This course explains the law of Malaysia, not US law. Rules that look the same elsewhere may be different.
Course · Law by country · Malaysia
Malaysian Law
The law of Malaysia for the people who deal with it: a plural legal order of common law, Islamic law and customary law, the Federal Constitution and the monarchy, federalism and Sabah and Sarawak, the courts and the Syariah courts, rights and administrative law, contract, land and family law, business, employment and tax, and criminal justice, arbitration and international law.
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Malaysia is one of the most interesting legal systems in the world. It is a common-law country with a written federal Constitution, a constitutional monarchy in which nine Rulers take turns as head of state, and a plural legal order in which Islamic law governs the personal law of Muslims through state Syariah courts, native customary law applies in Sabah and Sarawak, and the same civil courts decide commercial and criminal cases for everyone. This course gives a complete first map for the people who deal with Malaysian law, from the point of view of the foreigner. It starts with the history, the sources and the hierarchy of law; then the Federal Constitution, the monarchy, Parliament and elections; then federalism, Sabah and Sarawak, Islamic law and native customary law; then the courts and the legal professions; then rights, citizenship and administrative law; then contract, tort, land, family and inheritance; then business, employment and tax; and finally criminal justice, arbitration and international law. It uses invented people and businesses, and three working tools.
The Curriculum
Foundations of Malaysian law: the Malay sultanates, British rule, the formation of Malaysia, the sources and hierarchy of law, the reception of English common law and legal pluralism→
History, sources, hierarchy, the reception of English law and legal pluralism. Practice: Which Source, Which Rule Prevails and Spot the Mistake.
The Federal Constitution and national institutions: the constitutional monarchy, Parliament, the Cabinet, the separation of powers, elections and the position of Islam, the Rulers and the Malays and natives→
The monarchy, Parliament, the Cabinet, the separation of powers, elections and the constitutional position of Islam and of the Malays and natives. Practice: Who Does What, Apply the Rule and Spot the Mistake.
Federalism, the states and legal pluralism: the federal and state lists, Sabah and Sarawak and the Malaysia Agreement, Islamic law and the Syariah courts, native customary law and the boundaries between the courts→
The federal and state lists, the states, Sabah and Sarawak, Islamic law and the Syariah courts, native customary law and the boundaries between the courts. Practice: Which Legislature, Which Court and Spot the Mistake.
Courts and the legal professions: the judiciary and its independence, the court system, the Federal Court, the Special Court, advocates and solicitors, Syariah lawyers, prosecutors and the path to practise→
The judiciary, the court hierarchy, the Federal Court, the Special Court and the legal professions. Practice: Which Court, Who May Act and Spot the Mistake.
Rights, citizenship and administrative law: the fundamental liberties, expression, religion and assembly, citizenship and immigration, administrative decisions and judicial review→
The fundamental liberties, speech and religion and assembly, citizenship and immigration, administrative law and judicial review. Practice: Person or Citizen, Which Remedy and Spot the Mistake.
Contract, tort, property, family and inheritance: the Contracts Act 1950, remedies, negligence, land and title, buying property, marriage and divorce and succession for Muslims and non-Muslims→
Contracts and remedies, tort, land and property, family law and inheritance for Muslims and non-Muslims. Practice: Which Law Governs, What Is the Advice and Spot the Mistake.
Business, tax and employment: company forms and the Companies Act 2016, foreign investment and regulation, commercial contracts, employment contracts, dismissal and the Industrial Court, and taxation→
Company forms, foreign investment, commercial contracts, employment and dismissal, and taxation. Practice: Which Authority, What Is the Advice and Spot the Mistake.
Criminal justice, dispute resolution and international law: the Penal Code, arrest and trial, sentencing and the death penalty, arbitration and mediation, foreign judgments and awards, and Malaysia in the international legal order→
The Penal Code, arrest and trial, sentencing, arbitration and mediation, foreign judgments and awards, and Malaysia in international law. Practice: Which Route, What Is the Advice and Spot the Mistake.
Capstone: Capstone: Ingrid Halvorsen and the Penang digital studio→
A studio in Penang, a pass, a company form, a condominium bought without consent, a dismissal, and a marriage and a will. Choose the route, the form, the forum and the remedy.
What It Covers
“You will be able to say, for any problem you may have in Malaysia, which rule applies (including whether Islamic or civil family law applies and which state’s law), which court or authority decides it, which time limit runs and which professional you need.”
- Written for the foreigner and honest about Malaysia’s plural order: it explains the Syariah courts, native customary law and the position of Sabah and Sarawak instead of treating Malaysia as one uniform common-law country, and follows the questions a visitor, resident, employee, family or business actually has.
- Teaches the structure behind the rules, so that a student who knows how the Federal Constitution, the federal and state lists, the courts and English common law fit together can read any new rule and compare Malaysian law with other common-law and mixed systems.
- Three tools with invented facts: a Residence Status Finder, an Entity Chooser and a Court and Forum Finder, each showing how the answer changes when a fact does.
- Honest about limits: it teaches durable provisions, flags where rules change quickly (visa schemes, wage and tax measures, recent amendments) and does not state changing figures. It is general education, not advice.
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Or give this as a giftOther Scrolls in This Chamber
Across the Table$15 →Interests, walk-away numbers, offers, trades, pressure tactics and professional limits, with practice rooms and calculators.
Cooling the Room$15 →How conflict escalates, mapping a dispute, de-escalation, hard conversations, choosing a process, mediation, power, culture and ethics, with practice mediations.
The Client Conversation$15 →Trust, the first meeting, fees and scope, updates in plain words, advice and decisions, bad news, boundaries and ethics, with practice meetings.Module 1 is free to try. Sign in, pass each module quiz and the course average, and your Certificate of Completion is emailed to you automatically. This course teaches method and technique with invented people and figures; it is general education, not legal advice, and professional rules differ from country to country.
Common questions
- Is Malaysia a common-law or an Islamic-law country?
- It is a common-law country with a written Constitution, and also a plural legal order: Islam is the religion of the Federation, Islamic law governs the personal law of Muslims through state Syariah courts, and the civil courts apply the general law to everyone. The course explains where each applies.
- Does the law differ between states?
- Yes, in important areas. Land, Islamic law and local government are state matters, and Sabah and Sarawak have their own land law, immigration control and native law. Modules 3 and 6 explain where it matters.
- Is it for people who want to practise Malaysian law?
- No. It is a first course for the people who deal with Malaysian law. Only a Malaysian advocate and solicitor can advise on Malaysian law and act in the courts, and the course says when you need one.
- Are the tools real data?
- No. The tools apply well-known rules in simplified form to invented facts. They show the structure of the answer and cannot decide a case.
- Does it give the current rule on every point?
- It teaches the provisions that have lasted. Visa schemes, thresholds, taxes and time limits change, so check the current text for any real matter.
- How do I get the Certificate of Completion?
- Sign in, pass each module quiz and keep a course average of at least 75. The certificate is then issued and emailed to you automatically.
This course was written on 5 November 2026. To the best of our knowledge, it describes the law of Malaysia as it stood on that date. Laws change, and we may have missed or misunderstood something. If you notice a change, or have other information, please do not hesitate to contact us: we will review it and update the course. We do not claim to be the final source of the law.
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