Commercial Disputes

Leading Silks

Edward Chan SC – Sir Oswald Cheung's Chambers ‘One of the best silks in Hong Kong.’

Denis Chang SC – Denis Chang’s Chambers ‘Denis is a versatile, highly experienced advocate with amazing analytical abilities and a leave-no-stone-unturned attitude.’

Victor Dawes SC – Temple Chambers ‘Victor always looks at the big picture. He is able to deliver clear and persuasive messages.’

Charles Hollander KC – Temple Chambers 'Charles is a very effective advocate. His presentation and cross-examination are top notch.'

Victor Joffe SC – Temple Chambers

Bernard Man SC – Temple Chambers

Charles Manzoni SC – Temple Chambers ‘A top counsel in Hong Kong.’

Paul Shieh SC – Temple Chambers

Clifford Smith SC – Des Voeux Chambers

Charles Sussex SC – Des Voeux Chambers

Benjamin Yu SC – Chambers of Benjamin Yu SC

Rimsky Yuen SC – Temple Chambers ‘Rimsky is a leader in the arbitration field. He is very meticulous and hands-on despite his seniority. He is very thorough in his submissions and advice.’

Barrie Barlow SC – Des Voeux Chambers

Abraham Chan SC – Temple Chambers ‘A very good advocate.’

Ambrose Ho SC – Rede Chambers ‘An excellent advocate who marries sharp commercial acumen with a thorough approach to the law. He is highly effective, and approaches matters with great precision and clarity.’

José-Antonio Maurellet SC – Des Voeux Chambers ‘An effective advocate in court. He has the respect of the bench and he is able to make attractive submissions in simple language, and walk through the most complex legal principles with ease.’

Jason Pow SC – Jason Pow SC’s Chambers

Jat Sew-Tong SC – Temple Chambers

Alexander Stock SC – Temple Chambers

Mark Strachan SC – Parkside Chambers

Robert Whitehead SC – Bernacchi Chambers

Anson Wong SC – Des Voeux Chambers ‘A capable senior counsel who is very sharp and insightful.’

Horace Wong SC – Rede Chambers ‘An all-rounded barrister in commercial disputes.’

Wong Yan-Lung SC – Temple Chambers

Jonathan Chang SC – Temple Chambers

Chua Guan-Hock SC – Des Voeux Chambers

Nigel Kat SC – Parkside Chambers 'A punchy advocate who is better than most Hong Kong barristers at being a team player.'

Richard Khaw SC – Temple Chambers

Douglas Lam SC – Des Voeux Chambers

Rachel Lam SC – Des Voeux Chambers

Laurence Li SC – Temple Chambers

Jin Pao SC – Temple Chambers

John Scott SC – Des Voeux Chambers

Eva Sit SC – Temple Chambers ‘Excellent advocacy. Excellent at conveying arguments by explaining complex law in commercial and corporate matters.’

Jenkin Suen SC – Des Voeux Chambers

2021 Silks

Law Man-Chung SC – Temple Chambers

Norman Nip SC – Rede Chambers ‘He is hands-on, easy to work with, and has a great analytical mind. Good advocacy and cross-examination in both English and Chinese.’

2022 Silks

Sara Tong SC – Temple Chambers ‘Sara is always on top of both the law and the facts of the case. She is diligent and her turnaround time is quick.’

Leading Juniors

Edward Alder – Prince's Chambers 'A go-to barrister for commercial work. He is a very measure demeanour but like a velvet hammer in court. He is definite silk material.'

Toby Brown – Parkside Chambers

Paul Carolan – Prince's Chambers 'A highly regarded senior junior counsel.'

Anthony Chan – Temple Chambers

Julian Cohen – Resolution Chambers ‘He is a fantastic advocate who is particularly skilled at cross-examination.’

Earl Deng – Denis Chang’s Chambers 'He is highly capable and sophisticated in advising on both the legal and practical aspects of different stages of commercial litigation.'

Sebastian Hughes - Prince's Chambers

John Hui – Des Voeux Chambers 'John is a very able advocate; he is quick on his feet and can make forceful and focused arguments in court. He stands out from his peers and gives you silk quality.'

Catrina Lam – Des Voeux Chambers 'Catrina is very prepared and meticulous. Her written submissions are excellent and her oral advocacy is outstanding. No weaknesses.'

Queenie Lau – Temple Chambers 'Queenie is great all round. Excellent advice work and she is clear and concise. She never fails to impress.'

Connie Lee – Des Voeux Chambers 'Connie impresses as a very able and hard-working junior with a profound knowledge of the law.'

Thomas Lee – Rede Chambers ‘Thomas is a an able and impressive advocate as well as a hard working and knowledgeable junior counsel. His performances showed no weaknesses.’

