Established only a few years ago, Meritus Law has a robust and broad-based dispute resolution practice. It has quickly built a reputation for handling complex insolvency, restructuring, international arbitration, commercial litigation, and private client disputes. Its lawyers represent a diverse clientele, from local and multinational corporations and state-owned enterprises to high-net-worth individuals. They act as veteran counsels in matters before all levels of the Singapore courts, including the SICC, and in arbitration proceedings at forums such as SIAC. The firm is often entrusted with cases referred by global law firms and major local practices that are conflicted from acting, reflecting the confidence of peers in the firm’s capabilities.
Key individuals driving the firm’s disputes practice include Alfred Lim, the managing director and a seasoned litigator with over 15 years’ experience, who leads many of the firm’s significant cases. Lim is frequently instructed on commercial and insolvency litigation, and he serves as counsel for clients ranging from corporations to liquidators in contentious matters. Working closely with him is fellow director Jaime Lye and newly-joined associate director Damien Chng. Lye is a dual-qualified disputes lawyer with particular focus on restructuring and commercial litigation.
Recent casework demonstrates the firm’s strengths across multiple dispute domains. In the insolvency and restructuring arena, the firm played a leading role in the high-profile collapse of a Singapore-based cryptocurrency trading platform, AmazingTech. Meritus represented a group of seven creditors in obtaining an urgent interim judicial management order against the insolvent crypto exchange after regulators shut it down and its CEO was charged with fraudulent trading. The team then successfully petitioned the High Court to convert the interim judicial managers into full liquidators for the company. The resulting judgment is regarded as a landmark ruling affirming that appointing the judicial managers as liquidators can be in the best interests of creditors. In another major restructuring dispute, the team acted for an individual creditor of USP Group, a listed company under judicial management, challenging a proposed restructuring plan. The firm secured a first-of-its-kind High Court decision setting aside votes of related-party creditors that were deemed improperly counted in a creditors’ meeting. Although the Court of Appeal later declined to remove the judicial managers, the case broke new ground in clarifying voting rights and safeguards against vote manipulation in insolvency proceedings.
Meritus has also been active in international arbitration matters with cross-border impact. Notably, the firm is counsel to a Malaysian energy company in a dispute against a Timor-Leste state-owned entity over a fuel supply contract. The firm’s client won a US$5.3 million SIAC arbitration award against the Timorese company. Meritus then coordinated with local counsel in Dili to enforce the award, achieving the first-ever recognition of a foreign arbitral award in Timor-Leste after that country’s 2023 accession to the New York Convention. This outcome, a precedent-setting enforcement in a new jurisdiction.
Closer to home, The firm also acted in a significant commercial litigation involving a Singapore and Cambodian joint venture. It successfully defended a client in a shareholder dispute over a Phnom Penh hotel by defeating a minority shareholder’s attempt to bring a derivative action. The Singapore High Court agreed with the team’s arguments that the suit was not brought in good faith, a rare finding given the normally low threshold for such applications and dismissed the claims as an abuse of process. This High Court decision was followed by a further ruling on a novel point of company law permitting a “protective writ” via derivative action, another first in Singapore jurisprudence.
In the private client and trusts sphere, Meritus handles sensitive, high-stakes disputes for wealthy individuals and families. The firm is currently representing a family member in a S$50 million estate and trust dispute involving a prominent business family, where it has raised complex issues about executors’ duties to account for intergenerational assets. In a separate high-profile matter, Meritus defended a notable investor against claims by former business partners alleging conspiracy and fraud. The firm achieved a complete victory in the High Court.
“They kept us well informed and provided the best guidance.” – Class actions
“The lawyers are cooperative, commercially savvy, and quick to respond to enquiries. They are easy to work with as co-counsel.” – Commercial and transactions
“The team demonstrated a prompt response time and proposed an excellent solution that ultimately won the case.” – Commercial and transactions
“Their follow-up is excellent, and they are always willing to put in extra effort when needed. Working with them has been smooth, reassuring, and very valuable for my business.” – Commercial and transactions
“They provided sound advice and legal letters.” – Commercial arbitration
“The lawyers provided clear instructions and demonstrated a good grasp of the quantum details. They also showed strategic thinking in respect of legal issues.” – International arbitration
“They provided step-by-step guidance and all relevant and necessary information for the case.” – White-collar crime
Alfred Lim
“He has a deep understanding of legal issues and is excellent at arguing cases.”
“He is commercially savvy, responsive, and easy to work with. He manages clients well.”
“He maintains excellent client relationships, demonstrates excellent legal knowledge, brings a wealth of experience across various sectors, has a strong track record of winning cases, and provides excellent leadership.”
“He is meticulous, quick to understand industry-specific issues, and excellent at explaining the relevant legal position.”
“Nothing is too much trouble for him; he has solved every legal problem I have had.”
Jaime Lye
“She is well informed and provides good knowledge and support.”
“She is cheerful and gives clients positive reassurance about how the case should be fought.”
“Jaime and her team have provided deep legal expertise, sound commercial judgment, and an impressive level of responsiveness that sets them apart. She is very professional, which has given me a lot of confidence in all the work that we have done together. No matter how simple or complicated the issue is, she has handled it clearly, and I always feel things are in good hands.”
