Meet Boon Gan, a dedicated commercial lawyer who specialises in resolving business disputes. By drafting clear contracts, advising on business models, and negotiating settlements, Boon Gan aims to minimise time spent in court, ensuring that legal challenges don’t derail productivity.
Through this proactive approach, he empowers business owners to focus on what truly matters—running and expanding their ventures. This preventive mindset not only reduces legal risks but also fosters stronger business relationships, ultimately contributing to a healthier bottom line.
What led you to choose a career in commercial law and business dispute management?
It was a complete accident, actually. After I graduated and was waiting to be called to the bar, I didn’t even have a training contract, which is quite unusual because most people secure one while still in university. Completely by accident, I ended up in a firm that specialises in commercial disputes for SMEs.
In my early years, I did a lot of commercial litigation. But over time, we realised that many problems could be solved upfront—if clients saw us early enough, we could preempt many of these issues through contracts or negotiation.
That’s how I eventually moved into my current specialisation, where we see business and contracts as different ends of the spectrum and try to get people to come in earlier, when there are more options and better ways to protect their interests.
Can you share a particularly challenging business dispute you handled and how you helped your client resolve it?
We handle a lot of shareholder disputes, and this one was particularly challenging because the client was based in Malaysia. She was stuck there during the MCO, and her fellow shareholders did a lot of unusual things while she was away. When she came back, she discovered they basically wanted her out of the company.
The challenge was that we had very few documents—we didn’t know exactly what had been done or the company’s valuation. Our strategy was to take whatever limited documents we had at face value. Even if they were inaccurate, we believed the other side would want to correct us. During mediation, we presented our research and proposal to the mediator.
The other side initially offered to pay only 50% of our proposed amount. The mediator immediately turned to them and said, “Let’s discuss,” and we knew this meant they were working to get the other side to compromise instead of just making a lowball offer.
We ended up waiting in a private session with the client for over an hour while the mediator worked with the other side. In the end, we secured a buyout of our client’s shares at about 90% of our original proposal. Within six months, she got her money, her peace of mind, and her life back.
What are the most common mistakes businesses make when drafting contracts, and how can they avoid them?
One major issue we see is the increasing reliance on templates. Some business owners assume a template is customised to their needs just because they found it using specific search terms on Google or generated it through AI. Many don’t even read the final output.
We’ve had clients bring us contracts that state they are governed by the laws of India, with disputes to be resolved in Inner Mongolia—despite having no business in China. The first line of defense is always to read through whatever is given to you.
Don’t be afraid to say, “I don’t understand,” and ask for help. This is the only way to avoid misconceptions, prevent misunderstandings, and ensure the contract truly suits your business needs.
Don’t be afraid to say, “I don’t understand,” and ask for help. This is the only way to avoid misconceptions, prevent misunderstandings, and ensure the contract truly suits your business needs.
How do you strike a balance between protecting your client’s interests and reaching an amicable settlement?
First, we distinguish between position and interest. A position is what I think the facts are, how I believe the law applies, and what outcome my client should get. Interest refers to the client’s concerns, their non-negotiables, and who they are accountable to.
If a client rejects a settlement offer, we know there’s something unsaid. The same goes for the other side. Reaching an amicable settlement requires open discussions about what truly matters. The best way to do this is mediation, where there’s a safe space to talk without fear that statements will be used against anyone.
A third-party mediator ensures fairness because, understandably, clients may not trust the other side’s lawyers. That’s why we always ask, “Can you come to mediation and talk about what matters most?”—that’s where the process starts.
With the business landscape constantly evolving, what legal trends or issues should business owners be aware of?
There are a few hot topics right now. One is AI. Many people don’t realise that they may not own the AI-generated output, even if they provided the prompts. Courts in the U.S. and Europe have ruled that since prompts don’t involve enough creative input, the generated content isn’t protected by copyright.
This means if you create marketing copy using AI and someone else generates the same content using the same prompts, you have no legal claim over it. Another issue is that AI models are often trained on data obtained without permission. This raises questions about whether the output is even legally owned or if AI companies have the right to provide it.
Another ongoing topic is cryptocurrency. Courts recognise crypto as property, but the question remains—what is it actually worth? If cryptocurrency is meant to function as money, it should be exchangeable for goods and services. If it isn’t, then is it really a worthwhile investment? Business owners looking to diversify should think carefully before investing in it.
What motivates you to continue helping businesses navigate their legal challenges?
I enjoy problem-solving, especially when the problems are challenging but still solvable. Business disputes fall into this category—they aren’t simple, but they also aren’t impossible to resolve overnight.
Another important factor is that I want work that I can put down at the end of the day without carrying the emotional or psychological burden. I’m not the kind of lawyer who sees legal practice as my entire life.
My life has many other important aspects, so I need work that is satisfying but not overwhelming. That’s why I focus on commercial law—it allows me to meet all these criteria.
What advice would you give to business owners to minimise the risk of legal disputes?
If you want to think like a lawyer, you need to see where things can go wrong. Of course, most people don’t want to think about potential problems because it’s unpleasant—they’re excited about profit. But lawyers plan for the worst because we know things can and do go wrong.
For example, if you’re doing a joint venture with an overseas company, ask yourself: Who controls the inflow of business? I had a client for whom I drafted an agreement, but he never signed it. Now, he’s in a situation where the majority shareholder—an overseas company—is strangling the business by not providing enough supply, and he has no legal way out.
He underestimated the risk, and now he’s paying for it. We’re not trying to scare people or spread negativity, but we want business owners to consider the possibilities so they can put safeguards in place.
Where do you see yourself, and what’s your vision for Singapore in the next five years?
Right now, I’m in a stage of life where I want stability. I have a young child, and I want to focus on raising her. I accept that I can’t achieve growth in every aspect of my life, and that’s fine. I’m not a big-picture person, and I’m not deeply involved in politics or society.
But one thing I think we need to do better as a country is accountability. When we make decisions, we should stand by them, explain why we made them, and if something fails, own up to it and find a solution. Instead of just saying, “This is how we’ve always done things,” or “We’ll monitor the situation,” we need to do better.
Connect with Boon Gan: LinkedIn and XiaoHongShu.
