Neoh Jin Keat

Partner

Neoh Jin Keat is a Partner in Rahmat Lim & Partners’ Litigation Department. His practice focuses on corporate, commercial, industrial relations and employment law disputes.

He regularly represents both foreign and Malaysian corporations in industrial relations, trade union and employment disputes across all levels of the Malaysian courts, from the Labour Court and Industrial Court to the appellate Courts.

In addition to contentious employment matters, he also has experience in advisory work and corporate restructuring exercises. His experience includes conducting employment due diligence, facilitating town halls for retrenchment exercises, and guiding clients on risk management and mitigation strategies in large-scale workforce restructurings.

Jin Keat also advises foreign, multi-national and public listed corporations on internal investigations involving complex fraud, financial irregularities, whistleblowing reports and audits. He also advises on human rights and labour due diligence, forced labour, and workplace health and safety obligations.

He obtained the University Prize for Distinguished Performance in the LL.B. examinations from the Board of Examiners of the University of London External Programme.

Work Highlights

• Tan Hock Hin v. Tasek Corporation Berhad (judicial review proceedings in the High Court of Ipoh arising from an Industrial Court decision reported in [2021] ILRU 0511), involving the successful defence of the Industrial Court’s decision on the company’s restructuring and reorganisation exercise, with the High Court of Ipoh dismissing the judicial review application with costs.
• Khazanah Jaya Sdn Bhd v. Hisco (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd (Federal Court), involving a successful appeal where the Federal Court agreed that (i) the condition which forms the basis of a cause of action for breach of contract must be pleaded in the statement of claim and not in the reply to defence; and (ii) in a case of friendly loan that is repayable upon demand, limitation period starts to run from the date the loan is granted. 
• Assisted a multinational manufacturing group in conducting an on-site internal audit of its Malaysian operations, during which payroll fraud involving several employees was identified. This resulted in further investigations being carried out, and the commencement of disciplinary proceedings and civil proceedings against the employees involved.