About Our Practice
A Practice Shaped by the Weight of What Families Carry
Adil Pewaris was founded in Kuching with one purpose: to offer legal counsel on inheritance and estate matters that treats each family's situation as the distinct and significant thing it is.
Back to HomeOur Story
How Adil Pewaris Came to Be
The name Adil Pewaris reflects a simple conviction: that those inheriting an estate — or preparing to leave one — deserve legal counsel that is fair, patient, and free of unnecessary complexity. The practice was established in Kuching after its founder spent several years observing how families, often already grieving, found themselves navigating probate and estate processes that felt opaque and impersonal.
We began with a small number of advisory clients and a deliberate commitment not to grow faster than our capacity to give each matter proper attention. That commitment has shaped everything about how the practice operates — from the way we communicate, to how we structure our fees, to the time we set aside for client conversations.
Today, Adil Pewaris handles inheritance pre-planning, probate application drafting, and contentious estate litigation for families across Sarawak. Our office at Jalan Tabuan in Kuching is a place where clients can speak openly, take the time they need, and leave with a clearer sense of their options.
Our Mission
What Guides Our Work
Transparency Over Procedure
We explain what each step involves and why, so clients understand the process rather than simply waiting for it to end.
Compassion as a Professional Standard
Inheritance work often begins in grief. We hold that context in mind throughout, and we do not mistake detachment for professionalism.
Measured, Not Rushed
Good legal work on estate matters takes time. We build that time into how we work, rather than treating it as something to be minimised.
Rooted in Sarawak
Our knowledge of local court practice, property law, and the community context in which families here live their lives is a genuine part of what we bring to each matter.
The People Behind the Practice
Our Team
Ahmad Hafiz bin Rashid
Principal Advocate & Solicitor
Called to the Malaysian Bar in 2008, Ahmad Hafiz has practised almost exclusively in estate and probate matters since 2012. He established Adil Pewaris to offer families in Sarawak a more considered approach to inheritance law.
Lim Yee Fung
Associate Solicitor
Yee Fung joined the practice in 2019 after completing her pupillage at a Kuching firm with a focus on civil litigation. She handles a significant portion of the firm's probate drafting and contentious estate work.
Nora binti Baharudin
Client Affairs & Documentation
Nora has been with the practice since its founding and is usually the first point of contact for new clients. She coordinates documentation, manages appointments, and ensures that nothing falls between the gaps.
How We Work
Standards We Hold Ourselves To
Malaysian Bar Membership
All advocates at Adil Pewaris hold valid practising certificates issued by the Malaysian Bar and comply fully with the Legal Profession Act 1976 and Bar Council practice standards.
Client Confidentiality
All client communications and documents are held under strict legal professional privilege. We do not discuss client matters externally without explicit written authorisation, in any circumstances.
Written Engagement Terms
Every client instruction is confirmed in writing, with fees and scope stated clearly before any work commences. Clients are not committed until they have reviewed and accepted the engagement terms.
Conflict of Interest Checks
Before accepting any instruction, we carry out a conflict-of-interest check across our client records. This protects both existing and prospective clients and ensures we act in each party's interest without divided loyalties.
Data Protection Practices
Client personal data is collected only as needed for legal work, held securely, and not shared with any third party except where required by law or expressly authorised by the client, in accordance with the Personal Data Protection Act 2010.
Regular Client Updates
We maintain a standing commitment to keeping clients informed. If a matter has not progressed for a notable period, we initiate contact ourselves rather than waiting to be asked.
Inheritance Law in Sarawak — What Families Are Dealing With
Estate matters in Malaysia sit at the intersection of several legal frameworks — the Distribution Act 1958, the Probate and Administration Act 1959, and, for Muslim families, the relevant provisions of Islamic inheritance law under the Syariah framework. In Sarawak, certain land tenure issues add further considerations, particularly for estates involving native customary rights land.
Many families approach estate administration without any prior experience of the legal system. The executor of an estate — the person named to handle distribution — may have no legal training and may be managing their duties while also grieving. In those circumstances, having a legal adviser who takes the time to explain each step clearly can make a material difference to both the outcome and the experience.
Pre-planning conversations are increasingly sought by clients whose families include members from different backgrounds, whose assets are held across multiple accounts or properties, or who simply wish to ensure that their intentions are legally sound and clearly recorded. These conversations have no fixed agenda — they begin from the client's own questions and concerns.
Contentious estate matters are, by their nature, more demanding. When family members disagree — about the validity of a will, the conduct of an executor, or the distribution of assets — the presence of a legal adviser who understands both the procedural requirements and the emotional weight of the situation can prevent misunderstandings from hardening into protracted disputes.
Adil Pewaris is based at 11, Jalan Tabuan in Kuching and serves clients across Sarawak. Appointments can be made by telephone at +60 82-518 3947 or by written enquiry at [email protected].
Speak with Our Team
Whether you have a specific question or simply wish to understand your situation better, we welcome enquiries at any stage of the process — including before any formal instruction.
Make an Enquiry