Dato' Rabinder Singh
Our Lawyers / Dato’ Rabinder Singh
Dato' Rabinder Singh
- Founding Principal -
Dato’ Rabinder Singh is the founding principal of Rabinder Budiman & Associates. He was admitted to the Malaysian Bar on 2 August 2001 and has been in active practice for 24 years, at the Subordinate Courts, the High Court, the Court of Appeal, and the Federal Court.
He acts as Counsel at the British High Commission, Kuala Lumpur, an institutional appointment that requires the British government to place considerable trust in the judgment and discretion of the lawyer it appoints.
Dato’
- Barrister-at-Law, Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn, London
- Member, General Council of the Bar of England & Wales
Malaysian Bar — 2 August 2001
24 years
Active — 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2027 (ref. [W 614])
Active — 2 October 2025 to 1 October 2027 (ref. PN(S)30/222/2 Jld.9 (54))
British High Commission, Kuala Lumpur
rabinder@rbalaw.com.my
Practice & Approach
Dato’ Rabinder’s practice is primarily high-profile civil and criminal litigation. He acts for corporations and individuals in complex commercial disputes, shareholder matters, corporate governance, contract and construction claims and in criminal proceedings.
He advises on M&A, debt restructuring, and corporate banking transactions involving multi-million ringgit loan structuring and security documentation. He also handles strata management law under the Strata Management Act 2013.
The firm he founded in 2003 reflects the way he works: litigation-first, court-ready, with a client philosophy built on honesty about the position and outcome-focused advice. When he describes the process, understanding the facts, identifying the goal, giving an honest legal opinion, advising in the client’s best interest, protecting from future liabilities, he is describing what has defined 24 years of practice, not a marketing framework.
Being called at Lincoln’s Inn is a separate qualification from admission to the Malaysian Bar. It means Dato’ Rabinder is also a member of the Bar of England and Wales through the General Council of the Bar. That dual qualification, Malaysian Advocate & Solicitor and English Barrister, is the professional foundation from which his 24 years of Malaysian practice grew.
Before founding Rabinder Budiman & Associates, Dato’ Rabinder underwent pupillage at Messrs Karpal Singh & Co. under the late YB Karpal Singh, one of Malaysia’s most consequential advocates and the former Leader of the Opposition. He then joined Messrs Shafee & Co. as a Legal Assistant.
Notable matters
The following matters have been cleared by Dato’ Rabinder for publication on this website.
Matter | Court / Note
- Ottavio Quatrocchi v Union of India & 3 Ors | Internationally cited
- PP v Kenneth Lee Fook Mun | Criminal proceedings, High Court
- PP v Dato' Balwant Singh | Criminal proceedings, High Court
- Emas Kiara Sdn Bhd v Michael Joseph Monteir & Ors | Court of Appeal
- Advance Technical Fabric Sdn Bhd v Lim Leong Huah | Court of Appeal
- Thein Hong Teck & Ors v Mohd Afrizan Husain & Another Appeal | Federal Court
Roles Beyond the Courtroom
Since 2010, Dato’ Rabinder has served as Chairman of the Joint Management Body of Plaza Sentral. Since 2016, he has served as Chairman of the Management Corporation of Q Sentral. In that capacity, he negotiated a RM2.2 million settlement from the Q Sentral developer for non-compliance with the Sale and Purchase Agreement, and resolved a decade-long service charge dispute at Plaza Sentral at its AGM in 2020.
These are not incidental roles. They demonstrate a capacity for complex institutional negotiation and governance that runs alongside, and informs, his courtroom practice.
Areas of Practice
Primary
- High-profile civil and criminal litigation
- Commercial litigation, shareholder disputes, corporate governance
- Contract disputes
- Construction disputes
- M&A advisory and capital markets
- Debt restructuring for distressed corporations
- Corporate banking, multi-million ringgit loan structuring and security documentation
- Strata management law (Strata Management Act 2013)
Also acts as
- Commissioner for Oaths (active appointment)
- Notary Public (active appointment) — authorised to certify documents for international use: powers of attorney for use overseas, true copies of qualifications or identity documents for foreign institutions, and commercial documents for international transactions
- Counsel at the British High Commission,
Kuala Lumpur
Speak with Dato' Rabinder.
If your matter requires Federal Court or Court of Appeal advocacy or if you need a frank assessment of a high-stakes legal position before committing to proceedings, get in touch.
Tell us what is happening. We will tell you honestly whether we can help and what the next step looks like.