Partner Profiles
Tania Pillai Velasamy
Background
Tania graduated from Cardiff University with an LL.B (Hons), and continued with the Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) at Cardiff University. She was called to the Bar of England & Wales at the Honourable Society of the Middle Temple in 2015. She completed her pupillage with Messrs Zaid Ibrahim & Co in Johor Bahru and was admitted as an Advocate & Solicitor of the High Court of Malaya in December 2016. She was retained by Messrs Zaid Ibrahim & Co and practised as a legal assistant before joining Lee & Tengku Azrina. She is a Partner of the firm.
Tania holds a Master’s of Business Administration in Corporate Law from Veritas University (under the BAC Education Group). She is conversant in Malay, English, and Chinese.
In her spare time, Tania volunteers with the Malaysian Red Crescent Society and the Kiwanis Club of Johor Bahru.
Experience
Tania specialises in commercial and civil disputes, landlord-tenant disputes, debt and loan recovery, family law, probate and administration, industrial relations, and employment-related matters.
Her work includes advising on complex contract interpretation issues and representing clients in both interlocutory applications and full trials in court. She has appeared in various civil courts and the Industrial Court, and has accumulated practical litigation experience across a wide range of contentious matters.
Her experience also involves preparing legal opinions and providing advice to multinational companies and large corporations on legal issues involving contract disputes and employer-employee relationships. She has assisted foreign companies in establishing their operations in Johor Bahru, particularly in relation to employment frameworks and compliance.
Notable Work Highlights
- Acted for and advised clients in matters involving minority oppression claims, reinstatement of company, capital reduction exercises, and amendment of charges and extension of time to file charges under the Companies Act 2016.
- Acted for and advised clients in winding up matters, including providing advice on winding up strategies, compliance with statutory requirements, and proceeding with winding up applications, particularly for clients seeking voluntary winding up.
- Responsibilities included strategic legal advice, coordination with company secretaries, liaising with officers at the Companies Commission of Malaysia, drafting cause papers to be filed in court, and attending court hearings.
- Represented a major utility supplier in civil proceedings involving allegations of dishonest consumption of utilities and meter tampering.
- Work included analysing technical reports from inspection teams, quantifying back-billing claims, and pursuing recovery of outstanding charges by preparing and issuing demand notices, drafting cause papers to be filed in court, and proceeding with court trials.
- Acted for a client in mediation to facilitate early and cost-effective settlements to avoid litigation.
- Acted for banks in Malaysia in foreclosure and hire purchase cases, involving the enforcement of security and repossession of vehicles by initiating legal action in court.
- Advised clients on the appropriate execution proceedings (including writ of seizure and sale, judgment debtor summons, garnishee order, bankruptcy proceedings, and winding up proceedings) in cases where no payment has been made to the client.
- Prepared and reviewed employment contracts, employee handbooks, letters of offer, and various internal policies to ensure compliance with Malaysian employment laws and industry practices.
- Provided solutions and frameworks for both local companies and multinational corporations in the operation of newly established companies.
- Guided employers through the legal and procedural requirements for retrenchment exercises and for terminating employees on the grounds of poor performance, misconduct, and redundancy, and provided risk-mitigation strategies for settling disputes between employer and employee.
- Advised a multinational company on the implementation of Mutual Separation Schemes and Voluntary Separation Schemes, including documentation drafting.
- Represented employers in Industrial Court proceedings involving wrongful dismissal cases, including preparing for trials by drafting witness statements, conducting trials, cross-examining witnesses, and drafting submissions.
- Acted for companies in out-of-court settlements to mitigate risk and costs, ensuring clients avoided unnecessary financial exposure.
- Acted for developers in defending claims premised on tort of negligence, private nuisance, and other related statutory or contractual disputes. This involved liaising with technical experts and preparing comprehensive cause papers for submissions.
- Acted for developers by commencing legal proceedings to recover outstanding payment from purchasers, particularly non-payment of maintenance fees, including issuing demand notices, drafting cause papers, and attending court trials.
- Acted for and advised developers in trespassing disputes, including providing strategic advice on the legal remedies available to the client, engaging with illegal occupants, and assisting in negotiations that led to settlements between the parties.
- Assisted in reviewing tenancy agreements to ensure clients' interests are protected, including identifying and advising on key clauses, highlighting potential risks, and recommending additional protective clauses.
- Handled tenancy-related disputes for both local and foreign clients by initiating or defending actions for rental arrears, breach of tenancy terms, termination of agreement, and eviction processes.
- Actively represented clients in mediation proceedings before matters proceeded to trial, working towards efficient and cost-effective resolutions.
- Handled both uncontested and contested probate and administration cases, including estates with high-value assets, and specialised applications such as de bonis non with will annexed applications, resealing of Grants of Probate and Letters of Administration, extension of time for asset distribution, and substitution of executors or administrators in Grants of Probate or Letters of Administration.