Benny Lo – Des Voeux Chambers 'Benny is a brilliant, hard working and experienced barrister. He is very accomplished on commercial matters. Both litigation and arbitration are areas in which he has vast experience.'

Frances Lok – Des Voeux Chambers

Vincent Lung – Parkside Chambers 'Vincent is very sharp on identifying legal issues and able to suggest solutions. He is also very commercial, practical and very client friendly. His advocacy is concise, to the point and focused, and at the same time, ready and able to address any queries which the judge has raised.'

Bernard Mak - Parkside Chambers

Tim Parker – Denis Chang’s Chambers ‘Tim is one of the best advocates in court. He is very intelligent and can think of arguments that other advocates do no typically cover. His arguments are highly persuasive.’

Phillip Rompotis – Prince's Chambers

Richard Yip – Denis Chang’s Chambers 'Richard is thorough in his research and analysis. He is willing to go the extra mile in formulating different case plans for clients.'

Richard Zimmern – Des Voeux Chambers

Christopher Chain – Des Voeux Chambers 'Christopher is highly effective as a senior junior counsel.'

David Chen - Des Voeux Chambers

Bonnie Cheng – Temple Chambers 'Bonnie is certainly one of the leading juniors. She is strong in her research, her critical analysis of the case, and in presenting the arguments in the most persuasive manner.'

Elizabeth Cheung – Temple Chambers 'Recommended for commercial injunctions. Elizabeth is very good and easy to deal with.'

Val Chow – Temple Chambers ‘Val is very user-friendly. He is hard-working and produces work of the highest quality.’

Robin D’Souza – Denis Chang’s Chambers ‘Robin is an eloquent advocate. He is superbly effective, pragmatic and analytical in his legal submissions.’

Justin Ho – Temple Chambers

Martin Ho – Temple Chambers 'He delivers a high standard of work.'

Sabrina Ho – Des Voeux Chambers 'Sabrina is incredibly bright and truly hard-working. She is a fantastic junior, who is extremely good with details.'

Lawrence Hui – Liberty Chambers

Kenneth Lam – Jason Pow SC’s Chambers 'Kenneth is a great advocate. He is always able to provide excellent and practical advice even when under time pressure.'

Lavesh Kirpalani - Prince's Chambers

Tony Ko – Plowman Chambers ‘Tony is definitely one of the brightest barristers around. He is extremely capable technically and knows the law very well. His presentations are polished and persuasive.’

Eugene Kwok – Prince's Chambers 'Eugene is efficient and extremely user-friendly. His knowledge of the law is thorough whilst his strategic advice is practical.'

Gary Lam – Des Voeux Chambers

Jacky Lam – Plowman Chambers ‘Jacky is an excellent junior. His written work is first class and he has a good analytical mind. He is very capable in identifying the correct issue and analysing them properly.’

Julian Lam – Temple Chambers 'Julian is a very safe pair of hands. You can entrust him with any difficult legal issue and he will give you prompt and well thought-out advice. He is also very capable as an advocate.'

Keith Lam – Temple Chambers ‘Keith is one of the best from his generation.’

Kevin Lee – Prince's Chambers ‘He is an outstanding litigator.’

Joyce Leung – Rede Chambers ‘Joyce is an all-rounded counsel with elegant yet persuasive advocacy. She is able to convey complex legal issues in a simple and straightforward manner, making it easy for a lay client to understand. She is excellent at handling complex legal disputes.’

Wilson Leung – Temple Chambers

Tara Liao – Denis Chang’s Chambers 'Tara is very detail-focused and is able to spot issues that might otherwise be easily overlooked. She is a very solid advocate and works relentlessly.'

Verna Lui – Rede Chambers

Andrew Lynn – Resolution Chambers ‘He is practical, user-friendly, hard-working, and brilliant at thinking on his feet.’

James Man – Temple Chambers 'James is extremely hard working. He pays attention to detail and is able to grasp concepts quickly. His Cantonese advocacy is particularly excellent.'

Ashok Sakhrani – Bernacchi Chambers

Clark Wang – Rede Chambers ‘He is analytical, diligent and thorough in his research and preparation.’

Patrick Siu – Des Voeux Chambers

Jeffrey Tam – Denis Chang’s Chambers ‘Jeffrey is sharp, talented and well-prepared. He provides comprehensive and quality solutions.’

Ken To – Sir Oswald Cheung's Chambers 'His advice is useful and practical and he is very efficient and diligent.'

Simon Wong – Denis Chang’s Chambers ‘Simon is very meticulous and his advocacy is very good. His advice is practical and easy to follow whilst his preparation is unquestionable.’

Thomas Wong – Denis Chang’s Chambers 'He is passionate about the law and his enthusiasm in addressing legal issues and creativity in solving problems are some of his strengths.'

