LETTER | The Malaysian Bar welcomes and congratulates Tommy Thomas, a very senior member of the Malaysian Bar, on his appointment as the attorney-general of Malaysia.

Thomas 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.

The Malaysian Bar is confident that, as the AG, Thomas will remain true to the principles and essence of the Malaysian Bar, and continue to uphold the rule of law and the cause of justice without fear or favour. His appointment bodes well for the government’s agenda of holistic institutional reforms.  

After being admitted as an advocate and solicitor of the High Court of Malaya, Thomas began his career at Messrs Skrine & Co, and became a partner in 1982. In 2000, he established his own law firm, engaging exclusively in litigation matters.

Thomas served in the Bar Council from 1984 to 1988, and from 1993 to 2001. He was elected as the secretary of the Bar from 1995 to 1997. He was a member of the Bar (disciplinary proceedings) review committee under chairperson Hussein Onn, and wrote its report in 1986.

In a career spanning 42 years, Thomas has appeared as counsel in landmark cases in various branches of the law, in all the courts of Malaysia, 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 been singled out as 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.

Thomas was born in Kuala Lumpur in 1952. He read law at the University of Manchester, graduating in 1972, and became a barrister (Middle Temple) in 1974. He studied International Relations at the London School of Economics, securing a MSc degree in 1975.

The Malaysian Bar looks forward to working with Thomas in his new role as the AG of Malaysia, and also continuing to engage with the Attorney-General’s Chambers. We assure him of our fullest support and cooperation.

GEORGE VARUGHESE is president of the Malaysian Bar.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.