Lee & Lee LLP is one of Singapore's longest-established law firms, founded on 1 September 1955 by Mr Lee Kuan Yew, his wife Mdm Kwa Geok Choo, and Mr Dennis Lee Kim Yew. The firm began above a coffeeshop at 10B Malacca Street with just two rooms for lawyers and five support staff, and has grown alongside Singapore ever since — through moves to ICB Building on Shenton Way in 1969, UIC Building in 1974 for 35 years, Capital Tower for its 50th anniversary in 2005, Singapore Land Tower, and its present premises at 25 North Bridge Road since 2021, a stone's throw from the Supreme Court.
In 2001, Lee & Lee entered a joint law venture with international firm Lovells, which through subsequent mergers evolved into what is now Hogan Lovells Cadwalader Lee & Lee — today the longest-surviving Joint Law Venture in Singapore, giving clients access to seamless advice on complex international and cross-border matters. On 1 October 2025, the firm converted from a partnership into a Limited Liability Partnership, becoming Lee & Lee LLP.
Today, Lee & Lee LLP has a combined strength of over 180 lawyers, paralegals and support staff, serving clients that include well-established family businesses, major financial institutions, publicly listed companies and multinational corporations — some of whom the firm has advised across three generations. The firm has been consistently ranked among Singapore's top law firms, including recognition in The Straits Times' Singapore's Best Law Firms 2026 (in collaboration with Statista) and Chambers 2026.
Few Singapore law firms carry a founding story quite like Lee & Lee's. On 1 September 1955, Mr Lee Kuan Yew — later Singapore's first Prime Minister — co-founded the firm with his wife, Mdm Kwa Geok Choo, and Mr Dennis Lee Kim Yew. The office was modest: two rooms for lawyers above a coffeeshop at 10B Malacca Street, furnished with second-hand furniture, supported by just five clerks and a messenger. Even then, Lee Kuan Yew was well known for representing trade unions in arbitration tribunals and trade negotiations, and the firm's early years centred on court litigation and conveyancing, with clients as far afield as Kuching, Sibu, Brunei Town, Jesselton (now Kota Kinabalu) and Sandakan.
In 1959, Lee Kuan Yew left the firm after the People's Action Party won the General Elections and he became Prime Minister. Mr E W Barker had by then joined, and Dennis Lee Kim Yew and Kwa Geok Choo continued leading the firm through a period of rapid growth. After 14 years on Malacca Street, Lee & Lee moved to ICB Building on Shenton Way in 1969, then to UIC Building in 1974, where it remained for 35 years — a period the firm credits with shaping many of its lawyers through mentorship and shared milestones.
Mdm Kwa Geok Choo became the firm's first consultant in 1987 after 32 years in practice; a scholarship endowed in her name at the National University of Singapore has since sent several award recipients on to train with the firm. Dennis Lee Kim Yew retired as partner in 1995 after 40 years of active practice. The firm later marked its 50th Anniversary in 2005 with the opening of new premises at Capital Tower, before a decade at Singapore Land Tower and a move in 2021 to its current home at 25 North Bridge Road, close to the Supreme Court.
In 2001, Lee & Lee entered a joint law venture with international firm Lovells. Through Lovells' subsequent mergers — first with US firm Hogan & Hartson, later with Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft — that venture evolved into what is now known as Hogan Lovells Cadwalader Lee & Lee, today the longest-surviving Joint Law Venture in Singapore. The arrangement lets Lee & Lee offer clients seamless, comprehensive advice on complex international and cross-border matters alongside its own local practice.
On 1 October 2025, Lee & Lee converted from a partnership into a Limited Liability Partnership, becoming Lee & Lee LLP. The firm today has a combined strength of over 180 lawyers, paralegals and support staff, practising across Banking & Finance, Corporate, Intellectual Property, Litigation & Dispute Resolution, Real Estate & Property, and Specialised Practices covering niche and evolving areas of law. Recent work highlighted by the firm includes advising on amendments to Singapore's Takeover Code, commentary on MAS's SFO Licensing Exemption Framework, acting as Singapore legal counsel to SAC Capital on GDS Global Limited's acquisition of Asiabuild Metal Engineering and Integrated Aluminium (up to S$30 million), and advising SG Enviro on the additional close of its Series A funding round with SEEDS.
Lee & Lee's clients include well-established family businesses, major financial institutions, publicly listed companies and multinational corporations — some relationships spanning three generations of the same family. The firm has been consistently ranked among Singapore's top law firms, including recognition in The Straits Times' Singapore's Best Law Firms 2026 (produced in collaboration with Statista) and in Chambers 2026.
Lee & Lee LLP is based at 25 North Bridge Road, Level 7, Singapore 179104. Enquiries can be made by phone or email, and the firm maintains a presence on Facebook and LinkedIn, alongside regular News & Publications updates on Singapore legal developments.