Ipoh-born Lawyer Appointed UK High Court Judge

Ipoh-born lawyer Eason Rajah has now retired from private practice for a good reason –– he has been appointed as a UK High Court Judge.

Rajah was previously known as Eason Rajah KC, a term in the UK referring to the King’s Counsel, or a set of barristers and solicitors whom the monarch has appointed to be part of His Majesty’s Counsel learned in the law and has been recognised as an expert in the legal field.

Now according to the UK’s judiciary website, he will be soon known as The Honourable Mr Justice Rajah. The announcement read, “The King is pleased to approve the appointment of a Justice of the High Court.

This appointment will take effect from 18 April 2023.” Upon his appointment, Rajah will be assigned by the Lord Chief Justice to the Chancery Division. It also explained that the appointment fills a vacancy in the High Court after other judges had retired or were promoted to the Court of Appeal.

According to ‘Advocates the Podcast’, Rajah left Malaysia at the age of 11 to attend Epsom College, a boarding school in Surrey. His late father, Datuk NT Rajah was also a senior lawyer while his mother was a school teacher.

He excelled in the sciences at Epsom but went on to study law at the University of Nottingham. He was then called to the Bar in 1989 and held a general chancery practice, specialising in later years in international trust and estate litigation. He was also called to the Malaysian Bar in 1991.

Rajah was then appointed as King’s Counsel in 2011, and as a Recorder (often the first step in a judicial career) in 2016. Rajah scooped up the ‘Private Client: Trusts and Probate Silk of the Year 2018’ award in the Legal 500 Bar Awards.

He was approved for authorisation to sit as a High Court Judge of the Chancery Division in 2020. He was also chair of the Chancery Bar Association from 2018 to 2020. Rajah also speaks regularly at specialist conferences both nationally and internationally.

We offer our heartiest congratulations to him. He’s truly made Malaysia proud!

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