Zul Rafique & Partners is pleased to welcome Imran Ismail back to the Firm as a Partner in its Litigation and Shipping & Maritime Practice Groups respectively, further strengthening its position as one of Malaysia’s leading full-service law firms and enhancing its capabilities in commercial litigation, corporate advisory, and dispute resolution. Imran’s appointment marks a homecoming, having begun his legal career with Zul Rafique & Partners as a Legal Associate from 2010 to 2012 before building an accomplished practice over the past decade.
With more than a decade of experience, Imran holds a Bachelor of Laws from Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) and a Master of Laws from Universiti Malaya. He was admitted as an Advocate and Solicitors of the High Court of Malaya in 2010. He has advised and represented public listed companies, multinational corporations, government-linked entities, financial institutions, SMEs, and private clients across a broad range of contentious and non-contentious matters.
Imran’s dispute resolution practice spans commercial and corporate litigation, shareholder and contractual disputes, debt recovery, insolvency, fraud and asset recovery, employment disputes, and regulatory matters. He has appeared before courts at every level of the Malaysian judiciary and has advised clients through every stage of the dispute resolution process, from pre-action strategy to trial and appellate proceedings. His practice is further complemented by experiences in mergers and acquisitions, corporate restructurings, legal due diligence, and the drafting and negotiation of commercial agreements.
Imran began his legal career at Zul Rafique & Partners, where he practised as a Legal Associate from 2010 to 2012. He subsequently built an accomplished practice over more than a decade, culminating in his role as Head of Litigation at a Malaysian law firm, where he led a team of lawyers handling complex commercial disputes while advising clients on strategic risk management. He also gained valuable regulatory experience during his tenure with a regulatory body, where he advised on regulatory compliance, enforcement, and policy implementation under Malaysia’s communications and multimedia framework.
The combination of his litigation experience, corporate advisory experience, and regulatory insight enables Imran to provide clients with practical, commercially driven solutions in increasingly complex legal and regulatory environments.
His appointment reflects the Firm’s continued investment in strengthening its market-leading disputes practice and reinforces its ability to deliver strategic, commercially focused legal solutions across a broad range of contentious, corporate, and regulatory matters.
Commenting on the appointment, Managing Partner Datuk Lukman said:
“We are delighted to welcome back Imran to Zul Rafique & Partners. It is particularly rewarding to see someone who began his legal career with the Firm return as a Partner after building an impressive practice and reputation in the market. His extensive experience in commercial litigation, coupled with his strong corporate advisory background and valuable regulatory insight, further strengthens our Litigation Practice Group. Imran’s pragmatic and commercially focused approach aligns closely with the way we serve our clients, and we are confident that his expertise will add significant value as we continue to support businesses in navigating increasingly complex disputes and regulatory challenges.”
