Daniel J. Albert
Partner
Daniel was called to the Bar of England and Wales (Lincoln’s Inn) in 2006 and admitted as an Advocate & Solicitor of the High Court of Malaya in 2008. He is a founding partner of Daniel & Wong and has led the firm’s Dispute Resolution practice since its establishment in 2012.
Daniel regularly appears as counsel at all levels of the Malaysian courts. His practice spans a wide range of commercial and civil litigation, with particular expertise in corporate and contractual disputes, shareholder and director litigation, fraud and asset recovery, liquidation, administrative law, and contentious probate matters.
He has acted in numerous complex, high-value shareholder and partnership disputes, fraud-related claims, and high-profile defamation proceedings involving prominent Malaysian figures.
Most recently, Daniel was appointed to act for the Prime Minister of Malaysia in defamation proceedings initiated by his immediate predecessor, the former Prime Minister, concerning public statements made in relation to a complex waiver and debt restructuring scheme involving the write-off of RM8.3 billion in debts owed by settlers of a statutory body.
Daniel’s work has been consistently recognised by leading international legal directories for his strategic insight, courtroom presence, and commercial acumen.
In Legal 500, Asia Pacific 2025, his team was described as “formidable in its ability not only to strategise complex litigation but also always prepared to meet the unexpected and thrive“.
In Chambers Asia-Pacific 2025, Daniel earned plaudits for his analytical depth and commercial instincts: “Daniel is unmatched in his thought processes and his ability to make sound commercial decisions for the case presented to him.”
In Legal 500, Asia Pacific 2024, Daniel was praised for “the gift of making clients feel at ease no matter how difficult a position they are in. He is thorough in his work and rarely acts without a firm plan in mind. That, combined with his wit, makes him a formidable opponent.”
Beyond his legal practice, Daniel serves as an advocacy trainer with the Bar Council’s Advocacy Training Committee and is a member of the Taylor’s University Legal Profession Advisory Panel.
Some of Daniel’s notable matters include: –
- Appointed by a leading global asset management firm to represent one of its managed entities in high-value court proceedings involving the non-redemption of secured senior non-convertible bonds issued by a Malaysian mining company, and the validity of alleged settlement arrangements between the parties.
- Represented one of Malaysia’s largest medical laboratories in a joint venture dispute involving serious allegations of fraud, misappropriation of funds and assets, misuse of confidential information, and diversion of business and clients.
- Daniel successfully led the team in obtaining multiple forms of injunctive relief, including:
- an Anton Piller Order for the disclosure and preservation of key evidence;
- an injunction restraining the unlawful use of confidential information and intellectual property; and
- a Mareva Order to freeze the assets of the joint venture partner and associated vehicles of fraud, in light of the risk of dissipation.
- The matter also involved novel jurisdictional questions between the High Court of Malaya and the High Court of Sabah & Sarawak.
- Daniel successfully led the team in obtaining multiple forms of injunctive relief, including:
- Acted for the majority shareholder of a prominent Malaysian company in a high-stakes shareholder dispute involving claims of deceit and specific performance of an alleged agreement to sell the client’s equity stake at an undervalued sum of RM150 million. The litigation involved defending multiple urgent interlocutory applications, including two successive Mareva-type freezing orders, disclosure orders, and an interim preservation injunction to safeguard assets and interests pending trial.
- Acted for a prominent Malaysian construction firm in high-value court proceedings against an international arbitration consultancy for breach of fiduciary duties. Led by Daniel, the team successfully advanced the client’s case, with the High Court’s decision establishing new legal precedent on the regulation of arbitration consultants and their professional obligations. The matter is currently pending appeal before the Court of Appeal.
- Acted for the board of directors of a company in successfully securing declaratory relief to invalidate shareholders’ notices convening an extraordinary general meeting intended to effect a de facto backdoor winding-up. Daniel and his team also successfully obtained consequential injunctive relief to restrain further improper attempts to undermine the company’s governance structure.
- Acted for a company’s board of directors in successfully obtaining a Pre-Action Discovery Order for the disclosure of key documents concerning an alleged “friendly loan” bearing interest at 60% per annum, purportedly entered into during the tenure of the company’s previous board.
