Russell Bennett > Tanner De Witt > Hong Kong, Hong Kong > Lawyer Profile

Tanner De Witt
17TH FLOOR, TOWER ONE, LIPPO CENTRE,
89 QUEENSWAY,
HONG KONG
Hong Kong

Work Department

Employment

Position

Partner, Head of Employment

Career

Russell is Head of our highly awarded Employment Practice having joined the firm in 2003. Recognised by Chambers Asia Pacific as a “good technical lawyer” and a “safe pair of hands with regard to financial services clients”, Russell has extensive experience acting for both employers and employees across a wide range of sectors, with particular emphasis on high-value employment disputes in the financial sector, notably winning a landmark Hong Kong Court of Appeal judgment on employment law in 2020.

Russell advises on all aspects of employment law, termination entitlements, post-termination restrictions, bonuses, discrimination, harassment, drafting employment contracts, handbooks and other HR related policies and documentation. This includes all matters relating to contentious employment law and litigation in the Labour Tribunal, District Court and High Court. Russell also advises on immigration, health and safety and related criminal investigations and prosecutions. Russell also frequently advises on pro bono causes, specifically in relation to the protection of pregnant migrant workers.

Russell is involved in all aspects of litigation advice and procedures relating to proceedings to trial, summary judgment and seeking and opposing injunctive relief. This includes the enforcement of post-termination restrictions by injunctions, international jurisdictional disputes and Magistrate Court proceedings.

Russell acts for regulated individuals, brokerages, private equity funds, independent financial advisers and groups within the wider financial services and insurance industries on regulatory and compliance matters including licensing matters and dealing with and defending clients during Securities and Futures Commission (SFC), Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) and the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) investigations and prosecutions. He advises clients on issues surrounding direct marketing of regulated financial products and instruments, Collective Investment Schemes (CIS), the facilitation of trades and on ‘naked’ or ‘uncovered’ short selling as regulated by the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKEX).

Russell has also been involved in the conduct of several successful mediations of employment disputes relating to disputed termination, discrimination and harassment claims and stock option entitlements.

Memberships

Professional memberships

  • American Bar Association (ABA)
  • The Lawyers International Network for Employees and Executives (LINEE)
  • The Law Society of Hong Kong

Other memberships

  • China Club
  • Hong Kong Cricket Club
  • Hong Kong Football Club

Lawyer Rankings

Hong Kong > Labour and employment

(Leading individuals)

Russell Bennett – Tanner De Witt

Tanner De Witt provides ‘smart, pragmatic, and actionable advice’ to a diverse array of clients, including multinational corporates, SMEs, and public sector bodies, encompassing employment documentation, terminations, suspected breaches, and investigations into discrimination and sexual harassment. The team is highly experienced in Hong Kong employment law and often receives referrals from other law firms and clients seeking expertise for due diligence exercises and various employment-related matters. Leading the practice is the ‘smart and incisive’ Russell Bennett, who with his previous tenure in the financial services regulatory industry is frequently sought after by clients from this sector seeking employment expertise in regulatory matters.