Steven Thiru & Sudhar Partnership's employment and labour law practice handles a wide range of advisory and contentious matters. The team’s expertise covers representation in unfair dismissal claims, advice on complex retrenchment exercises, and assistance with internal investigations into allegations of misconduct. The practice is jointly led by Steven Thiruneelakandan and Janice Anne Leo; the former boasts a long-standing practice covering both advisory and counsel work in employment disputes, and the latter's workload includes handling contentious labour issues in court and guiding clients on drafting HR policies and managing disciplinary procedures. The team’s strong capabilities are further bolstered by David Yew Kiat Ng, who represents clients in dismissal and trade union disputes.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'Janice Anne Leo and Leah Marie Samuel provide great strategic advice.'
- 'Quick turnaround time, and their advice is well supported by case laws and solid grounds. They provided timely feedback, and always available to attend to queries and calls.'
- 'Steven Thiruneelakandan is exceptionally good; he has vast experience in handling complex employment matters, and he gave practical solutions.'
- 'Janice Anne Leo is approachable, and did well in explaining complex legal principles in an easy-to-understand manner for layman clients.'
Key clients
- Achi Jaya Plantations Sdn Bhd
- Agarcorp Sdn Bhd
- Sapura Secured Technologies Sdn Bhd
- Weatherford (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd
- Tenaga Nasional Berhad
- Measat Broadcast Network Systems Sdn Bhd
- Affin Bank Berhad
- Malayan Banking Berhad
- British International School Kuala Lumpur
- Cahya Mata Sarawak Berhad
- Dagang NeXchange Berhad
- IBM Malaysia Sdn Bhd
Work highlights
Acted for Sapura Secured Technologies Sdn Bhd, which is a member of the Sapura Group of Companies, in an unfair dismissal representation at the Kuala Lumpur Industrial Court, where the employee’s fixed-term contract was not renewed upon its expiry.
Acted for Affin Bank Berhad in an unfair dismissal representation at the Kuala Lumpur Industrial Court following the non-renewal of a senior management employee’s fixed-term contract by reason of misconduct committed by her, and in a corresponding civil suit in the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court, wherein the Bank seeks to recover bonus payments that had been paid to the said employee.
Acted for Institute Integrity Malaysia as counsel in the Court of Appeal, where the issues concerned whether Institute Integrity Malaysia falls within the scope of Section 52 of the Industrial Relations Act 1967.
Lawyers
Leading associates
Leading associates with regular involvement in their team's key work, and recognition from peers or clients as being ones to watch.
Practice head
Steven Thiruneelakandan; Janice Anne Leo
Other key lawyers
David Ng Yew Kiat; Leah Marie Samuel; Adrienne Sena