KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 24 — Zaid Ibrahim & Co today denied its founder and former chairman Datuk Zaid Ibrahim’s allegations against it, over the continued use of his name for the law firm’s name, and said it will respond to him through the court.
In a brief statement today, Zaid Ibrahim & Co noted that Zaid has filed a lawsuit in court and made various allegations through the lawsuit against the law firm.
“We firmly deny all allegations. We believe the allegations are without merit and will be responding vigorously through court filings,” it said.
“It is regrettable that, notwithstanding this matter is before the courts, a parallel media campaign is also undertaken against us. We shall not reciprocate,” it said, appearing to refer to news reports of the lawsuit by Zaid.
“Our partnership stands united and it is business as usual. The firm looks forward to continuing to be a leading Malaysian law firm with market defining insights while maintaining our corporate reputation for trust and the highest standards of professionalism for our clients,” it concluded.
On November 18, Zaid had filed the lawsuit at the High Court in Kuala Lumpur against Zaid Ibrahim & Co, to seek court orders to stop the law firm which he had founded from continuing to use his name in any form and on any printed materials, and to also seek for compensation over the law firm’s alleged wrongful use of his name.
In court papers, Zaid said he founded the law firm in 1987 and continued to be its sole equity partner until 2008 when he left the law firm to serve as a minister in the federal government.
Zaid said that he had from 2018 onwards wanted to return to practising as a lawyer and had asked for Zaid Ibrahim & Co to stop using his name and to return the name to him to enable to set up his own law practice, but said the law firm had failed to stop using his name.
Zaid said the law firm had in October this year asked him to rejoin as an equity partner and to lead it as chairman, following his September letter of demand from his lawyers to ask them to stop using his name.
In the same court papers, Zaid said he then rejoined Zaid Ibrahim & Co as an equity partner and chairman on November 1, but said the law firm had on November 9 abruptly served him a notice of the termination of all his positions within the law firm with immediate effect.
Zaid said the termination notice had cited alleged unilateral “unauthorised acts” by him, but said the notice did not specify the precise nature of such actions, further claiming that this termination of his positions as equity partner and chairman was wrongful.
Following his November 9 termination, Zaid said this meant that he is no longer a partner or member of Zaid Ibrahim & Co, further arguing in his court papers that this meant that the law firm “is not entitled as a matter of law or professional requirements” to continue to use his name as the law firm’s name.
By the continued use of his personal name, Zaid claimed that the law firm Zaid Ibrahim & Co is misrepresenting itself to the public that it is either his law firm or closely linked or economically related to him.
Zaid claimed that the alleged wrongful use of his name by the law firm has deprived him of the use of his own name to set up his own firm, and said he has suffered or will suffer substantial damage.
