Thomas principled, clean and trustworthy, says former intern

KUALA LUMPUR: Tommy Thomas is a principled, clean and most trustworthy person, the lawyer’s former legal intern, Ashikin Rahim, said.

Ashikin, on her Facebook account, had described her former boss as a person who was very well-versed in the Federal Constitution.

“So, if you ask me whether he’s a good lawyer, he’s the best I’ve known. Is he a ‘clean’ one? He’s the most trustworthy guy, he’ll never cheat in court and outside court. He will cite cases even if it’s not favourable to our own case, because that’s the law.

“So, it’s understandable why Pakatan Harapan chose him,” she said.

“Thomas knows the Federal Constitution inside out. He has read every single print of the Malayan Law Journal and All England Reports, and he writes his notes for the important cases in his small notebooks.

“No one else I know does that. So, there is really no way of cheating him in court. He knows the law too well, both Malaysian and English law,” she said.

She said Thomas also paid attention to public interest litigation cases, including fighting for the rights of residents’ associations, poor people aggrieved by decisions of the previous Barisan Nasional government, and the poor who made bad investments and people who were cheated.

“He and his firm will do the service pro bono (free of charge).

“Thomas said someone has to fight for this lot, although from the beginning, we were almost certain how it would end (read: not favourable). Still, the firm absorbed all the costs for the litigation.”

Ashikin, who worked with Thomas from 2009 to 2013, also described the senior lawyer as strict, adding that he was very punctual, and a man that would not tolerate disregard of discipline.

She recalled being in a panic every time she reached the court after 8.30am, as Thomas would normally arrive by 8am or 8.15am.

“He let me conduct cases at the High Court, Court of Appeal and even Federal Court levels (the highest court).

“I remember feeling nervous, more than what I felt before giving birth, but I took the challenge.

“And, guess what, I felt like I became a better litigator everyday. I learnt to speak English more fluently as I had to push myself every day to keep up with the entire firm.

“He taught me the hard way, but the best way.”

Ashikin said Thomas was also the best employer that she had worked with and that he and his partners had taken really good care of the staff.