A letter of demand is a letter issued by lawyer demanding some act on your part, usually with a warning that legal proceedings will be commenced against you.

A lawyer may help you to assess the situation you are in and plan with you a strategy in the event legal proceedings are commenced against you.

If you have received a Writ of Summons issued by a Singapore Court where you are named as the defendant, it means that a suit has been commenced against you by the plaintiff.

Do not ignore the Writ of Summons as a default judgment can be entered against you by the plaintiff.

Before you commence a civil suit, do consider the strength and complexity of your case,

2) The cost involved to pursuing your claim,

3) The defendant’s assets to satisfying your claim,

4) Whether you need any legal assistance to pursuit your case.

You should be aware however, that for complex matters it would be difficult for a lawyer to provide an accurate upfront estimate. We have a short video from our Litigation Lawyer below, on things that you need to consider.

Talk To Us Today so we can understand your case better.

We will recommend that you approach the legal aid bureau or law society pro bono services to see if you qualify.

A Breach of Contract is when one party fails to uphold their obligations as per what was agreed upon in the Contract. In such a situation, the non-breaching party has two options:

1. They may sue the breaching party; or
2. If the breach can be remedied or solved, they may allow the breaching party some time to resolve the breach.

It is best to seek legal advice before commencing a lawsuit so that your lawyer will be able to identify the strengths in your case and advise you on the best way forward.

Someone is threatening to sue me for defamation

If someone has informed you that something you have posted is defamatory, or has sent you a letter of demand requesting that you remove a post online which is considered defamatory you should:

1. Seek legal advice immediate;
2. Have the lawyer advise you if what was posted was indeed defamatory;
3. Remove the post as soon as possible till it has been reviewed; and
4. If the post is defamatory or if you do not have any defences at law that would provide you with any defence, you should be prepared to make a public apology.
5. If the defamed party is seeking monetary compensation, your lawyer advises you if the sum sought after is reasonable and will also be able to assist you with negotiating for a lower sum or the payment of the sum through instalments.

Do let us know the following details:

1. How much is the sum of money?
   If the sum loaned is relatively low, it may not be worth your while to pursuing the claim through lawyers.
2. Do you have a Written IOU or Loan Agreement?
   With an IOU or a Loan Agreement it strengthens you case against the other party. You may also have an indemnity clause that allows you to recover all your legal costs if the IOU or the Loan Agreement was drafted well.
3. If they do not respond positively to the Letter of Demand you may have to commence a lawsuit again them to recovery the outstanding sum of money.

If you have been terminated from your job as per the terms of your employment agreement, i.e. they gave you the requisite notice or payment of salary in lieu of notice, then you may not have a claim against your employer.

In Singapore, there is no automatic right for retrenchment benefits, if retrenchment terms are not in your contract you are typically not entitled to it.

However, if your termination was in fact a retrenchment exercise by your company, you may be able to claim for more compensation then what you were paid. However, you will need to be able to support this claim of retrenchment with evidence.

The purpose of the security deposit is for the Landlord to reinstate the premises to the state in which it was let out, your landlord after making deductions from the security deposit ought to return the remainder.

There may be disputes over what deductions are reasonable. It is best to consult a lawyer on whether the proposed deductions are reasonable before agreeing to the terms.

If your landlord still does not return your security deposit, you may send him a letter of demand and lodge your claim against him/her in the Small Claims Tribunal. However, do take note that the Small Claims Tribunal only deals with tenancy matters in which the length of the tenancy is less or equal to two (2) years.