Shareholder Disputes in Family-Owned Companies

Wednesday, 10 December 2025 at 3:00pm - 4:00pm

★SPEAKERS

Sebastian Liew, Senior Associate, Dispute Resolution Practice Group

Aaron Liew, Associate, Dispute Resolution Practice Group

★ABOUT THIS ONLINE TALK

Family-owned companies form the backbone of Malaysia’s economy, built on trust, shared vision, and generational leadership. Yet when relationships break down, that trust can quickly erode, giving rise to disputes that threaten both the family and the business.

Join our corporate litigation lawyers as they discuss how conflicts in family-run businesses can lead to deadlocks, allegations of mismanagement, shareholder oppression, and derivative actions. This session will examine how Malaysian courts address these disputes under the Companies Act 2016, highlighting leading cases and offering practical strategies for resolving family and shareholder conflicts without destroying the business itself.

The talk will be delivered over video conference using Zoom.us. You can either view the talk from your web browser or download the Zoom app.

★TALK POINTS

• Understanding Family-Owned Companies
• Common Disputes and Legal Challenges
• Case Studies and Court Insights
• Resolving and Preventing Conflict

★SPEAKERS

Sebastian Liew graduated with a Bachelor of Laws from Cardiff University and obtained his Master of Laws from King’s College London in International Financial Law. In 2015, he was called to the Bar of England and Wales, and in 2018 he was admitted as an advocate and solicitor of the High Court of Malaya.

Sebastian began his professional career at Chooi & Company + Cheang & Ariff (“CCA”) under the guidance of a corporate litigation specialist, Dato’ Loh Siew Cheang. Sebastian often worked on complex company cases and was part of a global team handling a multi-jurisdictional family dispute involving the British Virgin Island, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Singapore. Sebastian has acquired extensive experience in his company litigation practice during his tenure at CCA.

Sebastian joined MahWengKwai & Associates (“MWKA”) in 2021 and handles primarily contentious corporate litigation and company law disputes. He has particular experience in advisory work on company general meetings, claims against directors for breach of fiduciary duties, shareholder derivative actions, oppression actions and company insolvency. Sebastian is also developing a general civil litigation practice and has acted in cases concerning a wide range of areas, including housing development disputes, probate and trusts matters, asset recovery claims, and intellectual property disputes.

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Liew Chong Wen (Aaron) graduated with a Bachelor of Laws Second Class Honours (Division One) from the University of Manchester in 2019 and completed his Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) in 2020 and was admitted as a member of the Honorable Society of Middle Temple. He commenced his pupillage in MahWengKwai & Associates under the guidance of Mr Gan Chong Chieh.

Aaron completed his pupillage in October 2021 and was admitted as an Advocate and Solicitor of the High Court of Malaya in December 2021. Aaron’s areas of practice include construction litigation, probate matters, corporate advisory and corporate litigation.

★RSVP at https://mahwengkwai.com/talks-signup/