A dispute between shareholders, directors or business partners can quickly escalate from a boardroom disagreement into a crisis that paralyzes decision-making, drains company value, and threatens the business itself. Whether you are a minority shareholder facing oppression, a director accused of breaching your duties, or a partner seeking to exit a troubled venture, early strategic advice makes all the difference.
Salem Ibrahim LLC has advised on corporate and shareholder disputes in Singapore since 1996, combining 38 years of litigation experience with a commercial understanding of how businesses actually work.
Our Track Record in Fiduciary and Corporate Disputes
In Higgins v Mulacek & Others [SGHC 205], a case concerning a Gulfstream jet, our team successfully argued breach of fiduciary duty and secured damages for the client. In Carlo Giuseppe Civelli v Phillipe Emmanuel Mulacek ([2019] SGHC 182 and [2020] SGCA 59), we acted for the client in proceedings before both the High Court and the Court of Appeal, successfully navigating jurisdictional challenges in a complex, multi-jurisdictional dispute involving transactions valued at close to USD 1 billion.
These matters reflect the caliber of dispute we routinely handle: high-value, factually complex, and often crossing borders.
Types of Shareholder & Partnership Disputes We Handle
Minority Shareholder Oppression (Section 216 Applications)
Minority shareholders who find their interests unfairly prejudiced by controlling shareholders can seek relief from the Singapore courts — including orders that the majority buy out their shares at a fair value. We advise both minority and majority shareholders on oppression and unfair prejudice claims.
Breach of Directors’ Duties and Fiduciary Duties
Directors owe fiduciary duties to act in good faith and in the best interests of the company. We act in claims involving:
- Conflicts of interest and self-dealing
- Misuse of company funds or opportunities
- Diversion of business to competing entities
- Breach of confidence and misuse of confidential information
Shareholder Agreements & Joint Venture Disputes
Carefully drafted shareholder agreements anticipate disputes — but when relationships break down, the drafting is tested. We litigate disputes over share valuations, exit provisions, drag-along and tag-along rights, non-compete covenants, and deadlock-breaking mechanisms.
Partnership Disputes & Dissolution
We advise partners in professional practices and trading partnerships on dissolution, account-taking, expulsion clauses, and the equitable division of partnership assets — including disputes disguised as asset-tracing and constructive trust claims.
Corporate Insolvency-Linked Disputes
Where shareholder conflict coincides with financial distress, we handle the interaction between insolvency proceedings and shareholder remedies — including actions by liquidators and judicial managers against former directors.
Our Strategic Approach
- Early case assessment. Corporate disputes often turn on documents created years earlier. We identify the decisive evidence early — company records, emails, minutes, and accounts.
- Protective interim remedies. Where assets are being dissipated, we act urgently to seek injunctions and freezing orders to preserve the subject matter of the dispute.
- Negotiated exits where sensible. Litigation is a means, not an end. Many shareholder disputes resolve through structured buy-outs, and we advise frankly on when a negotiated exit maximizes value.
- Full trial advocacy when necessary. When settlement fails, we have the courtroom experience to see the matter through trial and appeal.
Why Singapore Businesses Choose Salem Ibrahim LLC
- 38 years of courtroom experience under founding lawyer Salem Ibrahim
- A track record in High Court and Court of Appeal fiduciary and commercial disputes
- Strength in cross-border and multi-jurisdictional matters, working with foreign counsel where needed
- Pragmatic, commercially-aware advice from an internationally oriented Singapore practice
Consult a Shareholder Dispute Lawyer
Limitation periods and ongoing damage can erode your position with every week that passes. For a confidential discussion of your matter, call (65) 6226 1233 or request a callback .