Shook Lin & Bok Malaysia

What Shook Lin & Bok Malaysia does

Shook Lin & Bok is one of the largest and the oldest locally established law firms in Malaysia, founded in 1918 as a sole-proprietorship and now operating as a partnership from its 20th Floor headquarters at AmBank Group Building, 55 Jalan Raja Chulan, Kuala Lumpur. The firm provides full-service legal representation across 17 practice areas, including Corporate/M&A, Banking & Finance, Dispute Resolution and Arbitration, Islamic Finance, Intellectual Property, Technology/Multimedia/Telecommunications (TMT) Law, Competition & Anti-Trust, Regulatory Compliance & Enforcement, Construction, Shipping, Insurance, Family/Probate/Trusts, and Company Secretarial. Cross-border advisory for Malaysia–China matters is delivered through a dedicated China Desk, including engagement with the Zhuhai Lawyers Association.

The firm's go-to-market is enterprise-focused: legal services are sold directly to corporate and institutional clients (notably financial institutions, including RHB Bank Berhad and Kuwait Finance House Malaysia Berhad) via partner-led engagement, professional referrals, content marketing (legal updates/newsletters), and participation in legal industry conferences and professional bodies such as the Malaysian Bar and the Malaysian Institute of Arbitrators (MIArb). Revenue is generated on a professional services fee basis (hourly/case-based), with pricing not publicly disclosed.

Business is led by Managing Partner Lam Ko Luen (also co-head of Dispute Resolution; head of Arbitration, Construction, and General & Corporate practices) and Deputy Managing Partner Tan Gian Chung (co-head of Dispute Resolution; head of Banking & Finance Litigation; 26+ years practice), both effective 10 February 2026. The firm is independently partner-owned, with no parent company, subsidiaries, or external equity investment identified. Recent strategic activity includes the launch of three new practice areas (TMT, Competition & Anti-Trust, Regulatory Compliance & Enforcement) and a lateral partner hire (Karen Kaur, formerly of Deacons Hong Kong), alongside continued recognition in Chambers Asia-Pacific, Legal 500, ALB Malaysia Law Awards 2026, and ABLJ Malaysia Law Firm Awards 2025.

Name

Shook Lin & Bok Malaysia

Legal name

Shook Lin & Bok

Website

https://shooklin.com.my

Company type

Private

Founded year

1918

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Shook Lin & Bok is Malaysia's oldest locally established law firm (founded 1918) and one of its largest, providing full-service legal representation across 17 practice areas to corporate, financial-institution, and cross-border (Malaysia–China) clients from its Kuala Lumpur headquarters.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Kuala Lumpur

HQ country

Malaysia

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Legal Services: The firm generates revenue through providing legal services across multiple practice areas including dispute resolution, corporate law, banking & finance, and various other specialized legal practices. Fees are typically charged on a professional services basis.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Shook Lin & Bok is a full-service law firm providing legal advisory, litigation, and transactional services across 17 practice areas including dispute resolution, corporate/M&A, banking and finance, arbitration, Islamic finance, intellectual property, TMT law, real estate, construction, shipping, insurance, competition law, and regulatory compliance. The firm serves corporate and institutional clients in Malaysia with a dedicated China Desk for cross-border matters.

Product overview

Shook Lin & Bok is a full-service law firm offering a comprehensive portfolio of legal services organized into 17 distinct practice areas covering corporate/commercial law, dispute resolution, financial services, specialized regulatory practices, and emerging technology law. The firm operates as a traditional law firm with practice groups rather than a software product company. Key service lines include Corporate/M&A, Banking & Finance Litigation, Dispute Resolution/Arbitration, Islamic Finance, Intellectual Property, TMT Law, and specialized practices in Construction, Shipping, Insurance, and Competition Law. The China Desk provides dedicated cross-border advisory services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Arbitration (International & Domestic) Dispute resolution through international and domestic arbitration proceedings, handling complex cross-border commercial disputes for corporate clients.
• Banking & Finance Legal advisory services for banking transactions, financial institutions, and lending arrangements.
• Building, Construction & Engineering Legal services covering construction contracts, disputes, and engineering-related legal matters.
• Corporate Corporate legal advisory including mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, and corporate governance matters.
• Company Secretarial Corporate secretarial services including registration, compliance, and regulatory filing support.
• Competition & Anti-Trust Law Legal advisory on competition law compliance and anti-trust matters under the Competition Act 2010.
• Dispute Resolution Litigation and alternative dispute resolution services for civil and commercial disputes.
• Family, Probate & Trusts Legal services covering family law, estate administration, probate, and trust arrangements.
• Insurance Legal advisory on insurance matters, claims, and regulatory compliance for insurers.
• Intellectual Property, Information Technology & Licensing IP protection, IT law, and licensing services including trade marks, patents, and software licensing.
• Islamic Finance Shariah-compliant financial legal services including Islamic banking and takaful matters.
• Labour & Industrial Disputes Employment law advisory and dispute resolution for workplace and industrial relations matters.
• Loans & Debt Restructuring Legal services for debt recovery, restructuring, and insolvency matters.
• Real Estate, Commercial & Conveyancing Property transaction services including commercial conveyancing, tenancy agreements, and land matters.
• Regulatory Compliance And Enforcement Compliance advisory and enforcement representation across regulatory frameworks and government requirements.
• Shipping & Maritime Maritime and shipping law services including vessel disputes and international trade matters.
• Technology, Multimedia & Telecommunications (TMT) Law Legal services for technology, multimedia, and telecommunications sectors including data protection, software procurement, and digital asset matters.

