Kamilah Kasim

Partner (Foreign Law)

Kamilah practises as a dispute resolution lawyer and has been involved in various dispute cases with a focus on large complex engineering and energy projects. Kamilah is also a member of the Protem Committee for the Asian International Arbitration Centre Court of Arbitration.

Kamilah also has considerable experience providing advice on the privatisation of public sector businesses as well as on infrastructure development by the private sector, in partnership with the public sector or otherwise. Kamilah has negotiated and drafted many agreements including concession, power purchase, and construction and engineering contracts. She has also handled related documents under various contracting arrangements for infrastructure projects including airports, ports, land transportations (highway, monorail, double track electrified rail, and mass rapid transit), power plants (gas-fired, coal-fired, combined cycle gas turbine, solar power and hydro-electric), petrochemical plants, and buildings in the region. 

Kamilah won the “Woman Lawyer of the Year” award at the prestigious Asian Legal Business (ALB) Malaysia Law Awards 2023.

She is also ranked as a Leading Individual and is inducted in the Hall of Fame for Projects and Energy and Real Estate and Construction in The Legal 500 Asia Pacific where a client comments that she is “very knowledgeable and experienced with projects and arbitration-related matters” and that “she is very precise on whether the matter at hand is a contractual issue or a commercial call for management to make”.

In IFLR1000, she is recognised as the Market Leader for Project Development and one of the Women Leaders in the field where a client attests that "[s]he is trustworthy, conscientious and courageous because she does not simply change her legal opinion to please stakeholders' discretion or sit on the fence. This is helpful to ensure the objective and that all parties' interests will be taken care of".

In Chambers Asia-Pacific, she is ranked Band 1 for Projects, Infrastructure & Energy and Band 3 for Construction. According to a client, Kamilah is "very knowledgeable in construction contract law. She provides good legal review and solutions without sitting on the fence". Another client finds that “her experience in arbitration gives a different perspective when structuring our contracts, which is invaluable."

Prior to joining Allen & Gledhill in 2013, Kamilah was a Partner at another large Singapore law firm and was concurrently the co-Principal Partner with its associate Malaysian law firm.

Kamilah is concurrently a Partner in Rahmat Lim & Partner, the Firm’s associate firm in Malaysia.

Work Highlights

• Penang Light Rail Transit Project, Malaysia: Advising the client on the design, construction and completion of the Penang Mutiara Line Light Rail Transit Project (“Mutiara Line LRT”) and reviewing and drafting project documentation including the conditions of contract. The Mutiara Line LRT, as part of the Penang Transport Master Plan, is proposed by the Government of Malaysia with the objectives to enhance accessibility and connectivity, reduce traffic congestion and improve living standards of the people. The Mutiara Line LRT, once completed, will be the first integrated metro system in the northern region of Malaysia, connecting the island part of Penang to its mainland.
• Sarawak-Sabah Link Road Project (Phase 2), Malaysia: Advising the client on the development and construction of the Sabah-Sarawak Link Road (Phase 2) and reviewing and drafting the project documentation including invitation to tender, conditions of contract and consultancy services agreement. Currently, the absence of direct road links between Sarawak and Sabah Sarawak and Sabah necessitates a circuitous route through Brunei Darussalam. The Sarawak-Sabah Link Road, when completed, will connect the two states directly and bypassing the need to transit through Brunei Darussalam, enhancing interconnection and promoting the development of the local industry and economy.
• The MRT 3 Project, Malaysia: Advising MRT Lingkaran Sdn Bhd and reviewing and drafting various agreements in relation to the design, construction and completion of the MRT 3 project including the project management consultancy services agreement and civil main contractor agreement.
• The Rapid Transit System Link (“RTS”) Project, Malaysia and Singapore: Advising, reviewing and drafting the project documents for the client including the letter of award and the construction contract, assisting with drafting of the employer’s requirements for the infrastructure works, package issuance letters and advising on issues arising out of the project documents for the RTS Link Project within Malaysia and up to the border of Malaysia and Singapore.
• Biofuel Production Facility, Johor, Malaysia: Advising the employer in relation to a biofuel production facility in Johor, Malaysia, which serves as a major production hub for hydrotreated vegetable oils (HVO), sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and bio-naphtha with an annual capacity target at 350,000 tonnes. Our scope of work includes reviewing and drafting: (i) invitation to tender; (ii) engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning contract; (iii) employer’s requirements; (iv) terminal usage agreement; (v) jetty usage agreement; and (vi) wayleave agreement.
• Airport Regeneration Plan: Advising, drafting and reviewing a suite of template construction contracts in relation to the Subang Airport Regeneration Plan as follows: (i) a bespoke/template request for proposal/instructions to tenderers/invitation to tender/invitation to bid; (ii) a bespoke/template conditions of contract (“CoC”) for: (a) industrial building: based on “design and build” if the industrial building does not require aesthetic features and based on “build only” (where the design of the building would be prepared by the client’s consultants to be led by architect), if the industrial building requires aesthetic features; and (b) infrastructure works: based on a “design and build” contract and a build only contract; (iii) a template consultancy services agreement (“CSA”). We are also conducting workshops for clients to explain the bespoke/template request for proposal/instructions to tenderers/invitation to tender/invitation to bid, CoC and CSA to all stakeholders.
• Kuala Lumpur International Airport Project, Sepang, Malaysia: Advising client on the design, build and finance of satellite terminal building centre court forest and the retail outlets at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (“KLIA”) including drafting construction documents such as tender by invitation and concession agreement.
• Combined Cycle Power Plant and Upgrade Works to Network, Republic of Sierra Leone: Advising the contractor and drafting and negotiating: (i) the engineering, procurement and construction contract (“EPC Contract”) in relation to the design, procurement, supply, delivery, erection, commissioning and testing of a 148.5 MW combined cycle power plant (“Power Plant”) and upgrade works to the 33 kV network in the Republic of Sierra Leone; (ii) the supply subcontract for the design, engineering, manufacture, supply of the gas turbines and steam turbine packages for the Power Plant; and (iii) the service subcontract for the technical advisory services relating to the erection, testing and commissioning of the gas turbines and steam turbine packages for the Power Plant.