Asialaw Profiles
The Guide to the legal markets of the Asia-Pacific

Lee Hishammuddin Allen & Gledhill’s dispute resolution practice belongs in the top tier in Malaysia. Housing an impressive list of clients, the practice covers the full remit of dispute resolution services including commercial litigation, arbitration, ... [more]

Lee Hishammuddin Allen & Gledhill’s dispute resolution practice belongs in the top tier in Malaysia. Housing an impressive list of clients, the practice covers the full remit of dispute resolution services including commercial litigation, arbitration, insurance, employment and regulatory related disputes.

Over the last year, national airline Malaysia Airlines instructed the firm in an arbitration case in Switzerland for a German contract relating to ground handling services at Frankfurt-Hahn airport. The cancellation of the contract resulted in a €60 million claim for wrongful termination. The same client later sought advice from the firm on a suit for US$35 million against the government of Maldives. This related to contracts entered during a joint venture period between the Government of Maldives and Naluri and is, at the time of writing, still pending.

Domestically the firm acted for Kijal Resorts against PTD Kemaman Terengganu to set aside a land acquisition that threatened the eco-tourism project at Awana Kijal. This is worth an estimated RM250 million (US$72 million). Head of department and partner Rosli Dahlan is also involved in another high profile matter, with the firm acting for Resorts World to defend a claim made by Panji Selera and Maurivaux that the Genting Road trespassed into their land.

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Shearn Delamore & Co’s dispute resolution practice can look back on a satisfying year. Robert Lazar’s department kept itself busy with a number of high profile disputes and a large amount of well respected clients. Lazar appeared as counsel for bondholders ... [more]

Shearn Delamore & Co’s dispute resolution practice can look back on a satisfying year. Robert Lazar’s department kept itself busy with a number of high profile disputes and a large amount of well respected clients. Lazar appeared as counsel for bondholders in the Court of Appeal recently. The court ruled in favour of the bondholders on the prospects of a conversion exercise pursuant to a redeemable convertible bond issue. Lazar and team also acted for the trustees of another bond exercise in a contentious suit brought by bondholders who alleged a breach of duty on the part of the trustees. Cheng Lie Navigation, a Taiwan based subsidiary of French company CMA CGM, was represented by Shearn Delamore & Co in an action for fraud. Cheng Lie Navigation wants to recover losses suffered by the carrier group.

A large Malaysian telecommunications company was defended by partners Rabindra Nathan and Nad Segaram in the first statutory derivative action in the High Court. The procedure was started by a former minority shareholder under the new provisions in the Companies Act 1965. Another high profile matter was when partner Shanti Mogan acted for a group of companies that specialise in subsurface consultancies in the oil and gas industry in protecting their confidential information. That case is ongoing.

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The litigation practice at Shook Lin & Bok is headed by Sarjit Singh Gill, who also heads the banking practice. The practice covers the full spectrum of litigation and alternative dispute resolution services but is particularly strong in its traditional ... [more]

The litigation practice at Shook Lin & Bok is headed by Sarjit Singh Gill, who also heads the banking practice. The practice covers the full spectrum of litigation and alternative dispute resolution services but is particularly strong in its traditional area of banking and finance. Other key high class litigators include baking and finance specialist Vinodh Coomaraswamy and David Chan.

Recent work includes roles on the Metramac case, which covered issues from a contractual dispute relating to a toll road project, and the Lina Joy appeal, which went before the Federal Court.

Shook Lin & Bok is also well known for its arbitration practice, particularly in the oil and gas sector.

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Skrine has managed to maintain a stable, solid tier two position despite fierce competition from other Kuala Lumpur-based firms. Partner Vinayak Pradhan heads the division and is involved in many cases.Partner Leong Wai Hong advised Sime Darby Plantation ... [more]

Skrine has managed to maintain a stable, solid tier two position despite fierce competition from other Kuala Lumpur-based firms. Partner Vinayak Pradhan heads the division and is involved in many cases.

