Sivabalah Nadarajah

Sivabalah Nadarajah is the Head of the Employment & Industrial Relations practice at Shearn Delamore & Co., specialising in employment law, administrative and constitutional law, and industrial relations. He has been in practice since 1984 and is widely regarded as one of Malaysia's leading employment and industrial relations lawyers.

He has represented employers in numerous landmark decisions before the Federal Court, Court of Appeal, and High Court, establishing significant precedents in the fields of employment, administrative and constitutional law. Notable cases include PP v. Syarikat Tekala Sdn Bhd [2007] 6 CLJ 43, where the Court of Appeal ruled that the EPF had no jurisdiction to conduct criminal proceedings without the sanction of the Public Prosecutor; Dr James Alfred v Koperasi Serbaguna Santa Bhd [2001] 3 CLJ 541, which overturned the long-standing practice of awarding full back wages without considering subsequent gainful employment; and Beatrice Fernandez v Sistem Penerbangan Malaysia & Anor [2004] 4 CLJ 403, where the Court of Appeal ruled that the dismissal of a stewardess on grounds of pregnancy was not unconstitutional.

Sivabalah holds an LL.B (Hons) from the University of Malaya and was called to the High Court of Malaya as an Advocate & Solicitor in 1984.

He has been consistently ranked in Band 1 for Employment and Industrial Relations by Chambers Asia-Pacific (2010–2025), inducted into The Legal 500 Asia-Pacific Hall of Fame for Labour and Employment (2023–2026), and recognised as a Thought Leader and Global Leader by Who's Who Legal. He is a Fellow of the Employment Law Alliance (ELA) and was honoured with the Sheldon N. Sandler Award in 2020.