Denis Chang’s Chambers > Hong Kong, Hong Kong > Firm Profile

Denis Chang’s Chambers Offices

Denis Chang’s Chambers
9th Floor, One Lippo Centre
89 Queensway
Admiralty
Hong Kong
Visit website +852 2810 7222 +852 2845 0439

Denis Chang’s Chambers > The Legal 500 Rankings

Hong Kong Bar > Administrative and public law Tier 1

Denis Chang’s Chambers is a ‘reputable set of chambers in Hong Kong‘, and among the preeminent sets for high-profile and significant administrative and public law work. It is home to Hectar Pun SC, who is active across a range of judicial review applications, and his client base is broad, representing institutional clients and individuals. Of recent note, Pun SC acted for the appellants in Q and Tse v Commissioner of Registration, a case regarding the refusal of the Commissioner of Registration to amend the gender markers on a transgender person’s Hong Kong identity card away from that of their sex recorded at birth. Administrative and public law specialist Earl Deng is also a key member of the team. Paul Harris SC departed chambers in June 2023 – he is now at Cornwall Street Chambers in Birmingham.

Rising Stars

Andrew Christopher Lau – Denis Chang’s Chambers 'Andrew is a very hardworking barrister with outstanding advocacy and drafting skills. As a former journalist, he is particularly good at presenting his arguments in a logical way, making his written and oral submissions convincing and easy to understand, and he is also well-known for being good at explaining the most difficult and complex legal principles and cases in the most straightforward and practical way so that the clients would be able to comprehend them easily.'
Geoffrey Yeung – Denis Chang’s Chambers 'Geoffrey is a junior of the highest calibre. His research skills are excellent and he prepares meticulously, always spotting and addressing effectively the critical issues in a case.'

Leading Silks

Hectar Pun SC – Denis Chang’s Chambers ‘Hectar always delivers high-quality advice in a short amount of time. He conducts clear and concise advocacy, thinks quickly on his feet, and can always answer questions from the bench impressively.’

Leading Juniors

Jeffrey Tam – Denis Chang’s Chambers 'Jeffrey is a passionate and fearless advocate who always fights for clients in the most difficult and complicated cases. He always makes good judgement calls.'
Earl Deng – Denis Chang’s Chambers 'Earl is strong in thinking outside the box while being comprehensive in his legal research, and one can often rely on him for exhausting remedies for a client. He is a first-class public lawyer.'
Anson Wong Yu Yat – Denis Chang’s Chambers ‘Anson has deep knowledge of the law with great attention to detail and he cuts through issues with ease. He is a brilliant mind with incomparable work and he is excellent to work with.’

Testimonials

‘Denis Chang’s Chambers is a legendary set, with its barristers frequently appearing in high-profile disputes before the Court of Final Appeal. It is the set to go to for any client challenging administrative decisions.’

‘Denis Chang’s Chambers is well-known for its strong practice in public law matters. With its leading silks and strong senior-juniors, as well as young members, Denis Chang’s Chambers remains to be one of the leading and most well-known chambers in town.’

‘Denis Chang’s Chambers is a strong set which renders a wide spectrum of legal service.’

‘Denis Chang’s Chambers is one of, if not the, leading public law set in Hong Kong.’

‘Denis Chang’s Chambers is a reputable set of chambers in Hong Kong, with an emphasis on public law matters.’

‘Denis Chang’s Chambers has barristers specialising in all of the key practice areas in Hong Kong. It is also singled out as the only set of chambers in Hong Kong that maintains a pre-eminent public law practice alongside a commercial dispute resolution practice.’

‘Denis Chang’s Chambers is a first port of call on the applicant side of judicial reviews.’

‘Denis Chang’s Chambers offers a variety of counsel and there is always the most satisfactory of collaboration. A distinct feature is that they have counsel experienced in administrative law and continue attracting like-minds, which has become rarer these days.’

Work highlights

Hong Kong Bar > Competition Tier 1

Denis Chang’s Chambers boasts an established and highly experienced competition law team. The set is home to Carter Chim, who specialises in competition law and advises both public and private individuals; he represented the respondents in Competition Commission v Multisoft Limited & Ors, the first case in Hong Kong to consider the alleged abuse of a government-sponsored subsidy programme following the discovery of unusual bidding patterns throughout its procurement process.

Leading Juniors

Carter Chim – Denis Chang’s Chambers ‘Carter is a leading specialist in competition law in Hong Kong and is known for his deep legal knowledge in EU and Hong Kong competition law. He is a very collaborative and effective communicator, he gives pragmatic advice that addresses commercial realities and client sensitivities, and his persuasive style and ability to distill complex legal concepts into accessible language make him a compelling advocate.’

Testimonials

‘Denis Chang’s Chambers is a strong set overall, with a number of barristers being involved in competition cases in Hong Kong.’

