HWL Ebsworth’s late managing partner Juan Martinez awarded himself additional partnership shares worth more than $6.5 million before invalidly expelling a partner for “agitation” over a decision to exclude him from its proposed public listing, a court has found.

On Monday, the NSW Supreme Court held that HWLE partners, led by Mr Martinez, undermined their own partnership deed by failing to notify partner Greg Lewis of a hastily convened weekend motion to expel him.