ABOUT US
Azmi & Associates is a full-service international law firm that was founded on the principle that we would succeed only if we deliver prompt, high-quality and cost-effective services to our clientele.
We progressively strive to be a world-class corporate and commercial law firm, providing integrated, innovative and comprehensive solutions globally by synergising human capital, technology and best practices.
Practice areas
Consumer Rights
CONSUMER & RETAIL
Consumer and retail sector cover both manufacturing and distribution or retail for products and services. Acquiring in-depth knowledge and understanding of the needs of the retail companies, requirements and preferences of consumers, distribution of the related products and retail is vital for legal practitioners.
Our team of experienced lawyers have represented a diverse clientele that includes developers, restaurants, food wholesalers, clothing stores, franchise businesses and manufacturers whereby the team draws on in-depth industry and provides hands-on experience to its clients regarding the needs, legal requirements and preferences of consumers, distribution and retail including brand building, strong customer orientation, commercial understanding, intellectual property protections tailored to meet the specific needs of each of our retail clients.
Our range of services:
- Advisory on the corporate structure of the retail companies
- Application of the relevant license, approval or permits to the relevant ministries in Malaysia
- Preparing the relevant contracts and agreements
Business
CORPORATE & COMMERCIAL
One of the key factors contributed to establish the economy of Malaysia to be the third largest in the Southeast Asia and designated relatively open and state-oriented is the innovation and growth of the corporate and commercial laws respectively. The involvement of the government, private and public companies, GLCs and many other entities in the corporate and commercial transactions further assisted to stimulate the economy of Malaysia.
We believe that the involvement of legal practitioners in the corporate and commercial sector is extremely critical so as to support the government, private and public companies, GLCs and many other entities.
Our team of associates are well experienced, knowledgeable, skilful, and diversify in various areas of corporate and commercial legal practice. Other than that, our team of associates is also able to provide creative solutions on various corporate issues for our treasured clients. The team of our associates advises clients in various kinds of corporate and commercial arrangements for instance distributorships, dealerships, joint ventures, licensing and regulatory compliance, supply, collaboration, franchising, and consortium arrangements.
Our range of services:
- Regulatory compliance
- Corporate Governance
- Corporate Outsourcing
- Franchise & Licensing Transactions
- Employment & Labour
- Government Contracts
- Compensation & Benefits Corporation / Company Laws Compliance
- Retirement Fund
- Public-Private Partnership
- Legislative drafting
- Legal Due Diligence
- Tax matters
- Merger and Acquisitions
- Business/Assets transactions
Employment & Labor
EMPLOYMENT AND INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS
We provide comprehensive services in the area of Employment and Industrial Relations.
Our range of services:
- Advisory work to management and employees on various employment issues
- Reviewing and/or drafting employee manuals and handbooks
- Reviewing and/or drafting employment related agreements/documents
- Advisory work on settlement of disputes between management and employees
- Unfair Dismissal Claims
- Non-compliance of Industrial Court Award
- Retrenchment and restructuring exercise
- Dispute Resolution
Intellectual Property
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
Intellectual property includes an intangible creation of human intellect, such as inventions; literary and artistic works; designs; used in commercial transactions. Intellectual property is being protected by law as it is crucial in business as the same is recognise as an intangible assets of entities which can be easily exploited financially. This is due to the fact that the characteristic of intellectual property is similar with the tangible assets; it can be sold or licensed.
Our Intellectual Property Practice Group is rapidly growing in a broad range of areas. We advise, in the context of Malaysian law, in relation to all areas of intellectual property – trademarks, patents, design rights, copyright, domain names and other rights. Further, as a member of the International Trademark Association (INTA), we are also able to benefit from our contacts within the international network of almost 4000 INTA members worldwide to assist clients who wish to expand and protect their intellectual property interests regionally as well as globally.
Our range of services:
- Patents and know-how protection and registration
- Brand protection
- Trade mark management
- Domain name registration and protection
- Design protection
- Copyright and entertainment
- IP infringements and enforcement
Insurance
INSURANCE & TAKAFUL
Insurance & takaful protects the policy holders from financial loss generally. It also enables to mitigate loss, to stabilise financial, and promotes trade and commerce activities in which results into economic growth and development. As such, the area of insurance and takaful plays a crucial role in sustainable growth of an economy.
We provide advisory on the risk assessment, policy advisory to our clients in the industry for insurance and re-insurance matters. We handle life and general, marine and non-marine classes as well as re-insurance matters. In addition, we are also able to provide legal services related to claims investigation, review, mediation and the pursuit and defence of insurance and re-insurance claims. We have conducted in house training for corporate assureds, industry organisations and insurers and have contributed to authoritative practitioner texts. In the contentions areas, we have been involved as counsel and arbitrator.
Our range of services:
- Advisory on the risk assessment, policy advisory to our clients in the industry for insurance and re-insurance matters
- Handling life and general, marine and non-marine classes as well as re-insurance matters
Lawsuits & Disputes
LITIGATION, ARBITRATION & DISPUTE RESOLUTION
We provide both civil and corporate litigation and dispute resolution services in the areas of Contracts, Sale of Goods and Commodities, Hire Purchase and Leasing, Insurance, Admiralty & Shipping, Insolvency and Arbitration. We specialize in arbitration, consultation, litigation involving declarations, injunctions including Mareva and Anton Pillar orders, specific performance, tracing and recovery of assets, commercial and construction disputes, trusts and the enforcement of intellectual property rights. Our lawyers also sit as mediators and arbitrators.
