KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 18 — Former Chief Justice Tun Richard Malanjum has been officially admitted and enrolled as an advocate and solicitor of the High Court of Malaya.
Malanjum, 73, holds a historic place in the Malaysian judiciary as the first judge from Borneo to serve as Chief Justice. He held the nation’s top judicial post for nine months until his retirement on April 12, 2019. Prior to that elevation, he served as the Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak.
His admission to the Malayan Bar took place before High Court Judge Datuk Aslam Zainuddin. The motion for his admission was moved by lawyer Nicholas Kow, who subsequently performed the symbolic robing of Malanjum, FMT reported.
In his address, Kow described Malanjum as a practitioner who possesses both “brain and heart,” qualities he deemed essential for the legal profession.
“The brain is used to argue the facts and law and persuade the court in your favour, and the heart is where there is passion in the practice of law and compassion to act for the needy. Malanjum possesses both these traits,” Kow said.
Senior Federal Counsel Al-Saifi Hashim, representing the Attorney-General’s Chambers, highlighted Malanjum’s legacy as a digital pioneer. He noted that Malanjum championed the computerisation of the courts in East Malaysia and introduced the mobile court programme, which brought judicial services to remote communities previously cut off by distance and difficult terrain.
“His return to legal practice is another chapter in a journey that has already shaped the courts,” Al-Saifi said.
Representing the Bar Council, Treasurer Peter-Douglas Ling said that Malanjum’s experience as a former president of the Sabah Law Association gave him a unique perspective on the challenges facing practitioners.
“When he became a judge and chief justice, he looked out for the needs of lawyers,” Ling said. He also credited Malanjum for his early efforts to establish a specialised environmental court, describing it as a “noble attempt” to advance environmental justice.
Since leaving the bench, Malanjum has remained active on the international and academic stage.
In January 2022, he was appointed as the Ombudsman of the United Nations Security Council, and in December last year, he took on the role of Pro-Chancellor of Multimedia University.