- Acted for Canadian-based clients in a complex cross-jurisdictional claim for the recovery of over USD 76 million based on causes of action including conversion, fraud, breach of trust, and breach of fiduciary duties. The matter involved parallel proceedings in multiple jurisdictions across Asia, Europe, North America and Australia and involved extensive injunctive relief, including freezing, discovery, and tracing orders, alongside a range of intricate legal issues.
- Acting for Thailand and Singapore-based companies in a successful civil fraud and deceit claim to recover funds paid to imposters who falsely claimed to represent one of Malaysia’s largest glove manufacturers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Daniel and his team successfully obtained Mareva and Proprietary Injunctions, along with Ancillary Disclosure Orders against the defendants. A subsequent debarring order was also secured due to their non-compliance with the court-ordered disclosure obligations, which effectively barred them from defending the proceedings and facilitated the prompt recovery of the misappropriated funds.
- Acting for companies based in the Republic of Guinea and Belgium in a civil fraud claim in Malaysia arising from a push-payment fraud. Led by Daniel, the team successfully obtained urgent injunctive relief, including freezing and tracing orders, to preserve and facilitate the recovery of the misappropriated funds.
- Acted for a special-purpose entity established to hold and safeguard the land rights of former settlers of a major settlement, whose interests had previously been alienated by the State Government. The suit involved claims of fraud and conspiracy aimed at challenging a purported RM86 million sale of the entire land rights to a developer—allegedly authorised by the former board of directors under highly unfavourable terms and without proper due process.
- Acted for the Prime Minister of Malaysia in defamation proceedings commenced by his immediate predecessor, the former Prime Minister of Malaysia, in respect of statements made concerning a complex waiver and debt restructuring scheme implemented by a statutory body involving the write-off of debts owed by settlers to the statutory body.
- Acting for a member of parliament in defamation proceedings concerning statements made by an elected Member of a State Legislative Assembly from an opposing political party pertaining to, amongst others, sensitive issues of religion.
- Acted for a prominent ex-chairman of a major statutory body in defamation proceedings concerning alleged defamatory statements made in respect of the transfer of project lands by a development company worth approximately RM 100 million, which was owned by the statutory body.
- Acted for the liquidator of a solvent company in liquidation with significant assets, where the liquidation was significantly delayed by complex cross-shareholdings with two other associated companies also in liquidation. In contentious court proceedings, Daniel and his team successfully assisted the liquidator in formulating a distribution-in-specie scheme to resolve the cross-shareholding impasse – an approach endorsed by the High Court and subsequently affirmed by the Court of Appeal (see: Zheng Yi Trading v Sing Lian Sdn Bhd & Ors [2022] MLJU 377).
- Successfully represented a major contributory of a solvent company in liquidation in resisting the liquidator’s claim for his remuneration, premised on, amongst others, that substantial portions of the liquidation work had been improperly sub-delegated to an external party.
- Acted for a large financial group in proceedings concerning the recovery of significant debts from the estate of a deceased bankrupt. The deceased was the son of a well-known corporate personality and was adjudicated a bankrupt owing hundreds of millions to creditors. The deceased was, however, believed to have been willed substantial properties and monies.
- Appointed to represent a prominent property developer in a financing dispute with a government-linked financial institution involving claims of negligence, breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, economic duress, illegality, and unconscionability. The dispute arose from an Islamic financing facility extended for a construction and development project, where the financial institution had repeatedly delayed the drawdown of funds, severely impacting the project timelines. Daniel and his team successfully obtained an interlocutory injunction restraining the institution from recalling the facility pending the outcome of the suit. The matter was subsequently referred to the Shariah Advisory Council to determine the Shariah compliance of the financing instruments and was ultimately resolved amicably.
- Successfully acted for a co-trustee of an estate valued at over RM70 million, with assets spanning Malaysia, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and Australia, in securing the removal of a co-executor and co-trustee on the ground of conflict of interest arising from a personal claim brought against the estate.
- Successfully acted for co-executor and co-trustees in estate proceedings involving allegations of a secret trust and document forgery concerning valuable jewellery, forming part of an estate valued at over RM70 million, with assets located both locally and internationally.
- Represented constituents from Kuala Kubu Bharu and Batang Kali in a judicial review challenging the Malaysian Election Commission’s decision to alter the Federal and State constituency boundaries under the Elections Act 1958. The challenge was brought, amongst others, on the grounds that the Commission’s actions were unconstitutional, unreasonable, and procedurally improper.