‘The set offers webinars and other training programmes for solicitors and in-house counsel.’

Work highlights

Hong Kong Bar > Labour and employment Tier 1

Denis Chang’s Chambers is praised as ‘one of the most renowned chambers in Hong Kong‘, and its employment and personal injury practice boasts sought after counsel who frequently represent large companies, organisations, and high-profile individuals in proceedings before the Labour Tribunal. Simon Wong acts for both employers and employees, and his broad practice encompasses employment contract disputes, employees’ entitlement mandates, and accidents at work claims. Earl Deng is skilled at handling discrimination matters, as well as constructive dismissal cases, misconduct issues, and immigration-related employment mandates. Deng represented the plaintiff in Kamalawathi v Ng Fan Ying, a case concerning a foreign domestic helper who suffered from paranoia and hallucinations resulting in hospitalisation after being forced to work excessive hours in locations outside of her contracted premises. Rising star Flora Lam is also of note, and she specialises in personal injury cases.

Rising Stars

Flora Lam – Denis Chang’s Chambers ‘Flora is very detail-oriented and creative in formulating legal arguments. As for advocacy, she can make good use of the evidence to strengthen her client’s case and to impress the judges.’

Leading Juniors

Earl Deng – Denis Chang’s Chambers 'Earl is strong in thinking outside the box while being comprehensive in his legal research, avoiding the risk of tunnel vision in the field, which often hampers effectiveness of some public interest lawyers. Because of his research skills and comprehensiveness, he is a brilliant junior.'
Simon Wong – Denis Chang’s Chambers 'Simon is very thorough and a very safe pair of hands. He is very responsive and always meet deadlines, he has a practical approach and always helps to find solutions before advising clients to go to trial, and his advocacy skills are excellent.'

Testimonials

‘Denis Chang’s Chambers offers very comprehensive legal services and has a wide array of talents. A true one-stop shop for litigants.’

‘Denis Chang’s Chambers is a very established and well-known chambers, and one of the most renowned chambers in Hong Kong. They also have a culture of nurturing young barristers.’

‘The members of the Denis Chang’s Chambers offer a wide variety of expertise.’

‘Denis Chang’s Chambers is an outstanding set with a number of very experienced and reputable counsel. Their counsel are friendly and of very high standards.’

‘Denis Chang’s Chambers are certainly an outstanding set for employment disputes. It houses many capable junior counsel.’

‘A reliable set for employment matters.’

‘First-tier chambers.’

‘They are helpful and knowledgeable in employment law. They also offer useful newsfeeds.’

Hong Kong Bar > Commercial disputes Tier 2

Denis Chang’s Chambers is ‘one of the strongest chambers in Hong Kong’ and it ‘houses many great commercial litigators’. Head of chambers Denis Chang SC has a notable record of high-profile and complex commercial disputes, and he continues to act in the case of Xu Ying v China Gas Co, which concerns the inter-relationship between contractual rights and duties and different economic torts and directors' duties. Simon Wong is a reputable senior junior who frequently handles high-value shareholder, banking, and contractual disputes with cross-border elements, while Richard Yip specialises in commercial litigation, with particular expertise in disputes concerning listed companies. Yip acted in the case of ZS Capital Fund SPC & Ors v Astor Asset Management and Zundiao Securities Limited, which concerned an injunction following the defendants' alleged selling of pledged shares on the market without the required authorisation from the plaintiffs.

Rising stars

Jason Ko - Denis Chang’s Chambers 'Jason pays attention to detail, is passionate about his work, and participates in every step of the proceedings, including advising on overall strategy and following closely on parties' correspondence. He is responsible and takes initiative to remind clients of the relevant deadlines and upcoming procedures, and he also cares a lot about the quality of his work and pays attention to detail.'

Leading Silks

Denis Chang SC – Denis Chang’s Chambers ‘Denis is conscientious and diligent in his case preparation with eyes on details, and despite his seniority, he is still very hands-on and would never ever leave a stone unturned. When he is on his feet in court, he is extremely eloquent, and always addresses the questions raised by the bench straight to the point.’

