RDS Partnership

What RDS Partnership does

RDS Partnership (legal entity: Rosli Dahlan Saravana Partnership) is a Malaysian full-service commercial law firm headquartered in Kuala Lumpur, founded in 2020. The firm delivers professional legal services across 22 practice areas spanning corporate governance, banking and finance, capital markets, M&A, dispute resolution, intellectual property, ESG, employment, fintech, construction and arbitration, restructuring, and a dedicated Islamic law practice for Sharia-compliant transactions. It targets four primary client segments: Malaysian public listed companies (PLCs), government-linked entities, family-owned enterprises, and multinational corporations operating in or entering Malaysia.

The firm operates on a partner-led business model with revenue generated through per-engagement and retainer professional-services fees negotiated with corporate clients. It is not a technology product business; its core "technology" is traditional legal-practice methodology supported by publications (Legal Focus articles, RDS Legal Insight quarterly magazine) and webinars used as thought-leadership and brand-building channels. RDS is a member of the SCG Legal network (over 12,000 lawyers across 60+ countries) and holds bilateral strategic alliances with China's DeHeng Law Offices and Japan's Anderson Mori & Tomotsune to support cross-border mandates.

The firm has 101–250 employees and is independently partnership-owned with no disclosed institutional backing, parent company, or external funding rounds. Distribution is domestic — direct partner-led client engagement in Malaysia — though its global network affiliations allow it to credibly serve multinational mandates. Recent strategic activity has centred on practice-line expansion (new governance and compliance practice led by Michele Kythe Lim in early 2026), energy/infrastructure capability build-out (Kamilah Kasim hire), and cross-border alliance formation, alongside accumulated recognition from Chambers Asia-Pacific, Legal 500, Benchmark Litigation, and Asian Legal Business.

Name

RDS Partnership

Legal name

Rosli Dahlan Saravana Partnership

Website

https://rdslawpartners.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

RDS Partnership is a Kuala Lumpur-based full-service commercial law firm founded in 2020, serving Malaysian listed companies, government-linked entities, family businesses, and multinationals across 22 practice areas through partner-led engagements and SCG Legal network affiliations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Kuala Lumpur

HQ country

Malaysia

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Legal Services: RDS Partnership generates revenue through professional legal services billed to corporate clients including listed companies, government-linked entities, family businesses, and multinationals across Malaysia.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

RDS Partnership is a full-service commercial law firm delivering legal advisory and representation across 22 practice areas including corporate, banking and finance, capital markets, construction and arbitration, dispute resolution, energy and infrastructure, ESG, employment, fintech, intellectual property, M&A, and restructuring. The firm also operates a dedicated Islamic law practice addressing Sharia-compliant transactions and halal industry requirements, serving listed companies, government-linked entities, family businesses, and multinational corporations operating in Malaysia.

Product overview

RDS Partnership is an award-winning, full-service commercial law firm in Malaysia operating across 22 practice areas. The core offering consists of legal services covering corporate, banking and finance, capital markets, dispute resolution, and specialized sectors. The firm supplements its legal services with thought leadership content including Legal Focus articles and the RDS Legal Insight quarterly magazine, as well as educational events and webinars on corporate governance and legal developments. The firm also maintains a dedicated Islamic law practice.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Full-Service Commercial Legal Services (22 Practice Areas) Comprehensive commercial legal services spanning corporate advisory, banking and finance, capital markets, construction and arbitration, dispute resolution, energy and infrastructure, ESG, employment, fintech, intellectual property, M&A, and restructuring, delivered to listed companies, government-linked entities, family businesses, and multinational corporations operating in Malaysia.
• Islamic Law Services

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• DeHeng Law Offices (China)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 January 2026RDS Partnership formed a strategic alliance with China's DeHeng Law Offices to provide cross-border advisory services supporting Malaysian clients expanding into China and Chinese clients investing in Malaysia. The exclusive collaboration involves coordinated advisory teams and potential reciprocal secondments, with both firms remaining independent while exploring establishment of a dedicated China desk in Malaysia.
• Anderson Mori & Tomotsune (Japan)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRDS Partnership collaborates with Japan's Anderson Mori & Tomotsune as part of the firm's expansion strategy and regional expertise integration. The collaboration supports cross-border work particularly in energy, infrastructure and projects practice areas.

Scale indicators2 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Zain & Co. Malaysian member firm of Deloitte Legal with full-service commercial practice serving listed corporates and multinationals. Directly comparable client base and practice breadth.
• Wong & Partners: Malaysian affiliate of global firm Baker McKenzie, serving PLCs, GLCs, and multinationals across corporate, finance, and dispute work. Comparable full-service commercial positioning with international network access.
• Rahmat Lim & Partners: Malaysian full-service law firm with strong corporate, M&A and capital markets practices; recently lost a senior partner (Kamilah Kasim) to RDS, indicating direct talent and client overlap.
• Christopher & Lee Ong: Malaysian full-service commercial law firm with comparable practice areas including corporate, banking and finance, and dispute resolution, serving PLCs and multinational clients.
• Shearn Delamore & Co. Long-established Malaysian full-service commercial law firm serving listed companies, financial institutions, and multinationals. Directly comparable across corporate, dispute resolution, and banking practices.
• Skrine: One of Malaysia's largest full-service commercial law firms with similar broad practice coverage and PLC/GLC client base. Directly comparable in scale, practice breadth, and Malaysian market positioning.
• Tay & Partners: Malaysian full-service commercial law firm serving corporate and financial services clients, with comparable coverage of banking, capital markets, and dispute resolution work.

Regional players

• Drew & Napier: Singapore-based full-service commercial law firm with regional cross-border practice comparable to RDS's alliance-led approach. Serves similar PLC and multinational clients across ASEAN.

Broad incumbents

• Allen & Gledhill (Malaysia): Regional heavyweight with Malaysian presence offering corporate, banking, energy, and dispute resolution services to PLCs and multinationals. Larger and more established than RDS but overlaps materially in target segments.

Others

• DeHeng Law Offices: Chinese law firm and RDS's strategic alliance partner for cross-border China–Malaysia matters. Allied rather than competitive, but a comparable full-service commercial law firm in terms of practice breadth and corporate clientele.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/rdspartnership
• Facebookfacebook.com/RDSPartnership
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rosli-dahlan-saravana-partnership
• Instagraminstagram.com/rdspartnership_

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about RDS Partnership