Partner Leong Wai Hong advised Sime Darby Plantation on a dispute with ex-workers, which involved them making an application for leave to appeal to the apex court. This was against a decision by the Court of Appeal in affirming a High Court judgment against the ex-workers for delivery of vacant possession of the workers quarters. Skrine managed to resist the leave application in 2008.

Other work includes partner Leong Wai Hong’s ongoing representation of Universal Trustee, which has been sued for breach of duties as trustee and administrator of an estate. Partner Siva Kumar Kanagasabai represented Ivory Quest in a matter against RHB Securities. The RM600 (US$170 million) case ended in November 2008. And Kanagasabai also advised Malaysian insurers American International Assurance (AIA) and American Home Assurance (AHA) on the local incorporation of their businesses in Malaysia.

The firm is also representing Padiberas Nasional Berhad in its appeal against a large termination benefit claim by 190 former employees. And Skrine is representing a leading Japanese consortium that was awarded a project by the Malaysian government for the design, construction, completion and commissioning of a solid waste thermal treatment plant with a value of RM1.5 billion (US$427 million).

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The dispute resolution practice at Zul Rafique & Partners includes the deadly duo of Wilfred and Cecil Abraham, with the latter recently involved on Internet libel cases for News Straits Times Press (Malaysia) Berhad.A reflection of the practice’s standing ... [more]

The dispute resolution practice at Zul Rafique & Partners includes the deadly duo of Wilfred and Cecil Abraham, with the latter recently involved on Internet libel cases for News Straits Times Press (Malaysia) Berhad.

A reflection of the practice’s standing in the market is its regular instruction by the Government of Malaysia on various matters. This includes on the arbitration side of the practice.

Other key personnel include Kuhendran Thanapalasingham and Shahul Hameed Amirudin, while other key clients include Sarawak Shell Berhad.

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Raja Darryl & Loh deserves its respectable tier three position. It houses a relatively modest sized dispute resolution practice, which is headed by partner Darryl Goon. The firm successfully defended Ernst & Young insolvency practitioner Lim Tian Huat ... [more]

Raja Darryl & Loh deserves its respectable tier three position. It houses a relatively modest sized dispute resolution practice, which is headed by partner Darryl Goon. The firm successfully defended Ernst & Young insolvency practitioner Lim Tian Huat in a trial involving a claim against him for negligence and breach of duty. Partner Mark La Brooy worked on the case, which related to ‘trading-on’ and continuing to operate a business in receivership. Other major clients include ExxonMobil, FSBM Holdings, The Medical Protection Society, United Overseas Bank and Lonpac Insurance.

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ARSA LawyersLed by the inimitable Datuk Dr Abdul Raman Saad, Abdul Raman Saad & Associates (more popularly known as ARSA Lawyers) is commended by peers and clients for its dispute resolution practice. Celebrating 30 years of practice, the firm held ... [more]

ARSA Lawyers

Led by the inimitable Datuk Dr Abdul Raman Saad, Abdul Raman Saad & Associates (more popularly known as ARSA Lawyers) is commended by peers and clients for its dispute resolution practice. Celebrating 30 years of practice, the firm held a brand launching ceremony (for the ARSA Lawyers brand) on August 3 2009 for which the Honourable Deputy Prime Minister, Tan Sri Dato Muhiyiddin Yasin provided a keynote address.

Cheah Teh & Su

A mid-sized firm with 11 partners, Cheah Teh & Su was established 20 years earlier in 1989 and specialises in litigation and corporate work. In addition to alternative dispute resolution, its litigation department is divided into two groups: corporate litigation and contentious disputes. Under the former category the team has handled numerous cases involving bank recoveries, fraud investigations, white-collar crime, employment disputes, minority shareholder actions, insolvencies, insurance disputes, trade finance disputes, property contracts, partnership disputes and commercial issues. Contentious disputes includes land-based litigation, commercial contracts, banking, insolvency and employment disputes, defamation, breach of confidence, contempt and IP. The firm’s corporate offering handles MBOs, M&As, joint ventures, new business start-ups, venture capital and general corporate advice.

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