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and major.

• Zhuhai Lawyers AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Hosted a 17-member delegation from the Zhuhai Lawyers Association led by President Mr. Tian Xue Dong. Both parties engaged in fruitful discussions on legal practice in Zhuhai and Kuala Lumpur, with expectations for future collaboration.
• Touch Community Society (TCS)minorOthersCSR partnership supporting TCS (Touch Community Society, Seremban), a non-profit organisation for special children/young persons with learning difficulties. The firm sponsored TCS' Family Day event.
• Malaysian Institute of Arbitrators (MIArb)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional association membership and leadership. Managing Partner Lam Ko Luen was elected President of MIArb for the 2013/2015 term.
• Greater ActionminorOthersCSR partnership supporting Greater Action, a non-profit organization. The firm sponsored the registration of Greater Action's service mark in Malaysia.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Zul Rafique & Partners: Zul Rafique & Partners is a leading Malaysian law firm with strong banking, finance, and corporate practice focus. Directly comparable to Shook Lin & Bok in serving Malaysian financial institutions and corporate clients.
• Wong & Partners: Wong & Partners is the Malaysian member firm of Baker McKenzie, providing full-service legal advice with strong international network reach. Comparable to Shook Lin & Bok in domestic Malaysian corporate practice, with deeper cross-border capabilities.
• Shearn Delamore & Co. Shearn Delamore & Co. is a top-tier Malaysian full-service law firm with similar century-old roots and a comparable practice mix covering corporate, banking, dispute resolution, and IP. Both firms compete for high-end Malaysian legal mandates and international rankings (Chambers, Legal 500).
• Kadir Andri & Partners: Kadir Andri & Partners is a Malaysian full-service law firm with comparable practice areas and client base. Directly competes with Shook Lin & Bok for corporate, banking, and dispute resolution mandates.
• Tay & Partners: Tay & Partners is a Malaysian law firm with broad corporate and commercial practice. Comparable to Shook Lin & Bok in serving Malaysian enterprises and financial institutions across multiple practice areas.
• Lee Hishammuddin Allen & Gledhill: Lee Hishammuddin Allen & Gledhill is a leading Malaysian full-service law firm with an international affiliation (Allen & Gledhill). Comparable to Shook Lin & Bok in corporate, banking, and dispute resolution work, but with stronger regional network reach through its Singapore affiliate.
• Raja Darryl & Loh: Raja Darryl & Loh is a well-established Malaysian full-service law firm with similar practice breadth and corporate client focus. Both firms compete directly for banking, corporate, and dispute resolution mandates in Kuala Lumpur.
• Skrine: Skrine is one of Malaysia's largest full-service law firms, comparable to Shook Lin & Bok in scale, practice breadth, and historic reputation. Both firms compete for the same corporate, banking, and dispute resolution mandates from Malaysian enterprises and financial institutions.
• Azmi & Associates: Azmi & Associates is a prominent Malaysian law firm with comparable full-service practice areas including Islamic finance, corporate, and dispute resolution. Both firms serve similar banking and corporate clients in Kuala Lumpur.

Broad incumbents

• Allen & Gledhill: Allen & Gledhill is a leading Singapore-based regional law firm with extensive Asia-Pacific footprint. Its Malaysian affiliate (Lee Hishammuddin Allen & Gledhill) directly competes with Shook Lin & Bok, and the broader Allen & Gledhill network provides cross-border capabilities beyond what Shook Lin & Bok offers.

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/shook-lin-&-bok-1918

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Shook Lin & Bok Malaysia