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KUALA LUMPUR: Former Minister Zaid Ibrahim has filed a lawsuit against the partners of his former law firm to prevent them from using the Zaid Ibrahim & Co (ZICO) name.
He said that he could not use his personal name to establish a new firm as he intends to return to private practice.
In his lawsuit, Zaid said he founded ZICO here in 1987 and was the sole owner.
From 1987 to 2008, he said, he built a name for ZICO, “particularly in obtaining empanel with financial institutions and government-linked corporations.”
“I gradually expanded the practice with salaried partners who joined the firm from time to time, including Chew Seng Kok (Managing Director) and Nik Norzrul Thani Nik Hassan Thani (President).
“I kept the exclusive capital until 2008, when I joined the Cabinet,” he said.
Zaid said that in 2018, he wrote to Chew and Nik Norzrul, requesting that they stop using the ZICO name and return it to him so he could start his own company.
“Despite repeated requests, they refused to stop using my name,” he said.
However, Zaid said that on October 5, the partners resolved the name issue with him, inviting him to return to ZICO as equity partner and president.
“I was prepared to accept the offer to rejoin the firm, as this would dispense with the need to start over,” he said, adding that he returned to the firm on November 1.
More than a week after his return, he said, his position at the law firm was terminated for “unauthorized acts,” but details were not specified.
“The alleged termination as president and equity partner was unlawful and I reserve the right to seek appropriate reparations,” he said.
Zaid also maintains that the use of his personal name by the partners would lead people to think that he provided services on behalf of ZICO.
He is seeking a temporary injunction against his former partners not to use the name Zaid Ibrahim & Co (ZICO), pending the resolution of the lawsuit.
“As long as they continue to use my name, I cannot establish my own law firm on my behalf. This is causing me serious prejudice as it affects my own livelihood, ”he added.
