Corporate & Civil Litigation Law Firm | STJ Law Chambers

Dato Su Tiang Joo
Senior Litigator with Judicial Insight

Dato Su Tiang Joo
Senior Litigator with Judicial Insight

Retired High Court Judge

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Years at
the Bar

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Matters Disposed

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Written Grounds of Judgment

About Dato Su Tiang Joo

Barrister | Senior Litigator | Retired Judge of the High Court in Malaya

Executive Summary

Dato Su Tiang Joo has more than three decades of litigation experience and five years of judicial service. He served as a Judicial Commissioner from 1 September 2020 and was appointed a Judge of the High Court in Malaya on 18 March 2024. Upon his retirement on 15 December 2025, he had disposed of 2,974 matters, both civil and criminal, and had released 291 written grounds of judgment, many of which were published in the Current Law Journal, Malayan Law Journal, All Malaysia Reports, and eLaw.my. He retired without any outstanding grounds of judgment.

Prior to joining the Bench, he practised for 36 years at the Bar, appearing as lead counsel in more than 100 reported cases across all levels of the Malaysian courts. He returned to practice in 2026 under Su Tiang Joo Law Chambers, operating within Aurum Chambers Group Law Practice, based in Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia.

His litigation practice is characterised by structured issue identification, disciplined fact‑marshalling, and the strategic use of interim remedies. His judicial experience now informs his approach to complex disputes, allowing him to evaluate matters with both counsel’s tactical perspective and a judge’s analytical discipline.

Litigation Career (36 Years at the Bar)

Dato Su’s litigation work spans civil, commercial, corporate, land, administrative, and constitutional matters. His experience includes (in alphabetical order):

  • arbitration
  • boardroom and governance conflicts
  • contractual and commercial claims
  • defamation
  • judicial review
  • probate, trusts, and estate disputes
  • shareholder and minority oppression disputes
  • land based litigation including land acquisition matters

His approach emphasises:

  • clear identification of issues
  • structured marshalling of facts
  • deployment of interim remedies where appropriate
  • cross‑disciplinary application of civil, administrative, and criminal principles

These methods reflect the practices he applied both as counsel and later as a judge.

Land Acquisition & Property Law

Dato Su has long been involved in land acquisition matters both as counsel and judge. His contributions include:

  • co‑authoring Law of Land Acquisition (2018)
  • co‑authoring Law of Land Acquisition (2nd Edition), launched by the Chief Justice in 2025
  • speaking at national land conferences
  • contributing to discussions on proposed amendments to the National Land Code, Strata Titles Act, and Land Acquisition Act at the invitation of the Ministry of Natural Resources And Environmental Sustainability
  • authoring articles on valuation, assessors, and statutory procedure

These reflect his long involvement in statutory land matters.

Judicial Career & Jurisprudential Work

During his judicial service, Dato Su presided over the whole spectrum of civil, commercial and criminal matters including dangerous drugs (DDA), homicide (Penal Code), anti-money laundering, anti‑trafficking in persons and anti‑smuggling of migrants (ATIPSOM) and security offences under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act (SOSMA)

These areas reflect the breadth of civil, commercial and criminal matters that came before him on the Bench.

He also contributed papers and presentations to judicial training programmes, including ILKAP, the Judicial Appointments Commission, and ASEAN Chief Justices workshops.

Personal Interest

Class action on safeguarding and enforcement of Constitutional fundamental liberties and rights.

Publications, Seminars & Professional Writing

His CV records more than 50 papers, seminars, and presentations, including:

  • affidavits and procedural applications
  • appellate advocacy
  • case management
  • construction law
  • employment and industrial relations
  • fraud and asset recovery
  • land acquisition
  • legal aid
  • litigation funding
  • mediation in defamation cases
  • witness statements (comparative Commonwealth study)

He has published articles in CLJ, MLJ, AMR, QLR, and the Journal of the Malayan Judiciary, and contributed chapters to international publications including The Dispute Resolution Review and The Quintessential Gopal Sri Ram.

Professional Appointments

His appointments include:

  • Honorary Bencher of The Honourable Society of Gray’s Inn (2026)
  • President, Malaysia Chapter of Gray’s Inn (2020–present)
  • Arbitrator, Asian International Centre for Arbitration (2014–present)
  • Asia alumni ambassador, Manchester Metropolitan University (2021–present)
  • Co‑chair, Bar Council Ad Hoc Committee to Revamp the Legal Profession (2019–2020)
  • Member, Advocates & Solicitors Disciplinary Board (2007–2011)
  • Pioneer member, Asian Institute of Alternative Dispute Resolution
  • Former member, Prime Minister’s Department Sub‑Consultative Committee on Conditional Fees
  • Notary public (2009–2020)
  • Commissioner for oaths (1997–2020)
  • Registered trademarks agent (1998–2020)

Rankings & Recognition

Independent research bodies have listed him in:

  • Malaysia Top 100 Lawyers — Asia Business Law Journal (2019 & 2020)
  • Chambers & Partners — Dispute Resolution (2010–2020)
  • Benchmark Litigation — Recommended (2019 & 2020)

These listings are based on external research and are not self‑descriptions.

Education & Early Career

  • BA (Hons) Law, Manchester Polytechnic (now known as Manchester Metropolitan University)
  • Utter Barrister‑at‑Law, Gray’s Inn (1983)
  • Advocate & Solicitor of the High Court in Malaya (1984)
  • Advocate & Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Singapore (2001)
Counsel: Dato Su Tiang Joo
Law Practice: Su Tiang Joo Law Chambers
Group Law Practice: Aurum Chambers Group Law Practice

Aurum Chambers Group Law Practice provides direct access to senior counsel, uniting the expertise of Dato’ Sheila De Costa and Dato Su Tiang Joo for strategic negotiation and courtroom advocacy.

Visit Aurum Chambers Group Law Practice website

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