©Malay Mail (Used by permission)
by Anith Adilah
KUALA LUMPUR, June 5 — The Malaysian Bar today applauded the appointment of Tommy Thomas as the Attorney–General (AG), saying his 42 years of legal practice experience in numerous cases has sufficiently prepared him for his new role to advise the government on introducing and implementing legal reforms.
In a statement, Bar president George Varughese said he is confident that Thomas will uphold the rule of law without fear or favour.
“Tommy is the first practising lawyer to be appointed directly from the Malaysian Bar to be the AG.
“His seniority and reputation of competence and integrity make him eminently suitable for the vital role.
“His appointment bodes well for the government’s agenda of holistic institutional reforms,” he said in a statement.
He added that the Bar looks forward to working with the new AG and will engage with the AG’s Chambers.
“We assure him of our fullest support and cooperation,” he said.
Born in Kuala Lumpur in 1952, Thomas read law at the University of Manchester before being called to the English Bar as a barrister at Middle Temple, one of the four Inns of Court, in 1974.
He also studied International Relations at the London School of Economics, securing a Master’s degree in 1975.
After being admitted as an advocate and solicitor of the High Court of Malaya, Thomas Thomas began his career at Messrs Skrine & Co, and became a partner in 1982.
In 2000, he set up his own law firm, Tommy Thomas Advocates and Solicitors, that deals exclusively in litigation.
Thomas served as a member of the Bar Council twice, the first time from 1984 to 1988, and later from 1993 to 2001.
He was a member of the Malaysian Bar’s disciplinary proceedings review committee when it was under the chairmanship of Tun Hussein Onn, the country’s third prime minister, and wrote its report in 1986.
Thomas has appeared as counsel in many landmark legal cases, ranging from the Magistrates’ Court to the Privy Council in London, which was Malaysia’s highest court until 1985.
He has had more than 120 reported cases and countless unreported cases.
He has also been named one of Malaysia’s leading litigation lawyers by numerous independent international publications, including The Asia Pacific Legal 500, Which Lawyer, Who’s Who Legal (The International Who’s Who of Business Lawyers), Commercial Litigation Lawyers of Asia and Chambers Asia.