Corporate legal advisors in Malaysia, like anywhere else in the world, are essential in helping companies navigate through complex legal systems and offering strategic legal advice on matters such as corporate governance, commercial contracts, business operations, franchises, M&A, and intellectual property rights, amongst others. Their in-depth knowledge in contract drafting & negotiations, risk management, and dispute resolutions is important and helps ensure businesses run smoothly & effectively and avoid legal pitfalls as much as possible with minimal impact based on calculated legal risks and exposures.
Corporate legal advisors play a crucial role in easing investments and cross-border transactions, both for foreigners and Malaysians alike, and assisting Malaysian companies in growing internationally while protecting their legal rights.
A distinguished Advocate and Solicitor of the High Court of Malaya, Viknesh Selvanathan holds an LL.B (Hons) from the University of London and a Certificate of Legal Practice or C.LP. He is well-known for his proficiency in corporate advisory, contracts & agreements, dispute resolutions & civil litigations, employment, & industrial relations, post-judgment recovery, & insolvency.
In his first six months of practice as a young lawyer, Viknesh, to his credit, handled an appeal independently at the Malaysian Court of Appeal, the second highest court in the country and before the end of his first year, he had conducted a full trial and cross-examined a witness at the High Court in Kuala Lumpur.
During his first year as a young lawyer, Viknesh effectively managed multiple interlocutory hearings with successful outcomes. By his third year, NTT Communications-owned multinational company, Emerio (M) Sdn. Bhd., became Viknesh's first corporate client. He subsequently added CUSCAPI Bhd., a publicly traded business that is listed on the Malaysian BURSA stock exchange, as his second client shortly after that.
After venturing out to establish his legal firm in 2013, Viknesh's list of reputable corporate clients grew exponentially and he continued to draw in clientele that included multinational corporations, publicly traded or listed companies as well as local & foreign privately owned businesses. He is equipped with in-depth knowledge and experience in areas of commercial, employment, industrial relations, and civil matters.
To add to his credentials, he was also appointed as a Non- Executive Director at Hitachi Systems Digital Services (M) Sdn. Bhd., where he provides legal consulting and advisory services to the Board of Directors and recently, Viknesh has also been appointed to the Board of Advisors of E3 Capital Sdn. Bhd. as Legal Advisor and provides legal advice and consultations to its Board of Advisors, Board of Directors, the management and leaders in its group of companies and subsidiaries.
One simple but effective adage that captures Viknesh Selvanathan's leadership style is, 'Yesterday's perfection is today's mediocrity.' Viknesh advocates continuous learning and evolution as key to upholding and maintaining the highest standards possible, both for clients and for personal development. He has a deep-seated view that complacency stifles growth.
Viknesh & Yap
Viknesh co-founded Viknesh & Yap, more familiarly known as 'VY', a renowned international law firm which is based in Malaysia and has strategic alliances with top lawyers and law firms in the Middle East and Asia. The VY team consists of a group of talented lawyers who collectively possess over 100 years of experience and knowledge in various practice areas. They provide essential legal services and solutions in areas including capital markets, real estate, startups, corporate legal work, civil litigation, civil appeals, dispute resolutions, and cross-border investments.
VY places a high priority on fostering close bonds with its clients, seeing each one as a valuable business partner, and stressing that success is always best experienced when shared. To help with inbound investments into Malaysia and to enable legal access for enterprises entering China, the firm also maintains a specialist China law consulting team and help desk. In addition, VY has extended its legal network into Dubai and UAE, providing clients with access to the legal markets throughout Asia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
We ensure our business partners receive appropriate legal representation & well-informed advice to constantly stay on top of our performance & knowledge
"Although we cover a broad spectrum of traditionally known legal areas, I can say that we have a great deal of experience in IT-related agreements including SaaS Agreements. We also offer full-service contract legal representations, training, and advisories covering HR employment and industrial relations practices. We are more than equipped to handle a wide range of legal demands for our clients because we have exceptional competence in both commercial and civil matters,” informs Viknesh.
In addition to providing corporate legal advisory and consultancy services, Viknesh also represents clients in court disputes or litigation.
The Way Ahead
"Our goal is to expand our influence outside Asia. We intend to form more collaborations and partnerships with different law firms across multiple countries to expand our worldwide reach. For example, we currently have associated partners in Australia, China, and India. We will be able to better serve our clients and take advantage of emerging prospects in the global legal market thanks to these expansion plans," concludes Viknesh.
Viknesh Selvanathan, Managing Partner & Co-Founder, Viknesh & Yap
Viknesh holds an LL.B (Hons) from the University of London and CLP (Malaya) and co-founded Viknesh & Yap, a prominent Malaysian law firm. Viknesh's career spans over 2 decades as an accomplished Advocate and Solicitor of the High Court of Malaya. He was also a non-executive Director of Hitachi Systems Digital Services (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd. having served on the Board of Directors for five years and is currently a Legal Advisor to E3 Capital Sdn. Bhd., a community-based corporation incorporated to empower Malaysian entrepreneurs.
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