The Legal 500 > Asia Pacific > Hong Kong > Dispute resolution: litigation

In the words of one client, Clifford Chance's litigation team is 'probably the strongest in Hong Kong', providing clients with 'incredible support and sound advice'. The firm's expertise spans a wide spectrum of contentious matters and the practice reports an uptick in disputes involving trusts and wealth management. The group continues to act for a major UK financial institution regarding its discovery of an internal fraudulent scheme, resulting in the misappropriation of approximately $30m from the accounts of customers and the bank, which had been taking place for over 15 years. Brian Gilchrist and Elaine Chen have moved to Gibson Dunn.

Cynthia Tang heads up the litigation practice at Baker McKenzie, which handles the full spread of disputes and contentious work for a client base made up of high-profile individuals, investment banks, asset management companies, financial institutions and charities. Tang is highly regarded for her expertise in financial services regulatory enforcement litigation; Bryan Ng advises on commercial disputes and insolvency-related matters; Anthony Poon stands out for his extensive experience in corporate disputes and insurance litigation.

Chris Dobby and Mark Lin head up the team at Hogan Lovells. The firm reports an uptick in contentious insolvency mandates and has also been handling cyber fraud and judicial review work. Senior associate Byron Philips is also singled out. Allan Leung moved to Dentons Hong Kong in May 2019.

At Mayer Brown, the team continues to act for DBS Bank on a long-running $50m mis-selling claim brought against the bank by its customers; this is the only reported claim of its kind in Hong Kong, arising from the collapse of Lehman Brothers involving a trust structure. John Hickin heads up the practice; financial services regulatory expert Alan Linning and Nicholas Hunsworth are key names. Vivien Yip made partner in January 2019 and Raymond Chan was made-up in November 2019.

Norton Rose Fulbright's litigation team has 'a good reputation in the industry'. The group has been kept busy advising private individuals on a range of contentious matters, including defamation and settlements of estates, and also acts for corporations from a range of industries in cases such as breach of fiduciary duties, restructuring, fraud, and misappropriation of assets. Camille Jojo heads up the team, which includes commercial litigator Alfred Wu. Of counsel Michael Chik has left the firm.

Deacons' practice head Joseph Kwan is an expert in high-profile commercial litigation, and is also very experienced in assisting high-net-worth families with asset distribution disputes. The team is acting for DP World Djibouti FZCO, along with two companies within the UAE DP World Group, in a claim against port builder China Merchants Group for allegedly inducing the breach of DP World’s port concession agreement with Djibouti. Carmen Ng and Robert Clark are names to note.

Debevoise & Plimpton LLP has a solid reputation for handling cross-border litigation, particularly within other Asian jurisdictions, including China, Indonesia, and Singapore. Financial institutions are prominent in the team's client base,  including high-net-worth individuals, asset managers, investment banks, and private equity firms. Mark Johnson, Lord Peter Goldsmith and Gareth Hughes are the names to note. In 2019 associate Allison Lau joined from Ashurst.

The 'very strong and very responsive' team at DLA Piper is led by Kevin Chan and Harris Chan. Recent work includes advising John Manners and Company on defending a Hong Kong Court action brought by the directors on allegations they were wrongfully removed from their positions. Satpal Gobindpuri is very experienced in corporate disputes. Senior associate KC Tai and associate Benjamin Ng are also noted.

King & Wood Mallesons' 'very commercial and dedicated' team is noted for its extensive expertise in construction and infrastructure disputes, and also handles cases of cyber fraud, alleged misconduct and securities and restructuring disputes. Paul Starr heads up the practice; Barbara Chiu, Rachel Yu, who recently joined from Herbert Smith Freehills, and Edmund Wan are key contacts.

Ivan Ng heads up the litigation team at Stephenson Harwood, which acted for Dan Form International (DFIL) and its major shareholder in a dispute with Grassmere, a minority shareholder in the company, after Grassmere commenced winding-up proceedings against DFIL in the British Virgin Islands.

Tanner De Witt's 'very user-friendly' team provides 'no-nonsense advice', and is 'very strong on shareholder and listed company disputes'. Other areas of instruction for the group include cyber fraud, contentious insolvency cases, and high-value commercial fraud matters. Mark Side stands out for his 'fantastic knowledge'; he leads the team with Jeff Lane and Pamela Mak. 

Wilkinson & Grist counts contentious probate matters and shareholders’ disputes as core strengths. The team continues to represent a private client in a dispute with his siblings regarding the estate of the late tycoon, Henry Fok Ying Tung. Keith Ho is the name to note.

Keith Brandt heads up Dentons Hong Kong's litigation practice, which was significantly bolstered with the arrival of Richard Keady, Robert Rhoda, and associate James Wong from Bird & Bird in 2018, and former Hogan Lovells partner Allan Leung in May 2019. The team is notably strong in advising on disputes within the financial services, aviation, life sciences, technology, energy, and communications sectors.

The 'highly responsive and knowledgeable' Mark Yeadon heads up the practice at Eversheds Sutherland. The 'dedicated' team provides 'reliable and effective advice' on a wide range of matters, including commercial disputes, financial litigation and contentious regulatory cases. In the case of the latter, telecom disputes have been prominent in the group's recent workload. Rachael Shek is a name to note.

Boutique litigation firm Gall houses a 'savvy and experienced team that is plugged into the needs of the local market and clients'. Practice head Nick Gall is well known for his expertise in handling international asset tracing litigation and multi-jurisdictional fraud. The team continues to represent one of the most prominent business women in China, Zhang Lan, in a $300m dispute with CVC Capital Partners regarding CVC’s acquisition of an indirect majority shareholding in the client's South Beauty chain of restaurants. Chris Wong is 'highly responsive, user-friendly and has an excellent sense of his clients' core concerns and objectives', and Evelyn Chan is 'hardworking and detail-oriented'.

At Howse Williams, the team counts commercial, corporate, regulatory, healthcare and clinical negligence litigation among its areas of expertise; the client base includes medical professionals, private hospitals and private and internationally-listed companies, to name a few. Name partner Chris Howse is a key contact.

Catherine Palmer heads up the team at Latham & Watkins LLP. Recent instructions for the group include shareholders and directors' disputes, fraud, contentious insolvency matters, and commercial litigation. Catherine McBride is noted for her expertise in regulatory disputes. In 2019 Simon Powell left to set up an independent practice.

The team at Simmons & Simmons is acting for Hong Kong Airlines in an ongoing High Court action concerning shareholders' litigation, involving allegations of misconduct. Marc Thorley heads up the practice, which also regularly acts for financial institutions in a range of contentious work, including insolvency litigation.

The 'very dedicated' team at Hill Dickinson Hong Kong is jointly led by Damien Laracy and Bryan O’Hare. The practice is especially strong in international trade and commodities disputes, shipping litigation, and insolvency-related cases.