Malaysia is making it easier for companies to bring tech workers to the country. This follows the release of Malaysia’s Critical Occupations List in April 202, which revealed that talent retention has become increasingly difficult for employers in the country, particularly in a trio of industries which includes aerospace, construction and food processing. More concerning is the conclusion the report draws that the country suffers from low technical skills and slow technological adaption due to lack of financial incentive and expertise. 

Under the new system, the Xpats Gateway will make it easier for employers to target foreign professionals, granting them expedited visa processing and a single application point. 

“This will not only speed up the application process but also make it easier for [companies that apply for their employees’ visas],” Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli said in a statement. “They no longer need to go to many different agencies; all will be integrated within one application.” 

Media reports said the usual system for hiring expatriate workers takes around three months. 

In 2022, Malaysia introduced a digital nomad visa programmer targeting IT professionals, including software developers, cybersecurity experts and digital content creators.  

Human Resources Minister V. Sivakumar reported to Parliament in March 2023 that the country of 33 million had around 1.5 million foreign workers as of 2022. Before the pandemic, Malaysia had been home to some 2 million foreign workers. 

Malaysia is also reportedly seeking closer ties with the United Arab Emirates, particularly in sectors such as tech and clean energy. The two countries began free trade negotiations in May during a UAE ministerial delegation to Kuala Lumpur led by Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, the crown prince of Abu Dhabi. 

“Through reduced trade barriers, streamlined regulations and enhanced market access, Malaysian businesses can expand their reach and diversify their revenue streams by tapping into the UAE’s thriving sectors such as advanced technology, renewable energy and tourism,” Malaysia’s International Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz told Arab News on August 24. 

The UAE is a leader in developing energy transition solutions; at the same time, Malaysia is undergoing a shift from a traditional fossil fuel-based economy to a high-value green economy. The government has announced plans to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. Two-way trade between the UAE and Malaysia rose to US$8.8 billion in 2022, up from US$5.4 billion in 2021. 

All of this suggests that Malaysian industry will continue to invest heavily in tech, R&D and patent protection spending, which in turn will keep the country’s IP lawyers busy into the foreseeable future. It is with this ongoing investment in tech-intensive industry that we turned to IP professionals in the region in order to understand better what clients in Malaysia will need in the future. Asia IP asked a large number of professionals – mostly in-house counsel and corporate legal managers – what they were looking for from their legal service providers. From their answers, we have compiled our list of Malaysia’s IP Experts, those lawyers who understand what their clients need and are able to provide them with the best practical advice.  

While two powerhouse firms employ nine of the lawyers on our list, the rest of the list reflects a growing diversity of practices in Kuala Lumpur, with lawyers from a number of young and relatively young firms receiving recognition as IP Experts.  

Not surprisingly, Shearn Delamore & Co. (Karen Abraham, Michelle C.Y. Loi, Jyeshta Mahendran, Indran Shanmuganathan and Timothy Siaw) placed five lawyers on our list, while Skrine (Leela Devi Baskaran, Pei Yee Kuek, Melissa Long and Charmayne Ong) placed four.  

Henry Goh & Co. (Yen Yen Oon, Sau Yin Tham and Dave A. Wyatt) and ZICO IP (Boo Seng Ong, Siew Ling Su and Linda Wang) each placed three lawyers on the list. All in all, 26 different firms account for either one or two lawyers on the list.  

Our survey includes only those lawyers working at law firms in Malaysia. Most of the lawyers named to our list have multiple practice specialties. Many of them are litigators, while others concentrate on prosecution work or provide strategic advice.  

All of them have something in common: they are Asia IP’s IP Experts for Malaysia. 

– Gregory Glass 

Malaysia’s IP Experts is based solely on independent editorial research conducted by Asia IP. As part of this project, we turned to thousands of in-house counsel in Asia and around the world, and asked them to nominate private-practice lawyers, including foreign legal consultants, advisers and counsel.  

The final list reflects the nominations received combined with the input of the editorial team at Asia IP, which has more than 45 years of collective experience in researching and understanding the legal market in Southeast Asia. 

All private practice intellectual property lawyers working at law firms in Malaysia were eligible for inclusion in the nomination process; there were no fees or any other requirements for inclusion in the process. 

The names of our 50 IP Experts are published here. Each IP Expert was given the opportunity to include their biography and contact details in print and on our website, for which a fee was charged.