Nicholas Chew started in his career as an Army officer where he developed a foundation of discipline, resilience, and strategic thinking—qualities that now define his leadership as a lawyer. This unique background has shaped his legal practice that prioritises precision, innovation, and a strong commitment to results. His military background instilled in him a commitment to accountability and adaptability, which he has embedded into the firm’s culture, driving a mindset shift towards excellence.

By steering the firm and its people to become a modern legal business, implementing streamlined workflows and utilising bespoke digital tools, the firm experienced its most successful year in its 30-year history. Nicholas also built a sophisticated multilingual team skilled in drafting complex dual language contracts (English and Mandarin), as well as court documents in Malay, enabling the firm to serve a diverse clientele with quality and precision. His strategic leadership was instrumental in securing and managing one of Johor’s largest FDI projects—a landmark RM2 billion state-of-the-art facility for a US-China tech partnership. This challenging project firmly positioned the firm as a leader in high-stakes FDI work in Johor. He also successfully negotiated contracts with industry giants like Red Bull, Air Asia, and AMG.

In addition to his role within the firm, Nicholas regularly contributes to the legal community and serves on the Johore Bar Professional Development & Education committee, amongst others. He provides legal skills training on essential interpersonal skills for success in the legal profession and mentors several university law students every year, providing work experience and sharing his insights with the next generation of local legal professionals.

In the past year, he has boldly invested in his team, AI solutions, and a custom-built platform that gives the firm a competitive edge. Nicholas’s leadership continually inspires his team to embrace a growth mindset, championing both people and technology to shape a forward-thinking, agile legal practice.