James Wood – Denis Chang’s Chambers ‘James is excellent both on paper and in court. He has extensive experience and operates at silk level.’

Colin Wright – Gilt Chambers ‘He has a thorough mastery of the law. His awareness of the commercial context in which legal disputes arise is a particular strength.’

Jason Yu – Des Voeux Chambers 'Jason is very knowledgeable on company law matters. He is also responsive and always has sound, practical advice. A rising star of the commercial Bar.'

Jeffrey Chau – Parkside Chambers 'Very hardworking, extremely thorough and thoughtful with great research skills.'

Alan Kwong – Des Voeux Chambers ‘Alan is a highly effective and eloquent advocate. He provides holistic and strategic advice; he is a very well-rounded counsel.’

K.K Lau – Rede Chambers ‘K.K. has substantial experience and is a very shrewd litigator. He is very strong on strategy and he is extremely analytical.’

Jacqueline Law – Des Voeux Chambers ‘Jacqueline is very diligent and hardworking. She is a very able junior who provides valuable support.’

Andrew Mak – Sir Oswald Cheung's Chambers ‘One of the best commercial senior juniors in the field.’

Ernest Ng – Parkside Chambers 'Ernest's advocacy is of high quality; he is consistently assertive and powerful in making oral submissions; he stands out from the peers of his seniority as his legal knowledge, advocacy, tactics and client-care skills are very well-balanced.'

Ronald Pang – Pantheon Chambers ‘Ronald is an all-round counsel. He is responsive, analytical and efficient.’

Carol Wong – Sir Oswald Cheung's Chambers ‘Carol is meticulous and prompt in legal drafting. Her legal opinion is comprehensive and succinct.’

Martin Wong – Parkside Chambers 'Utterly dependable and reliable to provide sensible, measured, pragmatic and commercial advice.'

Rising Stars

Albert Chan – Sir Oswald Cheung's Chambers ‘Albert is a very capable junior. He is hard working, his research is meticulous and he has solid legal knowledge and analysis.’

Jeffrey Chau – Parkside Chambers 'Very hardworking and extremely thorough and thoughtful, with great research skills.'

Tommy Cheung – Des Voeux Chambers

Justin Ismail – Rede Chambers ‘Justin is eloquent and effective. His delivery is precise and persuasive. Backed with thorough research, he is always able to present a case at its best.’

Tom Ng – Des Voeux Chambers

Roger Phang – Rede Chambers ‘Roger is eloquent, logical and commercially savvy. He has a sharp mind and a great ability to think on his feet.’

Cherry Xu – Des Voeux Chambers ‘Cherry is analytical, thorough and adopts a practical approach. She is very industrious, and her advocacy is persuasive.’

Anson Wong Yu Yat – Denis Chang’s Chambers ‘Anson is intelligent, detail-oriented and practical. He is highly capable of analysing and deconstructing complicated legal issues.’

Commercial disputes in Hong Kong Bar

Tier 1 sets

Temple Chambers

Temple Chambers is revered in the field of commercial disputes, described as ‘undoubtedly the top set in Hong Kong’ and featuring ‘a wide bench of talents at all levels’. From the senior counsel, Alexander Stock SC is leading an ongoing high-value professional negligence claim in Asia-Pac Infrastructure Development Ltd v Shearman & Sterling. The case considers and applies the doctrines of maintenance and champerty in the context of assignment of causes of action. Abraham Chan SC is leading a high-value dispute over property development and joint-venture obligations. The set is bolstered by leading silk Charles Hollander KC who enjoys a reputation as a ‘hugely experienced practitioner’ and shares dual tenancy with London-based Brick Court Chambers. Turning to the set’s juniors, Queenie Lau is acting in the substantial audit negligence claim China Medical Technologies, Inc. (in liquidation) & Or v KPMG where the liquidators of China Medical Technologies have alleged severe negligence on the part of KPMG in their audit work - the Caymanian company collapsed in 2012, defaulting on US$426m of bond debt, allegedly as a result of fraud on the part of the company's CEO.

Testimonials

‘One of the go-to sets for commercial disputes.’

‘Their counsel produces excellent work.’

‘Strength at all levels.’

‘The counsel are very hard working and highly sought after. The leading counsel are probably the strongest in Hong Kong.’

‘The set is the strongest in Hong Kong.’

‘One of the most prominent civil chambers in Hong Kong. It has reliable and competent counsel at different levels of seniority.’

