Nallini holds a degree in Physiology from the University of London and undertook the conversion course in law, prior to being called to the English Bar in 1984. She joined Skrine in Kuala Lumpur and practiced at the Bar for 21 years. She co-authored a book entitled “The Law of Dismissal”.
Nallini is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and a certified mediator.
She presently sits as a full-time arbitrator and mediator. Nallini was appointed a judge of the Qatar International Court and Dispute Resolution Centre (QICDRC) as of end March 2026.
Appointed to the Bench in 2007, Nallini is the first female judge of South Asian ethnicity to be elevated to the superior judiciary in Malaysia. She served as a Judicial Commissioner at the Criminal Courts of the High Court of Shah Alam before serving as a Judge at the Kuala Lumpur Commercial Court and the Admiralty Court. She was elevated to the Court of Appeal in 2014 . She served at the Court of Appeal from 2014 and subsequently the Federal Court, Malaysia’s apex court, from 2018.
She was conferred honorary awards by the King in 2014 and in 2023. Nallini retired from the Bench on 23 February 2026.
Nallini was a member of the Judicial Academy of Malaysia. She managed the Commercial Courts in Kuala Lumpur and oversaw the establishment of the Admiralty Court. Her judgments during her tenure set critical precedents in corporate insolvency and maritime law.
She was editor of the Malaysian “White Book” and is the general editor of Bullen & Leake & Jacob’s Malaysian Precedents of Pleadings, now going into its fourth edition.
Beyond Malaysia, Nallini actively engages in global legal discourse. As Vice Chair of the International Bar Association’s Judges’ Forum and a member of the Steering Group of the Standing International Forum of Commercial Courts (SIFoCC), she helps shape international best practices for commercial dispute resolution. Her commitment to legal education is reflected in her role as Patron of the Commonwealth Legal Education Association (CLEA). In 2025, she was appointed Chairperson of the Malaysia Maritime Law Review and Reform Committee under the Ministry of Transport, spearheading updates to the country’s maritime legal framework. Concurrently, she serves as Advisor to the Cross-Border Insolvency Law Reform Main Committee and Working Committee for the Malaysian Government, driving legislative modernisation.
On 26 May 2026, Nallini was appointed the Chairperson of the Malaysia Media Council.
In June 2026, Nallini was selected by the Government of Malaysia to serve on the Permanent Court of Arbitration’s (PCA) panel of arbitrators. She now sits as a Member of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) for Malaysia, The Hague.
She is a Bencher of the Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, and a corporate member of the Cheltenham Ladies’ College, United Kingdom.
She currently holds the following positions and affiliations:
• Judge, Qatar International Court and Dispute Resolution Centre
• Adjunct Professor, University of Malaya (2026-2028)
• Chairperson of the Malaysia Media Council (2026-2028)
• Member of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) for Malaysia, The Hague (2026-2031)
• Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, 2006
• Certified Mediator, 2006
• Bencher, the Honourable Society of the Middle Temple
• Vice Chair of the International Bar Association’s Judges’ Forum
• Member, Steering Group of the Standing International Forum of Commercial Courts (SIFoCC)
• Patron, Commonwealth Legal Education Association (CLEA)
• Chairperson, Malaysia Maritime Law Review and Reform Committee under the Ministry of Transport 2025
• Advisor, Cross-Border Insolvency Law Reform Main Committee and Working Committee
• Member of the Senior Panel of Mediators, Singapore Mediation Centre
• Member, Newman’s Row
• Member, London Court of International Arbitration