UPHOLDING JUSTICE AS A HUMAN RIGHTS
LAWYER
RAJSURIAN PILLAI a/l
CHELLAPPA PILLAI
• Rajsurian is a partner of
Dinesh Muthal Surian
Pillai & Co
• He holds a LL.B from
University of London
(UoL) External
Programme
• He is currently the Co-
Deputy Chairperson of
the Bar Council
Constitutional Law
Committee (2017/2018)
• Member of the Bar
Council Human Rights
Committee (2017/18)
• Member of the Bar
Council Task Force on
Independent Police
Complaints and
Misconduct Commission
(IPCMC) & Police
Accountability (2017/18)
• Member of the Bar
Council National Young
Lawyers Committee
(2017/18)
Rajsurian is a partner at Dinesh Muthal Surian Pillai & Co. He is currently
the co-deputy chairperson of the Bar Council Constitutional Law
Committee. He is also an active member of the National Legal Aid
Foundation Steering Committee and the Bar Council’s Human Rights
Committee. Apart from being a lawyer and activist, he is also a gamer,
gym rat and an avid fan of movies and anime.
Being in Practice
Unlike many young lawyers, Rajsurian founded the firm with his partner
only months after their admission into the Bar in 2014. When asked about
the journey starting his own firm, he said, “we were lucky not having to
put up with bosses since the beginning. It was rather challenging as I had
to learn quickly and being on my own made the learning curve very
steep.” However, Rajsurian said that he was lucky to have seniors who
were very willing to help out. “Finding and bringing in clients was another
issue as I started with nothing. I had no background in criminal or civil
practice. I picked up criminal law from assisting Yayasan Bantuan Guaman
Kebangsaan (YBGK) with their criminal files on a pro bono basis,” he
added.
One thing he appreciates most out of running his own firm is flexibility of
time. He said, “I am able to do my work when I want, where I want and
how I want. My earnings depend of how many clients I have or whether I
even have any clients at all. The responsibility of getting clients fall solely
on my own head. Some months there may be many new clients, some
there may be no new clients at all.” Rajsurian admitted that the learning
curve is steep and unforgiving as there is no stability of income. Despite
the risk, he finds running his own firm rewarding. “My partner and I do
many pro bono/human rights cases. I doubt that we would have been
able to if we were working for someone else”, he said.
Human Rights and Activism
Rajsurian considers human rights work to be part of his practice. He said
that he got himself involved in human rights because he had always
wanted to help those in need with his legal expertise. He is a member of
the Bar Council’s Constitutional Law Committee which is known for
running a nationwide campaign called ‘MyConstitution/Perlembagaanku’
which trains and educate the public on their constitutional rights.