Work highlights

Tier 2 sets

Des Voeux Chambers

Des Voeux Chambers is notable for being strong across the board, but have particular prestige in commercial disputes. Catrina Lam is regularly instructed in the area, and has undertaken several high-value and complex cases. Connie Lee was led by José-Antonio Maurellet SC in the high-value and challenging case Industrial Bank. Co. Ltd v. Richcrown International Industries Ltd & Ors. The matter pertained to a high-value claim by a Chinese national bank, and a related action to set aside the share charge over the controlling stake of a Hong Kong Listco; it involved complex legal issues regarding the legality of the securities. Elsewhere from the juniors, Benny Lo , as lead advocate, saw a successful application to dismiss a claim for legal fees in George Y C Mok & Co v New Land Properties Development Ltd & Anr on the grounds that the firm did not write down its fee terms.

Testimonials

‘A leading commercial set.’

‘They have a pool of very able junior counsel who can readily provide assistance in all sorts of cases.’

‘A top civil set in Hong Kong who dominate the market.’

Tier 3 sets

Denis Chang’s Chambers

Denis Chang’s Chambers is home to numerous high-quality commercial practitioners. From the senior counsel, head-of-chambers Denis Chang SC continues to act for the company’s former director in the long-running against China Gas Ltd, in the consolidated action Xu Ying v China Gas Co. Ltd. & Others – the case involves issues regarding contractual duties and different economic torts. Representing the juniors, Jeffrey Tam acted on behalf of the applicant in Re Grand Cartel Securities Company Limited, a case concerning a securities broker which had ceased operations due to the pandemic; 113 clients failed to retrieve their securities and assets – the court found that the applicant had discharged its positive duty to contact clients about the return of their assets and allowed the applicants application to pay into the court the unclaimed client assets.

Testimonials

‘Members of Denis Chang’s Chambers have taken on many complex and high-profiled disputes of substantial value.’

‘The chambers now has a strong presence in areas of complicated commercial disputes. The barristers are generally very responsive and helpful.’

‘Denis Chang’s Chambers is well reputed.’

‘An established and traditional set.’

‘The chambers is one of the most reputable sets in Hong Kong.’

‘The set offers many competent counsels.’

Parkside Chambers

At the senior end of Parkside Chambers, Mark Strachan SC is acting in the ongoing case Zhao Long (& ors) v Berpu Technology Co, Limited (& ors) which regards parallel proceedings in the British Virgin Islands and Hong Kong over the ownership of high-value shares, raising questions of the enforcement of foreign judgments. Turning to the set’s juniors, Toby Brown acted for the petitioner in winding up proceedings in the case Re Up Energy Development Group Ltd, a case considered Hong Kong’s approach to winding up in concurrent jurisdictions.

Testimonials

‘A very good chambers.’

‘Great set of chambers with outstanding market leaders in their respective field, brimming with quality and expertise.’

‘The set has a few good individuals who will likely take silk in the near future.’

Prince's Chambers

Prince's Chambers is a reputable and experienced set, possessing a range of barristers who receive regular instruction in commercial litigation. From the silks, Jeremy Bartlett SC maintains his notable commercial practice and is acting in the ongoing litigation concerning a large-scale development Re Yifung Developments Ltd as he represents the financier of the project. Representing the juniors, Sebastian Hughes worked on an application to enforce People’s Republic of China judgments against a guarantor of bank loans in China NPL Holdings PTE LTD v Mo Haidan & Ors - the matter involves a Mareva injunction against a guarantor.

Rede Chambers

Established in 2022 with primarily former members of Sir Oswald Cheung's Chambers, Rede Chambers is home to both considerable talent and a wealth of experience in commercial disputes. At the senior end, Ambrose Ho SC led Roger Phang in Chow Tai Fook Nominee Limited v Diamond City Limited, a dispute over loans from a Hong Kong company to a British Virgin Islands one, originally set up to purchase shares in SinoForest, which in 2011 collapsed after being described by Muddy Waters as ‘a multi-billion dollar Ponzi scheme‘. Horace Wong SC is leading an ongoing and complex case that evaluated the scope for making tortious claims against a foreign defendant in Fong Chak Kwan v Employees Compensation Assistance Fund Board and others. From the juniors, Clark Wang is working on Daimler AG v Herbert Heinz Horst Leiduck and Anor, which considers the international sale of goods and involves issues of fraud and Mareva injunctions.

Testimonials

‘Members of Rede Chambers have ample experience in the field of commercial disputes.’

‘A set of up-and-coming chambers.’

‘A good mix of more senior counsel as well as a number of up-and-coming juniors who have good experience.’

Sir Oswald Cheung's Chambers

Sir Oswald Cheung's Chambers enjoys status as ‘one of the most reputable sets of chambers in Hong Kong’. Edward Chan is regularly instructed in high-value and high-profile disputes. The juniors are active also, with Albert Chan being praised for his ability to ‘compose strong and powerful legal submissions’ .

Testimonials

‘A set with a long and prestigious history.’

‘Well-established reputation both as a group and in terms of individual counsel.’

‘Considerable strength in trial advocacy and handling complex civil matters.’

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