wide cross section of industries and for a number of prominent projects.
- Arranging for and advising upon the syndication of loans and financial facilities, including trade finance facilities in addition to her core area of specialization.
- General commercial contracts for a wide spread of transactions.
- With the emergence of Environmental Social Corporate Governance (ESG), Cindy heads the firm’s initiative in terms of advisory support and contractual structures that further ESG objectives and its enforcement.
She is supported by a team of associates in our Kuala Lumpur office and where necessary at our representative office in Singapore and London. Cindy is also the principal partner responsible for the firm’s human resources and administration.
Qualifications:
- LLB/B.EC. (Monash, Australia)
- Admitted to the Bar at the High Court of Malaya.
Cindy is a founding member of RSA Chambers. She read in Chambers in Messrs Skrine & Co. in 1995 and is a Partner of the firm heading the Corporate and Conveyancing Practice Division. To support her role she has undertaken on going training in the field of FIDIC Contracts, Construction Law and Capital Markets work.
Her general sphere of practice in the field of corporate and conveyancing encompasses:
- Acting for leading Developers and Banks. She advises Developers on issues arising from Sales and Purchase Agreements throughout the construction and delivery process.
This includes common property rights and obligations, warranty obligations, claims and matters arising from the laws governing strata titles and the obligations of housing developers generally.
- Coordinates sale and purchase transactions for local and overseas buyers. It is an end to end service which encompasses all aspects of regulatory approval and consequential taxation issues, including the establishment of wealth holding structures for investors and cross border buyers.
Her general corporate and transactional practice includes:
- Property Joint Ventures: She supports our Managing Partner and drafting team in the structuring and completion of various JV models.
- Drafting and co-ordinating the suite of sub-contracts that are employed in a given development and issues that arise during the process of development.
- Advising and preparing contracts and rendering other advisory services for the corporate and commercial sector. Including – agreements for the specialist services in wide cross section of industries and for a number of prominent projects.
- Arranging for and advising upon the syndication of loans and financial facilities, including trade finance facilities in addition to her core area of specialization.
- General commercial contracts for a wide spread of transactions.
- With the emergence of Environmental Social Corporate Governance (ESG), Cindy heads the firm’s initiative in terms of advisory support and contractual structures that further ESG objectives and its enforcement.
She is supported by a team of associates in our Kuala Lumpur office and where necessary at our representative office in Singapore and London. Cindy is also the principal partner responsible for the firm’s human resources and administration.
Qualifications:
- LLB/B.EC. (Monash, Australia)
- Admitted to the Bar at the High Court of Malaya.

Associates

Associates

Our Associates come from all walks of life and are from very diverse backgrounds. Some of them have been trained locally and others from leading Universities abroad. They have been amazing in coming together as a core team which powers our advisory and dispute resolution practice.
All our Associates have gained wide sectoral exposure. In their tenure with us they have been exposed to managing multiple stakeholders and timelines in complex transactions and proceedings. They have seen engagement in a wide range of disputes, transaction and conflicts. They have managed transactions in the M&A space within the country and across the region. Our versatile structure requires them to deliver as individuals or as a Group or on a collaborative basis with our overseas counter parts.
We also have a growing team of international associates who work closely with us on Joint Venture work and cross border transactions.
In this regard we have an established associate relationships with selected local practices and a growing number of regional and international firms.
With the evolution of our practice over the past decade, this diversity continues to distinguish us from others. It gave us the ability to mobilize a dynamic team of players for any given assignment, to react quickly in any of our key markets and especially in the instance of demanding dispute resolution assignments. We have been successful in creating a pool of recourses which we are able to call upon and marshal with a clear focus and depth in every aspect of a case. It enables even the most complex of briefs to be taken apart, to be critically analyzed and managed in an efficient and progressive manner.
This versatile and dynamic structure accords with our stock in trade-which is speed, depth and a strategic approach.
Our Associates come from all walks of life and are from very diverse backgrounds. Some of them have been trained locally and others from leading Universities abroad. They have been amazing in coming together as a core team which powers our advisory and dispute resolution practice.
All our Associates have gained wide sectoral exposure. In their tenure with us they have been exposed to managing multiple stakeholders and timelines in complex transactions and proceedings. They have seen engagement in a wide range of disputes, transaction and conflicts. They have managed transactions in the M&A space within the country and across the region. Our versatile structure requires them to deliver as individuals or as a Group or on a collaborative basis with our overseas counter parts.
We also have a growing team of international associates who work closely with us on Joint Venture work and cross border transactions.
In this regard we have an established associate relationships with selected local practices and a growing number of regional and international firms.
With the evolution of our practice over the past decade, this diversity continues to distinguish us from others. It gave us the ability to mobilize a dynamic team of players for any given assignment, to react quickly in any of our key markets and especially in the instance of demanding dispute resolution assignments. We have been successful in creating a pool of recourses which we are able to call upon and marshal with a clear focus and depth in every aspect of a case. It enables even the most complex of briefs to be taken apart, to be critically analyzed and managed in an efficient and progressive manner.
This versatile and dynamic structure accords with our stock in trade-which is speed, depth and a strategic approach.
