Vatsala Ratnasabapathy

Vatsala Ratnasabapathy is a Senior Partner at Zain & Co., heading the firm's Construction, Engineering and Arbitration practice within the Dispute Resolution department, specializing in Dispute Resolution. She specialises in construction and infrastructure disputes and has been described as an "energy and construction arbitration expert" with "excellent industry knowledge."

Vatsala has been appointed to represent clients in both local and international arbitrations and has extensive experience as lead counsel at all levels of the Malaysian courts, including the Court of Appeal and Federal Court. Her practice spans a broad array of commercial disputes, including administrative law, commercial contracts, corporations, employment, intellectual property, land, partnerships, professional negligence, probate, equity and trusts, tort, and technology disputes. She has acted as Lead Counsel for a large European‑based multinational construction company in resisting a claim exceeding €40 million relating to a major project in Sudan; for a major property developer in a substantive Federal Court matter concerning the Electricity Supply Act 1990; for a large government‑linked real estate investment holding company in a dispute involving an RM600 million integrated development project; and for a multinational contractor in arbitration proceedings concerning Malaysia's first green coal‑fired power station. She also advises the project owner of a megaproject featuring a 680‑metre building under construction in Kuala Lumpur with a budget of RM5 billion, divided into nearly 20 project packages.

Vatsala holds an LL.B (Hons) from the University of London (1993) and an LL.M with Merit from the London School of Economics and Political Science (1999), where she was awarded the UK Government's Chevening Scholarship. She was called to the Malaysian Bar in 1996 and admitted to the Roll of Solicitors of the Supreme Court of England and Wales in 2002. She is an Advocate and Solicitor of the High Court of Malaya, a Fellow of the Malaysian Institute of Arbitrators (FMIArb), and a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (MCIArb).

Vatsala has been widely recognised in leading legal directories: Chambers Asia‑Pacific ranks her in Construction (2024–2025); The Legal 500 Asia‑Pacific ranks her as a "Leading Individual" in Dispute Resolution (2024–2025); Benchmark Litigation Asia‑Pacific named her a "Litigation Star" in Construction (2025); and Asialaw awarded her "Lawyer of the Year: Malaysia" (2021). She was also listed in Asia Business Law Journal's "A‑List: Malaysia's Top 100 Lawyers" (2025). Clients have described her as "extraordinarily thorough, knowledgeable and detailed," "practical minded, strategic," and "indisputably the best litigation lawyer I have dealt with in Malaysia." She is also an Adjunct Professor at Veritas University College and serves on the Bar Council Committee on Reform to the Legal Sector.