Timothy is an international arbitration barrister. He represents clients in arbitrations under the rules of the leading arbitral institutions with a focus on investment disputes in a wide range of sectors and across jurisdictions in Asia such as Vietnam, Indonesia, India and China. He has particular experience in complex joint venture and shareholder disputes, cases involving energy and natural resources, entertainment and media, and transportation. Timothy is also frequently appointed as sole, presiding and emergency arbitrator by arbitral institutions, fellow arbitrators and parties.
Timothy is consistently recognised as a leading individual, most recently by Chambers Asia-Pacific (2022) for Dispute Resolution: Arbitration – Singapore and by The Legal 500 Asia Pacific (2021) for International Arbitration. He has been recognised as a Litigation Star for International Arbitration and Dispute Resolution by Benchmark Litigation every year since 2017.
He is the author of the leading Singapore arbitration book, International Arbitration in Singapore: Legislation and Materials (Sweet & Maxwell, 2018), which has been cited with approval by the Singapore Courts and is independently reviewed as “an impressive comprehensive guide to the law and practice of international arbitration in Singapore”, “learned, succinct, and absolutely to the point” and “an invaluable resource” whose “breadth of coverage is truly remarkable”.
The Legal 500 Asia Pacific (2022) says: “Timothy Cooke is a pleasure to work with. Wide and deep experience in many sectors. Over-arching expertise in arbitration, particularly in the region, but also more widely. Someone who can be relied on for difficult and complex assignments.” and “Timothy Cooke is a superb international arbitrator.”
Chambers & Partners (Global 2021) says “Timothy Cooke is commended for his writing skills, which are said to be ‘succinct, to the point and very astute.’” and he also "smooths everything down and gets to what's important in the case."
The Legal 500 Asia Pacific (2020) says: “Timothy Cooke is brilliant. He assimilates information and facts quickly and has a sound understanding of arbitration rules and procedures. He produces succinct responses, is very handson and engages directly with client.”
The Legal 500 Asia Pacific (2019) describes Timothy as “a top practitioner ... [he] is a barrister by background and ‘an outstanding advocate’ who ‘is particularly suited to complex arbitration issues’ and ‘masters his brief thoroughly’”. The team is “extremely responsive”, “impresses with its strategic thinking and guidance”, and is “cost effective”.
Chambers & Partners reports that Timothy Cooke “is loved by clients for his no-nonsense approach. ” and “Clients say [he] is technically excellent and a stellar performer on his feet in front of arbitration panels and court benches in Singapore.” Market sources comment positively on his “measured advocacy style”, adding: “He knows his cases and doesn’t get flustered. He comes highly recommended for disputes in the offshore and onshore energy sectors.”
