Principal
Yip Wei Jian
Advocate & Solicitor of the High Court of Malaya
Barrister-at-law (Middle Temple)
Yip Wei Jian read law at Queen's University Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK and graduated with honours in 2018. He was then admitted as a Barrister-at-Law in England and Wales as a member of the Honourable Society of Middle Temple in 2019, following completion of the Bar Professional Training Course at Cardiff University. He thereafter completed his pupillage at one of the largest law firms in Malaysia in its employment practice group before being admitted to the High Court of Malaya as an Advocate & Solicitor in 2020.
Following his admission, Wei Jian maintained a practice at top dispute resolution firms under the tutelage of notable employment and industrial relations practitioners, including Dato Thavalingam Thavarajah and Ms Wong Keat Ching. He has appeared at various levels of the court hierarchy, including the Labour Court, Industrial Court, Sessions Court, High Court, Court of Appeal and Federal Court.
Wei Jian's main area of practice is employment and industrial relations litigation, and he has acted and assisted in claims for unfair dismissal and trade disputes. He also regularly advises private entities, government-linked corporations, multinational companies and statutory bodies on employment-related issues, including retrenchment exercises, mutual separation schemes, disciplinary management and performance management. He frequently advises companies on the drafting and management of employment contracts, policies and handbooks.
His other areas of practice include civil and general litigation, commercial and contractual litigation, and legal forensic investigation.
Practice Areas
- Employment
- Industrial Relations
- Civil & General Litigation
- Public Interest Litigation
- Commercial and Contractual
- Legal Forensic Investigation
Qualifications
- LL.B (Hons), Queen's University Belfast
- Barrister-at-Law, Honourable Society of Middle Temple
- Advocate & Solicitor of the High Court of Malaya, 2020
Notable Matters
- Successfully represented a multinational humanitarian company at the Industrial Court in an unfair dismissal complaint where the employee alleged that a mutual separation agreement had been signed under duress.
- Successfully represented a public listed manufacturing company against a trade union in respect of an alleged breach of a collective agreement during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Advised a Singapore-based company on cost-cutting measures and employee management following the downsizing of its business operations in Malaysia.
- Advised the Board of Directors of a public listed company on the investigation and disciplinary process involving senior management.
- Represented an oil palm cultivation company to recover employee portions of EPF contributions paid by the company.
Publications
- Can Employers Invoke Force Majeure in Employment Contracts During the MCO? (2020)LexisNexis COVID-19 Resource Hub
- Returning to Work: Employer's Obligation and Employee's Refusal (2020)LexisNexis COVID-19 Resource Hub