Mark Lee Chambers Law Corporation was invited and hosted the opening plenary session for The Legal 500’s Annual Asia Disputes Summit 2026.
Our directors Mr 李国荣 and Ms 杨启玮’s spoke on the topic of; “Shareholder Oppression or Activism Defence? Voting power, Activism and Corporate control”, which examined:-
- The management (board) and ownership (shareholder) divide and how that line has been blurred.
- The relevance of directors owning fiduciary duties to the company whilst shareholders being able to vote in their personal interests and how that influences the power calibration debate.
- The voting rights of shareholders and how those conventional rights have increasingly been utilised to dictate outcomes and steer growth of the company.
- How boards have dealt with requisitions from shareholders and where to draw the line between healthy shareholder engagement, shareholder activism defence and shareholder oppression.
- The issue of whether there exists a rights-power gap where shareholders possess formal rights but lack the practical capabilities to convert those rights into effective influence.
- Finally, the role of the general counsel in a corporate governance discourse and how general counsels can help shape risk as opposed to avoiding it.
Legal 500’s Event Report (extract):-
“Legal 500’s Asia Pacific Disputes Summit: Singapore 2026 took place on 30 April at the JW Marriott, bringing together senior disputes lawyers, in-house counsel and industry experts for a full day of discussion on the evolving disputes landscape across the region. The conference reflected both the increasing complexity of cross-border disputes and the growing pressures facing general counsel as geopolitical, technological and economic uncertainty reshape risk profiles for businesses operating in the region.
[…]
The first session addressed the sharp rise in shareholder activism and its implications for corporate control across Asia Pacific. In a panel chaired by practitioners from Mark Lee Chambers Law Corporation, speakers explored the fine line between legitimate shareholder engagement and conduct that may give rise to oppression claims or governance disputes. Drawing on regional trends, the discussion examined how voting power is increasingly used as a strategic tool to influence corporate direction, particularly in closely held or family-influenced structures. The panel addressed how boards can prepare for activism, the legal limits of shareholder influence, and the risks of passivity, emphasising the need for early strategic planning and robust governance frameworks.”
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Legal 500’s Asia-Pacific Disputes Summit is an annual regional conference that brings together senior in-house counsel and leading disputes practitioners from across the region to examine current trends, strategies, and challenges in dispute resolution, focusing on cross-border litigation, arbitration, regulatory investigations, and emerging legal technologies.
Mark Lee Chambers Law Corporation is an independent boutique law firm based in Singapore specializing in complex multi-jurisdictional disputes, high-stakes litigation and arbitration with a particular focus in corporate governance, joint ventures, shareholder and boardroom matters.
ML Chambers:-
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mark-lee-chambers-law-corporation/
Our directors:
Mark Lee; https://glutenfreepleasure.com/__proxy_domain/mlclaw.com.sg/director/mark-lee/
Sarah Yeo; https://glutenfreepleasure.com/__proxy_domain/mlclaw.com.sg/director/sarah-yeo/