What Our Clients Say

Challenge

A Dusun community in the Ranau district had been cultivating their ancestral land for generations, but lacked the formal documentation required to assert their customary rights under the Sabah Land Ordinance. Previous attempts to file with the Land Office had stalled due to incomplete paperwork.

Solution

Basalt Legal conducted field consultations with community elders to compile oral histories and supporting evidence. We prepared a comprehensive documentation package that included maps, genealogical records, and statutory declarations, then represented the community at the land hearing.

Outcome

The documentation was accepted by the Land Office and the matter proceeded to a formal hearing within four months. The community's claim is now under active review with a strong evidentiary foundation — a process that had been stuck for over three years before our involvement.

Challenge

A Sandakan-based freight forwarding company had been using the same standard contract template for over five years. With increasing cross-border shipments to the Philippines and Indonesia, they needed to ensure their contractual terms were still adequate for the changing trade environment.

Solution

Our team conducted a full clause-by-clause review of their standard contract, applying our internal risk-rating system. We identified seven clauses with elevated risk, including liability caps that hadn't been updated and a force majeure definition that didn't account for recent regulatory changes.

Outcome

The client received an annotated contract with specific amendment suggestions and a one-page risk summary for their management team. The updated contract was renegotiated with their three major carriers within six weeks, resulting in clearer liability terms and better-aligned insurance provisions.

Challenge

A group of community leaders and a tourism entrepreneur wanted to set up a community-based tourism venture in Semporna. They needed a legal structure that would allow profit distribution to both operators and the local community, while protecting the venture's social mission.

Solution

After comparing several entity types, we recommended a hybrid approach: an Sdn Bhd with embedded governance provisions that mandated community benefit allocation. We drafted constitutional documents with specific clauses on reinvestment thresholds and community representation on the board.

Outcome

The entity was incorporated within five weeks with all governance provisions in place. The founders were able to approach funders with a clear legal framework that demonstrated their commitment to social impact alongside commercial viability.