Shook Lin & Bok is a law firm with offices in Singapore and Malaysia.
History
editShook Lin & Bok began in 1918 as Messrs Yong Shook Lin, a Kuala Lumpur law firm. That year, Yong Shook Lin was admitted as the first Chinese to the Malayan bar after graduating from Cambridge University. In 1938, the firm recruited another partner, Tan Teow Bok, and was renamed Messrs Shook Lin & Bok. Yong's son, Pung How, would later join the firm in 1952 after graduating with a double-first degree in law from his father's alma mater, initially practicing mostly criminal law.[1] Under the Pung How leadership as a senior partner, the firm grew to be one of the largest firms in Malaya.[2][3]
In 1964, Shook Lin opened an office in Singapore,[4][5] and by the 1980s, it was considered one of the four local leading law firms of the time.[6][7] In 2001, it was among the first batch of joint law ventures approved by the Singaporean government to operate a partnership with Allen & Overy. The partnership dissolved in 2009.[8]
Ransomware attack (2024)
editOn 9 April 2024, Shook Lin discovered that it had been the victim of a ransomware attack. According to the law firm, it immediately engaged a cybersecurity team and there was no evidence that the firm's core document management systems were affected.
Shook Lin did not respond to media queries about whether it had paid any ransom in connection with the ransomware attack, but according to an independent website, SuspectFile, which initially broke the news, the law firm paid 21.07 bitcoins to the Akira ransomware group which claimed responsibility for the attack. The payment was spread across three transactions and was equivalent to about SGD 1.89 million at the time of payment.[9][10]
Alumni
editJudiciary
edit- Yong Pung How, second Chief Justice of Singapore
- Chan Sek Keong, third Chief Justice of Singapore[4]
- Sundaresh Menon, fourth Chief Justice of Singapore[11]
Private practice
edit- Patrick Yu, Hong Kong barrister[2]
- Wong Meng Meng SC, founder of WongPartnership[12][13]
References
edit- ^ Hoo, Sheau Peng (1996). Speeches and Judgments of Chief Justice Yong Pung How. Financial Times. p. 3.
- ^ a b Yu, Patrick (1998). A Seventh Child and the Law. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press. ISBN 978-9622095243.
- ^ "Seven leave Shook Lin as firm beefs up ranks for regional push". The Business Times. 9 June 1994. p. 15.
- ^ a b "Law firm that produced two CJs turns 100". The Straits Times. 25 September 2018. Archived from the original on 25 September 2018. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
- ^ "Shook Lin & Bok a part of Singapore's story: Minister". The New Paper. 25 September 2018. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
- ^ Thomas, M (1 June 1983). "The Leading Euromarket Law Firms In Hong Kong And Singapore". International Financial Law Review (6): 4.
- ^ "Wong Meng Meng resigning from Shook Lin & Bok to start own firm". The Straits Times. 30 November 1991. p. 48.
- ^ Krishnan, Jayanth K. (2010). "The Joint Law Venture: A Pilot Study". Berkeley Journal of International Law.
- ^ Koh, Sarah (3 May 2024). "Singapore law firm Shook Lin & Bok hit by cyber attack; allegedly paid $1.89m in bitcoin as ransom". The Straits Times. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
- ^ "Law firm Shook Lin & Bok hit by ransomware attack". CNA. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
- ^ "Sundaresh Menon". Tatler Asia. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
- ^ "Shook Lin & Bok being sued by former partners". The Business Times. 23 December 1992. p. 13.
- ^ "Lawyer sues 10 partners of law firm for share of profits". The Straits Times. 24 December 1992. p. 3.
External links
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