Khor Xiou Shan (Valen) is an accomplished Advocate & Solicitor of the High Court of Malaya with over 17 years of experience in legal practice. She specialises in construction, infrastructure, and engineering industries, where she is recognised for her strategic, practical, and commercially attuned legal advice.
Valen’s practice spans the full spectrum of dispute resolution, including litigation, mediation, adjudication, and arbitration. She has been empanelled as an Adjudicator with the Asian International Arbitration Centre (AIAC) since 2017. She has an active adjudication practice, regularly acting for both claimants and respondents in adjudications. In addition, she is frequently appointed to sit as Adjudicator to hear matters under the Construction Industry Payment and Adjudication Act 2012 (CIPAA), reflecting the confidence placed in her independence and technical competence.
Valen is also an Accredited Mediator with the Malaysian International Mediation Centre and is a Notary Public, appointed in 2025. These accreditations, empanelment, and appointments collectively reflect her professional standing, credibility, and commitment to upholding high standards of legal integrity and corporate governance.
In addition to contentious work, Valen advises on risk management, dispute avoidance, and contract administration for complex domestic and international projects. She regularly negotiates and drafts sophisticated commercial agreements, including joint venture and shareholder agreements, partnership arrangements, sub-contracts, consultancy agreements, and operation and maintenance agreements. She provides legal and technical support throughout the entire project lifecycle, from procurement and design stages to contract administration and dispute management. Valen is highly familiar with standard form contracts issued by the Institution of Engineers Malaysia (IEM), Pertubuhan Akitek Malaysia (PAM), and the Malaysian government’s Public Works Department (PWD).
Complementing her core construction practice, Valen frequently advises on non-contentious corporate and commercial matters, particularly in the mining and extractive industries. Her experience includes advising clients involved in mineral extraction, sand mining, and timber operations, where regulatory compliance, governance, and commercial structuring are critical.
Valen established a strong foundation in civil and commercial litigation early in her career at a prominent law firm in Kuala Lumpur, where she handled a wide range of complex disputes. In 2016, she established her own practice and quickly gained recognition as a skilled and reliable practitioner within the Malaysian legal landscape. In June 2023, Valen joined forces with AmerBON, a strategic move that expanded her professional reach and strengthened her ability to deliver integrated legal solutions to clients across multiple sectors.
Beyond her core civil and corporate practice, Valen has also contributed to human rights and labour-related matters, enriching her perspective on governance, compliance, and business responsibility. This breadth of experience enables her to advise clients with a balanced understanding of legal, regulatory, and rights-based considerations.
Valen, who leads AmerBON’s Real Estate and Construction practice, has been quoted in The Legal 500 Asia-Pacific 2024 under the Real Estate and Construction (Malaysia) category as a seasoned and accomplished construction lawyer specialising in construction, infrastructure, and engineering matters. Her team is praised for its steadfast commitment to providing personalised service, and clients note that she is highly experienced in construction disputes and exceptionally helpful, successfully resolving multiple construction-related cases. In the Dispute Resolution (Malaysia) category, she is recognised as a very professional and dedicated lawyer, celebrated for her passion and ability to solve problems effectively for her clients.