Leading Juniors

Earl Deng – Denis Chang’s Chambers ‘Earl is meticulous and detailed, conscientious and hard working, able to communicate in a non-professional language with lay clients, sees issues from lay client’s perspective, and succinctly sums up his advice in conference. His speaking style is courteous and his overall advocacy manner very much styled along the English bar tradition.'
Richard Yip – Denis Chang’s Chambers ‘Richard is solid in legal knowledge and advocacy. He has courage to put forward the case of his client, but at the same time, he is not pushy.'
Tara Liao – Denis Chang’s Chambers ‘Tara is a very safe pair of hands. She is extremely industrious and her work is consistently of a very high quality.’
Thomas Wong – Denis Chang’s Chambers 'Thomas is incredibly smart and hard working, and also incredibly responsive. He quickly grasps the essential features of a case, his written and oral advocacy are both excellent, and clients love him and often don't see the need to instruct a silk if Thomas is handling the matter.'
Jeffrey Tam – Denis Chang’s Chambers ‘Jeffrey is very knowledgeable with good researching skills. He has good interpersonal skills, which enables him to deal efficiently with the client, and he is focused on his work and will also be approachable if there are any questions from the solicitors or the clients.’
Simon Wong – Denis Chang’s Chambers ‘Simon is an impressive senior junior who is very client friendly. He is capable of dissecting complex legal issues and presenting them to lay clients in a simple and straightforward manner.'
Anson Wong Yu Yat – Denis Chang’s Chambers ‘Anson is very comprehensive and creative in his research and very meticulous in his written work. His strength lies in his refusal to give up and his insistence in trying to find solutions around problems or obstacles to his client's case.'

Testimonials

‘Denis Chang’s Chambers includes various seniority of barristers who practice in a wide range of areas of law. Also, they organise seminars for practitioners which are helpful to the legal profession.’

‘A wide range of competent counsel available. Many high flyers and rising stars.’

‘Denis Chang’s Chambers is a legendary set for its civil rights practice, with its barristers frequently appearing in high-profile disputes before the Court of Final Appeal.’

‘Denis Chang’s Chambers is a well-established set of chambers, and it is a well-respected civil set of chambers.’

‘Denis Chang’s Chambers is one of the strongest chambers in Hong Kong and they offer one-stop solutions to solicitors in Hong Kong in every possible legal issue a solicitor may be engaged with in their practice.’

‘Denis Chang’s Chambers houses many great commercial litigators.’

‘Denis Chang’s Chambers is one of the best in town. It is regarded as a leading chambers in commercial law.’

‘A reputable set of Chambers.’

Hong Kong Bar > Family and private client

Rising stars

Vivien Leung – Denis Chang’s Chambers ‘Vivien has a strong presence in court and does not shy away from a battle. She has never been intimidated by an opponent or witness and she is meticulous, having covered the key points in cross-examinations and re-examinations.’

Leading Juniors

Hong Kong Bar > Regulatory, investigations and crime

Rising stars

Jason Ko – Denis Chang’s Chambers ‘Jason is an all-rounded barrister that you can always count on to provide practical and solid advice to lay clients. He is an excellent advocate in Chinese and English, his presentation is calm, clear, and persuasive, and he is able to get a good reading of the judge’s approach and can think on his feet accordingly.’
Andrew Christopher Lau – Denis Chang’s Chambers ‘Andrew has very strong written and advocacy skills in criminal and regulatory matters. As a young practitioner, he always shows confidence when he conducts trials as a defence lawyer, and his confidence is based on his excellent cross-examination skills and familiarity with legal principles.’

Leading Juniors

Randy Shek – Denis Chang’s Chambers ‘Randy's advocacy is of a high quality; he is a passionate defence counsel who always fights for clients till the end. He stands out from his peers.'

Denis Chang’s Chambers > Firm Profile

Denis Chang’s Chambers (“DCC”) was established in 1978 by a young Denis Chang in Prince’s Building directly across from the Old Supreme Court, three years before he took silk and joined the ranks of the distinguished leaders of the practising Bar.

True to Denis’s vision, DCC is today recognised as a modern and progressive set committed to legal excellence, justice, and the rule of law. We currently have 55 members including 5 silks and are in a growth pattern.  Our strong portfolio of barristers has collectively and individually contributed not only to the development of DCC, but also towards the legal fabric of the Common Law world and the jurisprudence of One Country Two Systems.

Over the past decades DCC has nurtured many talents, some of whom have taken silk while others have gone on to join the judiciary or academia.  Our members comprise generalists as well as specialists in a wide spectrum of disciplines that encompass (in alphabetical order): Administrative and Constitutional Law (including Human Rights), Arbitration and Mediation, Chinese Customary Law, Commercial Law, Company Law, Competition Law, Criminal Law, Family Law, Insolvency Law and Restructuring, Insurance Law, Land and Property Law, Personal Injuries, Probate and Administration, Public and Private International Law, Tax Law, Tort Law and Trust and Equity.

Today we occupy about 20,000 square feet of state-of-the-art premises at One Lippo Centre, on the entire 9th floor (with an Annex on the 43rd Floor), directly opposite the High Court.  In line with modern insights and in the best traditions of the Bar we continue our efforts to nurture young talents at DCC through our “Catalyst” programme which includes new infrastructure, resources, and an internal understudy programme to accommodate pupils who meet Chambers’ standards of excellence in intellectual ability, advocacy and professional ethics.

As DCC enters its fifth decade we remain committed to the ideals of upholding the rule of law without fear or favour and with integrity and conviction.