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AZNUL AFFENDI BIN HASAN BASRI graduated with a law degree from University of Cambridge in 1990 and is a member of the Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn. Upon his return, he served with the Attorney General’s Chambers as an Assistant Parliamentary Draftsman where he was involved in the drafting of many statutes including amendments to the Federal Constitution and in the process he mastered the finer points of drafting and statutory interpretation. At the Attorney General’s Chambers, he was exposed to the realms of the public sector. He had the opportunity of handling a number of important governmental work notably privatization work. His works include advising on the privatization of roads including drafting written laws in both Bahasa Malaysia and English text, advising on the legal implication of privatizing ports and privatizing of sewerage, advising on the privatization of airports. Part of his work include interacting with other Ministries such as Ministry of Works, Ministry of International Trade and Industry, Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs, Ministry of Energy, Post and Telecommunications (as it then was) and the Royal Police. He has done numerous legal opinion on the legal implication of certain statutory provisions including a leading opinion on the scope of certain regulations which led to the amendment of the law. He also attended a course in legislative drafting. He was also involved in the governmental committee for amending the Federal Constitution. He also represented the country at the United Nations Convention on Drugs and Psychotropic Substances. He left the government service to join a leading legal firm in Kuala Lumpur. As a litigator, he had the opportunity of handling a wide portfolio of matters including banking (such as foreclosures proceedings), hire purchase, corporate finance and factoring at the Magistrate Court, Sessions Court, High Court up to the Federal Court. He is familiar with the law and practice of bankruptcy, winding up of companies and general debt recovery. Part of his works include research, legal opinion, getting up and attendance at the court. As a corporate lawyer, he was involved in the preparation of numerous agreements and documents such as joint venture agreements, consultancy agreements, licensing agreements, franchise agreement, amending memorandum of articles of association of companies, guarantees and agreements relating to sale of goods and hire purchase. He has done numerous legal opinion on the provisions of the banking and futures industry laws. He did a major review of all the present licences kept by a major chemical company. Part of his works involve dealing with the government agencies relating to investment. In conveyancing. he has prepared numerous loan documentation (for banks including facility agreement, and for finance companies) and sale and purchase agreements (including being a speaker at a seminar on sale and purchase agreement). He also have handled tenancy and sub-tenancy agreements.

He was called to the Malaysian Bar in 1994. In 1996 he set up his own firm, MESSRS AZNUL & CO (Advocates & Solicitors). He has drafted a number of legislation on construction industry and he was involved in the process of reconstruction and rebuilding of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. He was also involved in preparing legal documentation for the process including preparing joint venture agreements, construction agreements and privatisation agreements. He has advised on the legal implications that affect small and medium industries particularly on their formation and operations. He was also involved in the establishment and merger of a number of government agencies. He was a member of a number of governmental steering committees.

In 2002, he was offered an Associate Professorship in Law at a public university but he declined as he wanted to continue pursuing his legal practice in the private sector.

His current legal practice includes commercial and corporate law, regulatory compliance, competition law and data protection. He has advised on the drafting of legislation relating to water, palm oil industry, ports, competition laws including the proposed legislation on mergers, personal data protection, fish marketing industry, Fisherman’s Associations and biofuel. He was involved in the patent aspect of mapping of genome for palm oil. He has drafted the bye laws for a major Co-operative Society (Koperasi Puncak). He has established the legal mechanism for a wakaf structure. He was also involved in the restructuring of a major zakat organisation and the proposed introduction of cooperative banking laws in Malaysia. He has advised on cross border corporate winding up of a foreign branch of a Malaysian entity in India and the proposed establishment of a Halal factory in China. He has extensive experience since 1992 in the legal framework of statutory bodies, including the drafting of Acts relating to statutory bodies concerning construction; the implementation of mergers between statutory bodies concerning palm oil; the implementation of mergers of statutory bodies concerning intellectual property; the implementation of mergers of statutory bodies concerning companies and businesses; the implementation of internal legal infrastructure for statutory bodies concerning competitio. He participated in the proposed incorporation of a statutory body established pursuant to a State Enactment.

In his spare time (as well as discharging his Firm’s corporate social responsibilities), he lectures in his area of expertise in Administrative Law, Intellectual Property Law, Company Law, Corporate Governance, Corporate Administration, Professional Practice, Probate, Administration of Estate and Conveyancing in public and private universities.   

He is a co-author of the law book Malaysian Litigation Series: Statutory Interpretation in Malaysia published by Thomson Reuters Sweet Maxwell in 2023. This book was published by Sweet & Maxwell (Thomson Reuters) in 2023 and was launched by the then Chief Justice of Malaysia the Right Honourable Tun Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat at the Asian International Arbitration Centre in Kuala Lumpur May 11, 2023: see here. The book can be bought here whilst stock last.