Milestones

The Beginning

In Singapore's bustling central business district, A&G is established at 22A Raffles Place by Rowland Allen and John Joseph Gledhill.

Singapore Born

David Marshall, our first Singapore-born member, joins A&G. One of our distinguished alumni, David Marshall was later elected Singapore’s first Chief Minister.

Asian First

M. Karthigesu, our first Asian member, joins A&G. One of our distinguished alumni, Karthigesu later became a judge of the Singapore Court of Appeal.

Commitment to Leadership

Robert Kilgour Booker becomes Senior Partner of A&G. Bob Booker had been made a Partner of A&G, and also became a Singapore citizen, in 1958. He continued to lead A&G for quarter of a century, retiring as Senior Partner in 1985.

First Female

Local graduate, Rosalind Ratnam, joins A&G. Rose, as she was known, later became the first female Partner of A&G.

Singaporean Leadership Team

For the first time, A&G has a full Singaporean leadership team. The leadership team includes Goh Heng Leong, Michael Hwang SC, CJ Chen, Vemala Rajamanickam and KS Lo.

Civic Leadership

K. Shanmugam, one of our distinguished alumni, joins A&G. At our Firm, Shanmugam proved himself as one of the top litigators in Singapore and was one of the youngest Senior Counsels  appointed to the Supreme Court at the age of 38. After leaving A&G, Shanmugam became Singapore’s third Minister for Law since its independence in 1965. In 2015, Shanmugam was also appointed Minister for Home Affairs. 

Serving the People

Edwin Tong joins A&G and would go on to become one of the top litigators in Singapore, and appointed a Senior Counsel. After leaving A&G in 2018, Edwin was subsequently appointed the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth, and the Second Minister for Law.

Leadership with Distinction

Lucien Wong is named Managing Partner of A&G. One of our distinguished alumni, Lucien Wong was later appointed Singapore's ninth Attorney-General.

Upholding the Standards of the Law

Ang Cheng Hock joins A&G and would be made a Partner of the Firm in 2000. In 2009, he became one of the youngest lawyers appointed as Senior Counsel by the Supreme Court at the age of 38. 

In 2018, Cheng Hock was appointed Judicial Commissioner of the Supreme Court of Singapore, and was subsequently elevated to the position of High Court Judge in 2019. 

Singapore Law Firm of the Year

A&G is named International Financial Law Review (IFLR) Singapore Law Firm of the Year for the first time. In subsequent years, A&G has proceeded to win this award a record number of times.

Celebrating 100 Years

A&G celebrates 100 years of dedication to the law with a year-long programme of special activities and festivities.

A New Home

A&G moves to its current office space at One Marina Boulevard. OMB, as it is known, is located in the prestigious Marina Bay district overlooking Singapore’s finest sights.

Giving Back to the community

Allen & Gledhill launches our Pro Bono Programme, which remains a top priority. A dedicated pro bono practice helmed full-time, our Pro Bono Programme is a key pillar of our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives which include charitable giving, thought leadership and community engagement.

South-east Asian Expansion: Malaysia

Rahmat Lim & Partners is established as an associate firm of Allen & Gledhill in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, with Lim Teong Sit as Managing Partner and later, Chairman. RL&P is a part of A&G Asia and has grown into one of the largest and most established firms in Malaysia.

Recognised as the Singapore (Domestic) Law Firm of the Year by Chambers

Allen & Gledhill is named Chambers Asia-Pacific Singapore (Domestic) Law Firm of the Year for the first time. In subsequent years, A&G has proceeded to win this award several more times. The Chambers Asia-Pacific Awards honour the work of law firms based on research carried out for the prestigious Chambers Asia-Pacific guide, a leading legal directory.

Leadership Elevation

Lucien Wong is named Chairman and Senior Partner of Allen & Gledhill. He would later become Singapore's ninth Attorney-General.

Management Renewal

Lee Kim Shin is appointed Managing Partner of Allen & Gledhill from August 2012 – 2013. He was later appointed a Judicial Commissioner of the Singapore High Court in 2014, before reassuming the role of Managing Partner in 2015.

Nurturing the next generation of legal talent

As Allen & Gledhill celebrates 110 years of dedication to the law, the Allen & Gledhill Scholarship is launched at the Faculty of Law, National University of Singapore (NUS).

Recognised as the Regional Law Firm of the Year by IFLR

Allen & Gledhill is named International Financial Law Review (IFLR) Regional Law Firm of the Year for the first time. A&G has proceeded to win this award several more times in subsequent years.

Expanding into Myanmar

Allen & Gledhill establishes a regional office in Yangon, Myanmar. Starting with two lawyers, A&G (Myanmar) would later become known as one of the most established law firms in Myanmar.

Leadership Renewal

Christina Ong and Penny Goh are appointed Co-Chairmen and Senior Partners of Allen & Gledhill, with Lee Kim Shin as Managing Partner and Jerry Koh as Deputy Managing Partner. 

Recognition for A&G Myanmar

Following its establishment in 2014, Allen & Gledhill's regional office in Myanmar wins the International Financial Law Review (IFLR) Most Innovative National Firm of the Year (Myanmar) for the first time.

