How Kasih Counsel came to be
Kasih Counsel was established by a small group of family law practitioners who noticed a gap between what families needed during difficult periods and what formal legal services typically offered. The appointments felt rushed, the documents were dense, and the people sitting across the table often left feeling more uncertain than when they arrived.
We set out to do it differently. The name — kasih, meaning care or affection in Malay — reflects what we believe legal support in family matters should feel like. Not transactional. Not adversarial by default. Something more human.
Our office is in Johor Bahru, and most of the families we work with are from the surrounding area, though we support clients throughout Johor. We keep our practice deliberately small so that the quality of attention we give each matter can remain high. We do not take on more work than we can do well.
Our mission is simple: to give families a clear, honest picture of their legal position, and then to help them move forward at a pace that suits them. We do not push for unnecessary proceedings. We do not use language designed to obscure rather than clarify. When you leave an appointment with us, you leave with a written note of what we discussed — something you can take home and read again.
The people you would meet
Nora Razali
Principal Counsel
Nora brings fifteen years of family law experience across Johor and has a particular focus on custody matters and long-term family representation. She leads the practice and conducts most initial appointments personally.
Farid Ismail
Associate Counsel
Farid handles mediated agreement drafting and court documentation. He joined Kasih Counsel after several years in civil litigation and brings a careful, structured approach to the written side of family proceedings.
Siti Lim
Client Liaison
Siti coordinates appointments, manages correspondence, and is usually the first point of contact for new enquiries. She keeps the practice running quietly and efficiently, and is trained in client confidentiality protocols.
How we hold ourselves to account
Malaysian Bar membership
Our practising counsel are members in good standing of the Malaysian Bar, practising under the Legal Profession Act 1976 and bound by its professional conduct rules.
Strict confidentiality
All client information is subject to legal professional privilege. We maintain documented confidentiality protocols and restrict access to client files to the counsel directly involved in each matter.
Written records of every appointment
We prepare a written note for every client appointment. These are retained in our files and provided to the client. This practice keeps communication clear and creates a record that both parties can rely on.
Mediation-first approach
Where mediation is a viable path, we recommend it. We are familiar with the mediation framework under the Mediation Act 2012 and have worked alongside mediators on a range of family matters.
Data protection compliance
We handle personal data in accordance with the Personal Data Protection Act 2010 (Malaysia). Client data is stored securely, used only for the matter at hand, and not shared without consent.
Open communication standard
We respond to all client enquiries within one working day. We do not use holding responses; if a matter needs time to assess properly, we say so and give a realistic timeframe.
Family law support in Johor Bahru
Family law in Malaysia encompasses a broad range of matters: dissolution of marriage, custody and access arrangements, financial settlements between separated parties, and the drafting of parenting agreements that reflect what is best for children as they grow. These are not processes with a single, correct path. Each family arrives at different questions, under different circumstances, and each needs a different kind of support.
Kasih Counsel works with families in Johor Bahru and the surrounding Johor region. Our practice covers the three areas of work where we believe our approach makes the most difference: the early listening stage, the drafting of mediated agreements, and ongoing representation for matters that extend over time. We do not offer generalised legal advice outside these areas; we do what we do carefully and with full attention.
Our values — patience, clarity, and respect for the pace at which families can move — shape every part of how we work. We have found that families navigating separation or custody questions do not only need correct legal information. They need it given in a way they can absorb, at a time when they are often under considerable strain. That is the context in which we work, and it is one we take seriously.
Ready to have a quiet conversation?
Contact us to arrange a Listening Appointment. There is no pressure to continue beyond it unless you choose to.
Contact Kasih Counsel