- Acted for local and foreign clients in advising on and preparing applications involving the distribution of the deceased's assets to the beneficiaries in intestate matters, including identifying beneficiaries and advising on beneficiaries' entitlement under Malaysian law.
- Advised and drafted Wills for foreign clients with substantial asset portfolios, including addressing cross-border considerations and ensuring compliance with Malaysian law.
- Advised and represented clients on divorce proceedings in joint and unilateral petitions.
- Advised in areas involving custody, care, and control of children, including spousal and child maintenance.
- Drafted cause papers to be filed in court and advised on methods of enforcement in the event of non-compliance with court orders.
- Acted for and advised clients in matters involving minority oppression claims, reinstatement of company, capital reduction exercises, and amendment of charges and extension of time to file charges under the Companies Act 2016.
- Acted for and advised clients in winding up matters, including providing advice on winding up strategies, compliance with statutory requirements, and proceeding with winding up applications, particularly for clients seeking voluntary winding up.
- Responsibilities included strategic legal advice, coordination with company secretaries, liaising with officers at the Companies Commission of Malaysia, drafting cause papers to be filed in court, and attending court hearings.
- Represented a major utility supplier in civil proceedings involving allegations of dishonest consumption of utilities and meter tampering.
- Work included analysing technical reports from inspection teams, quantifying back-billing claims, and pursuing recovery of outstanding charges by preparing and issuing demand notices, drafting cause papers to be filed in court, and proceeding with court trials.
- Acted for a client in mediation to facilitate early and cost-effective settlements to avoid litigation.
- Acted for banks in Malaysia in foreclosure and hire purchase cases, involving the enforcement of security and repossession of vehicles by initiating legal action in court.
- Advised clients on the appropriate execution proceedings (including writ of seizure and sale, judgment debtor summons, garnishee order, bankruptcy proceedings, and winding up proceedings) in cases where no payment has been made to the client.
- Prepared and reviewed employment contracts, employee handbooks, letters of offer, and various internal policies to ensure compliance with Malaysian employment laws and industry practices.
- Provided solutions and frameworks for both local companies and multinational corporations in the operation of newly established companies.
- Guided employers through the legal and procedural requirements for retrenchment exercises and for terminating employees on the grounds of poor performance, misconduct, and redundancy, and provided risk-mitigation strategies for settling disputes between employer and employee.
- Advised a multinational company on the implementation of Mutual Separation Schemes and Voluntary Separation Schemes, including documentation drafting.
- Represented employers in Industrial Court proceedings involving wrongful dismissal cases, including preparing for trials by drafting witness statements, conducting trials, cross-examining witnesses, and drafting submissions.
- Acted for companies in out-of-court settlements to mitigate risk and costs, ensuring clients avoided unnecessary financial exposure.
- Acted for developers in defending claims premised on tort of negligence, private nuisance, and other related statutory or contractual disputes. This involved liaising with technical experts and preparing comprehensive cause papers for submissions.
- Acted for developers by commencing legal proceedings to recover outstanding payment from purchasers, particularly non-payment of maintenance fees, including issuing demand notices, drafting cause papers, and attending court trials.
- Acted for and advised developers in trespassing disputes, including providing strategic advice on the legal remedies available to the client, engaging with illegal occupants, and assisting in negotiations that led to settlements between the parties.
- Assisted in reviewing tenancy agreements to ensure clients' interests are protected, including identifying and advising on key clauses, highlighting potential risks, and recommending additional protective clauses.
- Handled tenancy-related disputes for both local and foreign clients by initiating or defending actions for rental arrears, breach of tenancy terms, termination of agreement, and eviction processes.
- Actively represented clients in mediation proceedings before matters proceeded to trial, working towards efficient and cost-effective resolutions.
- Handled both uncontested and contested probate and administration cases, including estates with high-value assets, and specialised applications such as de bonis non with will annexed applications, resealing of Grants of Probate and Letters of Administration, extension of time for asset distribution, and substitution of executors or administrators in Grants of Probate or Letters of Administration.
- Acted for local and foreign clients in advising on and preparing applications involving the distribution of the deceased's assets to the beneficiaries in intestate matters, including identifying beneficiaries and advising on beneficiaries' entitlement under Malaysian law.
- Advised and drafted Wills for foreign clients with substantial asset portfolios, including addressing cross-border considerations and ensuring compliance with Malaysian law.
- Advised and represented clients on divorce proceedings in joint and unilateral petitions.
- Advised in areas involving custody, care, and control of children, including spousal and child maintenance.
- Drafted cause papers to be filed in court and advised on methods of enforcement in the event of non-compliance with court orders.
Admission & Education
- Bar of England & Wales (2015) — Honourable Society of the Middle Temple
- Advocate & Solicitor, High Court of Malaya (2016)
- Cardiff University (LL.B Hons; Bar Professional Training Course)
- Veritas University (MBA in Corporate Law)