A&G Awarded Top Honours Across Major Legal Publications

Allen & Gledhill achieves a notable sweep of major awards in Hong Kong, London and Singapore, including International Financial Law Review (IFLR) Regional Law Firm of the Year and Most Innovative National Law Firm of the Year (Singapore), Chambers Asia-Pacific Singapore (Domestic) Law Firm of the Year, Who's Who Legal Singapore Firm of the Year and Asian Legal Business (ALB) SE Asia Law Firm of the Year.

A Legacy of Leadership

Penny Goh retires from Partnership, capping off a 42-year career at Allen & Gledhill, and Christina Ong is appointed the sole Chairman of A&G. During her time with A&G, Penny advised on many of the buildings that frame the Singapore Skyline, and was part of the team instrumental in the launch of the first listed REIT in Singapore. After her retirement, Penny took on the role of Senior Adviser in A&G.

Leading into the Future

Jerry Koh is appointed Joint Managing Partner with Lee Kim Shin, and later assumes the role of sole Managing Partner in 2021. Jerry’s leadership would play a pivotal role in Allen & Gledhill’s regional expansion and growth. He would go on to champion several key initiatives and address future market trends, with a strong focus on Innovation, Technology and Sustainability. Jerry’s would also be instrumental in steering the Firm through the Covid-19 Pandemic and the economy’s subsequent recovery from 2020 – 2024.

Expanding into the vibrant Vietnamese market

Allen & Gledhill establishes a regional office in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam to better serve clients as interest in the Vietnamese market takes off. A&G (Vietnam) would later go on to achieve recognition from top legal publications such as Asian Legal Business, and The Legal 500 Asia Pacific.

Responding to Market Trends

Recognising the impact of global forces in the market, Allen & Gledhill proactively launches its Cybersecurity & Data Protection Practice; Private Wealth Practice; Employment, Health & Safety Practice; and ESG & Public Policy Practice. A&G continues to establish new Practices to better support the growing needs of the market as technology and business evolves.

Walking the talk

Allen & Gledhill becomes the first South-east Asian Law Firm to be admitted as a signatory member of the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC). A&G’s admission as a signatory member of the UNGC further emphasises its longstanding commitment to protecting the environment and giving back to society.

The admission also helped to inform and guide our “A&G for Climate Change” initiative, one of the pillars within our CSR programme. It also showed our commitment to building our own sustainability capabilities beyond that of being able to advise clients on ESG issues.

Recognised as Southeast Asia Firm of the year by The Legal 500

Allen & Gledhill is named the Regional Firm of the Year at the inaugural The Legal 500 Southeast Asia Legal Awards.

In their comments, judges stated that Allen & Gledhill was “a market-leading firm with an impressive regional presence in jurisdictions including Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia and Myanmar” and “considered to be home to unparalleled technical talent combined with a commercial and international outlook”.

Celebrating 120 years - Into the Future, Excellence at our Core

Investing in the future of legal education

As part of its 120th Anniversary Celebrations, A&G pledged to donate a total of $1 million to the Faculty of Law at the National University of Singapore (NUS) and the Yong Pung How School of Law of the Singapore Management University (SMU). The donation highlights the Firm's continued commitment to nurturing the next generation of legal minds.

Making an impact through A&G in the Community

Allen & Gledhill announces its "A&G in the Community" initiative, as part of its continuing commitment to build a strong culture throughout the firm of giving back to society. As part of the initiative, every lawyer in A&G pledges to do at least 24 hours of pro bono work or, in the wider sense, community service, a year. 

A Fourth Consecutive Recognition by Chambers

Allen & Gledhill is named Singapore Corporate & Finance Domestic Law Advisers of the Year by Chambers for the fourth consecutive year in a row. This is also the eighth time A&G had won this award since first receiving it in 2011. A&G would continue to win this award several more times in subsequent years.

Expanding into China

Allen & Gledhill’s Shanghai Representative Office is officially opened by Guest-of-Honour, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth and Second Minister for Law, Mr Edwin Tong SC.

The opening of the office, located at Tower 2 of the International Financial Centre in Shanghai further emphasises Allen & Gledhill’s commitment to providing clients with holistic and practical legal services across Asia.

Expanding into Indonesia

AGI Legal is officially opened by Guest-Of-Honour, Dr Sandiaga Uno, Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy of the Republic of Indonesia. AGI Legal was established as an associate firm of A&G in Jakarta, Indonesia; and is a part of A&G Asia.

Through AGI Legal, A&G Asia is better positioned to provide clients with Indonesian legal advice that is based on sound local knowledge and international best practices.

The advent of A&GEL

Allen & Gledhill officially implements A&GEL for use firm-wide.

A&GEL is built as a suite of knowledge and augmentation tools tailored for professionals within the legal industry. Its implementation is a milestone in Allen & Gledhill’s journey as a premier law firm.

Since it’s launch, A&GEL has garnered multiple legal awards including the “Legal AI product of the year” award by Law.com, “Innovation, in Digital Legal Practice” award by Financial Times, and helping our Firm win the “AI and Technology Law Firm of the Year” award by ALB.

Asian Law Firm of the Year

Allen & Gledhill is named Asian Law Firm of the Year by Law.com. This award recognises a firm’s leadership, innovation, and outstanding achievements over the past year, as well as its influence and impact on the legal market and wider community. Having won multiple Singapore Firm of the Year awards and South-east Asia Firm of the Year awards over the years, this is the first time that A&G has been named Asian Law Firm of the Year at a firm-wide level, further cementing A&G Asia as a premier legal services provider in Asia.