Jonathan Chan > Des Voeux Chambers > Hong Kong, Hong Kong > Lawyer Profile
Des Voeux Chambers Offices
38/F Gloucester Tower
The Landmark
Central, Hong Kong
Hong Kong
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Jonathan Chan
Career
Jonathan joined Des Voeux Chambers in 2015. He has a broad civil and commercial practice, with an emphasis on construction, company, insolvency, bankruptcy, competition, trusts and land matters. He regularly appears in the Court of First Instance and the Court of Appeal, both in his own right and as junior counsel, and routinely receives instructions for advisory work.
Recent highlights of Jonathan’s work include: acting as junior counsel in Re L & A International Holdings Ltd [2020] 4 HKLRD 544, the landmark Court of Appeal decision on the jurisdictional limits under sections 728-730 of the Companies Ordinance (Cap. 622); appearing as junior counsel in Re China Solar Energy Holdings Ltd (No. 2) [2018] 2 HKLRD 338, the leading authority on provisional liquidators’ restructuring powers; and representing the defendant as junior counsel in Taching Petroleum Co Ltd v Meyer Aluminium Ltd [2018] 2 HKLRD 1284, the first decision of the Hong Kong Court dealing with contravention of a competition conduct rule being raised as a defence to a civil claim.
Jonathan also has a growing construction practice in court proceedings and arbitration. He has been instructed in disputes arising out of major infrastructure, high-value residential property development as well as domestic building projects, and has gained experiences in claims relating to defective design, workmanship issues, variations, termination, delay and liquidated damages. His recent notable cases include acting as junior counsel in The Commission of Inquiry into the Construction Works at and near the Hung Hom Station Extension under the Shatin to Central Link Project, a high-profile public inquiry which is expected to have a profound impact on the construction industry in Hong Kong.
Jonathan obtained his JD degree with First Class Honours from the University of Hong Kong and his LLM degree from the University of Cambridge. Prior to reading law, he studied Economics at the University of California, Berkeley, and graduated with Distinction.
He is a Contributing Editor to Hong Kong Company Law Cases (2008 – 2019) – published in 2020 by DVC in collaboration with Kluwer.
Education
- BA in Economics (Distinction), University of California, Berkeley
- JD (First Class Honours), University of Hong Kong
- LLM, University of Cambridge
Lawyer Rankings
Hong Kong Bar > Construction and property
(Leading Juniors)Jonathan Chan – Des Voeux Chambers ‘Jonathan is a highly talented counsel with deep and solid knowledge in the construction field. He has always finished his works competently and with diligence and efficiency. He is also a team player with excellent interpersonal, organisational, leadership, and analytical skills.’
Des Voeux Chambers is the preeminent set in Hong Kong’s construction and property arena ‘with both leading and junior counsel‘. Amongst the set’s juniors, Calvin Cheuk stands out for his expertise in handling construction-related disputes spanning across Hong Kong, Mainland China and beyond. Cheuk, led by John Scott SC, acted for the plaintiff in Johnson Controls Hong Kong Ltd v Wangle Engineering Lt, a dispute regarding whether there was a presumption that interim payment certificates are provisional and subject to a final review; this was the first case of its kind in the Hong Kong Court of Appeal. Kaiser Leung is another key member of the set with significant experience in complex construction disputes concerning heavyweight infrastructure projects and commercial and residential developments. Jonathan Chan is also a notable team member.