Established in 2015, Cecil Abraham & Partners continues to win praise from the market as one of the leading commercial disputes firms. Its eponymous senior partner is revered as one of the top advocates in the country, a familiar name on many landmark cases. The firm handles complex, novel contentious issues across a wide swathe of financial and corporate practice areas and provides the full suite of dispute resolution services, from advisory and strategy to litigation and arbitration. It also has experience in environmental, media, property and telecommunications matters. The firm’s arbitration practice is extensive, with Abraham having sat as chair, sole arbitrator and co-arbitrator in more than 100 commercial arbitrations under a wide variety of international rules. The firm advises and acts for Fortune 500 companies, media conglomerates, government-linked companies and high-net-worth individuals as well as not-for-profit entities, charities, private individuals and private limited companies.
The firm is led by Cecil Abraham, its senior partner, who is widely regarded as one of Malaysia’s leading advocates. With a career spanning over 50 years, he has appeared in numerous landmark cases across all levels of the Malaysian courts and the Privy Council, with over 300 reported decisions of note to his name. Known for his formidable reputation in handling high-stakes and complex disputes, his practice encompasses corporate and commercial, environmental, banking and securities, insurance, maritime, and competition law, as well as arbitration. Supporting him is Sunil Abraham, a partner specialising in corporate and commercial, banking and securities, media, telecommunications, public and administrative, and environmental law disputes, alongside arbitration. He has significant advocacy experience, regularly appearing before Malaysian courts and arbitral tribunals. Together with partners Rishwant Singh and Aniz Ahmad Amirudin, the firm’s leadership team continues to deliver exceptional outcomes across a wide range of contentious matters.
In an ongoing commercial and transactions case sample, the firm is advising Ovanti (formerly IOU Pay) and its Malaysian subsidiaries on seven civil claims before the Kuala Lumpur High Court seeking recovery of over RM90 million ($18.9 million) allegedly misappropriated through fraudulent schemes. The team led by Cecil Abraham has successfully obtained Mareva Injunctions and Anton Pillar Orders to freeze assets and preserve evidence in proceedings against former directors, management, and employees. The ongoing matter, which involves parallel criminal investigations with the Royal Malaysian Police, represents a significant test case for fraud recovery and asset tracing in Malaysia's fintech sector, with broader implications for corporate governance and regulatory oversight in the industry.
In another significant matter, the firm is representing Malaysian Resources Corporation (MRCB) in four parallel arbitrations concerning the prestigious Desaru Coast development project. The disputes, involving subsidiaries of Khazanah Nasional's Theme Attractions Resorts, center on construction contracts for the Aman Desaru Resort, Westin Desaru Resort, Hard Rock Desaru Hotel, and Desaru Convention Centre. Since taking over as counsel, the team led by Cecil Abraham has been managing these complex proceedings at various stages, addressing critical issues including liquidated damages claims, performance bonds, and retention sums. The arbitrations are particularly noteworthy given the involvement of major Government Linked Companies and their potential to establish important precedents for Malaysia's construction and hospitality sectors.
NRY Architects, Shopee Mobile Malaysia, Sotella Fund, Technygroup Holdings and Tegas Sejati are some of the firm’s publishable clients.