Our range of services:
- Appeal
- Injunctions
- Admiralty and shipping
- Administrative and constitutional
- Antitrust and competition
- Automotive
- Aviation
- Banking and finance
- Construction and engineering
- Consumer and retail
- E-Commerce
- Employment and industrial Relations
- Energy and utilities
- Franchising
- Healthcare and pharmaceutical
- Insurance and takaful
- Intellectual property
- Joint ventures dispute
- Media, sport and entertainment
- Oil & gas
- Probate & Trusts
- Projects & Infrastructure
- Land
- Tax
- Telecommunication, multimedia and technology
- Transportation and logistics
- Probate and letter of administration
- Negligence
- Shareholder disputes
Real Estate
REAL ESTATE & PROPERTY
Over years, the market of real estate and property has never gone down or fluctuated due to the fact that every layer of society including individuals and entities have been purchasing and owning properties. This area of practice is also imperative to support the economy of Malaysia.
In view of the above, we valued our clients by supporting our clients in obtaining their objectives all across product lines. Many of our clients are looking to buy, sell and lease portfolios that surpass borders that involved well-structured and sophisticated financing arrangements. Our lawyers are devoted to assist our clients in every property related transactions and work with both lenders and borrowers to develop innovative structures and solutions.
Our range of services:
- Acquisition of office blocks
- Off-the-plan purchases
- Manufacturing premises
- Industrial premises
- Tenancies, leases, grant of leasehold rights
- Mining lands
- Real estate trusts
Our Partners and Associates
Zuhaidi Mohd Shahari
Partner, Projects
Zuhaidi was called to the Malaysian Bar and admitted to the roll of Advocates and Solicitors in 2001 after obtaining his law degree from International Islamic University of Malaysia. He subsequently obtained his MBA from Cardiff Metropolitan University in 2016.
Zuhaidi joined Azmi & Associates in May 2002 as an Associate under the Mergers, Acquisitions & New Ventures Practice Group and Real Estates Practice Groups. He is a Partner and head of the Projects Practice Group.
Zuhaidi’s core areas are in real estates transactions, project development, mergers & acquisitions, oil & gas, mining and corporate commercial transactions.
Some of the notable real estates development projects that he has advised include KLIA Aeropolis, Subang Aerospace Industrial Park, Kapar i-Zone Industrial Park, Pagoh Education Hub, various asset purchase and leaseback transactions for government-linked companies, plantation and property assets transfer exercise in Sime Darby group of companies, dealings of few office buildings in KL Sentral, advising on tender exercise, joint development agreements, advisory on construction contracts (JKR, FIDIC, PAM) and contract administrations.
In the area of corporate commercial mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures and takeovers, he has advised on the acquisition of Taman Desa Medical Center, joint ventures between property players in Iskandar, Kulai, Bangi, Kajang and Kelang, Pre-IPO assets restructuring of FGV Berhad, due-diligence of target companies and plantation lands in Indonesia, management agreements, tender bid agreements and consortium agreements.
In cross border assignments, he has assisted the largest mining group with its headquarters in Belgium in their acquisition of large mining lands in the state of Perak and the setting-up of their Malaysian operation for the extraction of calcium carbonate, the first of its kind in Malaysia, acted as the Malaysian counsel for an Australian bank in the due diligence exercise for the purpose of the syndicated and secured loan facilities up to US$105 million for an Australian mining group for its “rare earth” mining project in Western Australia and the processing plant for the product in Gebeng, Pahang, acted as leading external corporate counsel for the largest polysilicone manufacturer in Japan, for its silica rock project in Malaysia, concluded a long term crude oil lifting contract in the challenged environment of Khartoum, Sudan prior to its referendum which separated North and South Sudan and negotiated exit strategy for a Malaysian based oil & gas service company with a Vietnamese oil company.
He has also completed internship with a prominent Indonesian law firm based in Jakarta, Messrs Irawati Hermawan & Partners in order to be more versatile on business ventures and regulatory regime in Indonesia. On that note, he has strong links and networks with lawyers and consultants in Indonesia, extensively useful in advising Malaysian clients in doing business in Indonesia.
Zuhaidi regularly gives talk in the area of land law, corporate dealings, property transactions and others. He has participated in PEMUDAH roadshow on land dealing and construction issues in order to elevate Malaysia’s standing in the International Finance Corporation’s Doing Business publication, which he has been a permanent correspondent to the publication since 2005. In 2016, he was invited to give a briefing in Tokyo by the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry on the topics of Malaysian infrastructure projects covering MRT, LRT, KTM and the future HSR rail infra.
Due to his capabilities, Zuhaidi has been recognised as Asialaw Leading Lawyer 2013, Asialaw Leading Lawyer 2014, Asialaw Leading Lawyer 2015, Asia Pacific Legal 500 Recommended Lawyer 2015 in Corporate, Real Estate & Construction, Asia Pacific Legal 500 Leading Lawyer 2016 and Asialaw Leading Lawyer 2017 in Corporate / M&A.