Shook Lin & Bok

Shook Lin & Bok
Name	Shook Lin & Bok
Founded	1918
Headquarters	Singapore
Num attorneys	200+
Practice areas	Corporate, Litigation, Banking and Finance, Intellectual Property, Real Estate
Key people	Managing Partners, Senior Partners

Shook Lin & Bok is a long-established Singaporean law firm with origins in the early 20th century, known for corporate, dispute resolution, banking and intellectual property work. The firm has acted for multinational corporations, financial institutions, sovereign wealth funds and family offices in complex cross-border matters involving Southeast Asia, the Asia-Pacific and international markets. It combines regional practice with connections to global legal developments in commercial arbitration, mergers and acquisitions, banking regulation and insolvency.

History

Founded during the colonial era in Singapore, the firm’s trajectory intersected with major regional events such as the postwar reconstruction of British Malaya, the decolonisation period, and the emergence of independent Singapore as a financial centre. Over the decades the firm advised on transactions influenced by institutions like the Monetary Authority of Singapore, the World Bank, and regional initiatives including the Association of Southeast Asian Nations economic integration efforts. Its history reflects interactions with prominent legal milestones such as the development of arbitration frameworks under the International Chamber of Commerce rules and multilateral trade shifts embodied by the World Trade Organization accession processes for several Southeast Asian states.

Practice Areas

The firm’s corporate practice has covered mergers and acquisitions, private equity and joint ventures involving parties from United States, China, Japan, United Kingdom and Australia. Its banking and finance group has handled syndicated lending, project finance for infrastructure clients tied to Asian Development Bank initiatives, and regulatory work involving the Bank for International Settlements standards and Basel III compliance. In dispute resolution, partners have appeared in arbitrations under the Singapore International Arbitration Centre, the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes, and the London Court of International Arbitration. Intellectual property services have supported clients in patents and trademarks linked to multinational technology firms from South Korea and Taiwan, and real estate teams have worked on developments connected to sovereign funds such as Temasek Holdings and institutional investors from Malaysia and Indonesia.

Notable Cases and Transactions

The firm has been involved in high-profile cross-border mergers spanning sectors represented by listed companies on exchanges like the Singapore Exchange and transactions with private equity sponsors from Carlyle Group and KKR. It acted in complex banking restructurings influenced by precedents from cases adjudicated in courts such as the Singapore High Court and on arbitration award enforcement consistent with the New York Convention. The firm advised on project finance for energy and infrastructure projects with nexus to multilateral lenders including the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and on insolvency matters that invoked legal principles comparable to decisions of the Privy Council and appellate rulings referencing Common law jurisdictions.

Offices and Global Presence

Headquartered in Singapore, the firm maintains regional links and correspondent relationships across Southeast Asia and the broader Asia-Pacific, collaborating with firms in Hong Kong, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta. Through networks and strategic alliances it interfaces with international firms and counsel handling mandates touching United States litigation portals, United Kingdom transactional markets, and cross-border arbitrations seated in hubs like Geneva and Paris. The firm’s client base includes corporations with operations in Vietnam, Philippines, Brunei, and clients from capital markets in London Stock Exchange and New York Stock Exchange contexts.

Leadership and Partners

Senior partners and managing partners at the firm have had careers engaging with institutions such as the Law Society of Singapore and served on committees interacting with the Singapore Academy of Law. Individual partners have backgrounds that include secondments and qualifications in jurisdictions like England and Wales, New York (state), and Australia, and have participated in panels for the International Bar Association and regional dispute forums. The firm’s leadership emphasizes cross-jurisdictional capability to advise multinational clients and sovereign-related entities such as Government of Singapore Investment Corporation-linked vehicles.

Pro Bono and Corporate Social Responsibility

The firm’s pro bono work has involved representation for non-governmental organisations, legal assistance aligned with initiatives supported by the United Nations Development Programme and collaboration with community legal clinics associated with the Law Society Pro Bono Services. Corporate social responsibility efforts include support for legal education programs at institutions like the National University of Singapore Faculty of Law and engagement with regional capacity-building projects funded by donors including the Asian Development Bank and philanthropic foundations.

Category:Law firms of Singapore Category:Companies established in 1918