Howse Williams > Firm Profile

The firm: Howse Williams is an independent Hong Kong law firm with 26 partners and a total headcount of approximately 200. As an independent Hong Kong firm, the partners are able to minimise legal and commercial conflicts of interest and act for clients in every industry sector. The partners have spent the majority of their careers in Hong Kong and have a detailed understanding of international business and business in Asia.

Areas of practice
Dispute resolution: HW handles complex multi-jurisdictional commercial cases involving sale of goods; trade finance; media law; fraud; shareholder, joint venture, intellectual property, employment, property, trust and franchise disputes; injunction proceedings; jurisdictional challenges; public inquiries; and judicial reviews.

Corporate and corporate finance: HW’s team advises clients on a diverse spectrum of practice areas in all Asian jurisdictions, including mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, direct investment, capital markets and securities, private equity and venture capital, shareholder/joint venture agreements, corporate restructuring/reorganisation, corporate governance and general commercial matters including operational contracts and intellectual property commercialisation.

Clinical negligence and healthcare: HW advises doctors, dentists and their indemnity providers and other healthcare professionals. It also advises private hospitals, medical group practices, corporate healthcare providers and pharmaceutical companies on issues relating to the import and distribution of drugs and pharmaceutical products, drug liability claims and regulatory matters. Three members of the team (including two partners) are dual-qualified as lawyers and medical practitioners.

Shipping: HW has considerable experience in all types of wet and dry shipping litigation. The team (which includes solicitors with seagoing experience) deals with collision, salvage, wreck removal and pollution cases as well as charterparty, bill of lading and other contract of affreightment disputes. The firm advises ship-owners, P&I clubs, hull and machinery insurers, salvors, charterers and freight forwarders.

Insurance/professional indemnity: HW advises on general insurance, professional indemnity, D&O and specialised insurance lines acting for underwriters, brokers, mutual and fixed premium insurers of ships, a wide range of insurers for freight forwarders, warehouse operators, transport intermediaries, cargo owners and trade insurers. The firm also represents insurers who provide professional indemnity insurance for various professional bodies in Hong Kong.

Employment: HW provides contentious and non-contentious employment and immigration advice to both employers and employees in Hong Kong.

Family and matrimonial: HW’s cases often involve families with assets in multiple jurisidictions. The firm handles all manner of children’s issues including custody, care and control and other parenting disputes, such as access, child maintenance, paternity and schooling applications both in respect of married and unmarried couples and cohabitants.  The firm has experience in handling private adoptions; cases involving child abduction and family finances including property transfers, prenuptial agreements and separation deeds.

Fraud: HW regularly acts for victims of all types of fraud to recover misappropriated assets.  The firm is the Hong Kong representative of the International Fraud Group (IFG), an elite group of lawyers across 17 countries focussed on unravelling fraud and tracing and returning assets.

Property and building management: HW’s clients include some of the largest international real estate agencies, listed property developers, international and local building management companies, quasi government bodies, property investment funds, incorporated owners of of commercial/residential buildings, and commercial and individual landlords and tenants in Hong Kong.

Regulatory and compliance: HW’s regulatory team advises financial institutions and corporates on a wide variety of contentious and non-contentious regulatory and compliance issues.

Banking and finance: HW’s banking team has experience in a broad range of banking and finance matters, including bilateral and syndicated lending, international trade finance, project finance, acquisition finance, ship finance, general cash management and liquidity products, asset and debt recovery, security enforcement actions, banking regulation and compliance, sanctions, AML, KYC and various regulatory project and remediation work.  The team also specialise in a diverse range of trade finance matters.

Trusts, assets and wealth management: We advise ultra high-net-worth individuals and their families; entrepreneurs and family businesses both in Hong Kong and the PRC.  We are trusted legal advisers providing advice and support to our clients on the management of their wealth and assets, and on a wide range of inheritance and succession matters.  We have experience in establishing trusts, in particular family trusts, educational trusts and charitable trusts.  Our team includes solicitors who are full members of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP).

Wills, probate and estate management: We handle wills, probate, estate management and general civil litigation matters.

Lawyer Profiles

Photo	Name	Position	Profile
	Ms Denise Che	Denise is a Partner in Howse Williams’ corporate practice.  She has a…	View Profile
	Mr David Coogans	David is a commercial disputes lawyer specialising in international trade disputes.  David…	View Profile
	Ms Stacey Devoy	Stacey is a Partner in Howse Williams family and matrimonial team.  She…	View Profile
	Ms Linda Heathfield	Linda is a Partner in Howse Williams’ family and matrimonial practice. Linda’s…	View Profile
	Mr Brian Ho	Brian Ho is a partner in Howse Williams’ corporate practice.  He specialises…	View Profile
	Mr Chris Howse	Chris is the senior partner and managing partner of Howse Williams. His…	View Profile
	Mr David Kan	David is a dual qualified medical doctor/solicitor and is a Founding Member…	View Profile
	Ms Karen Lam	Karen was admitted to practice law in New South Wales, Australia in…	View Profile
	Ms Janet Lee	Janet is a Partner in Howse Williams’ property department.  She advises on…	View Profile
	Ms Heidi Lee	Heidi is a Partner in Howse Williams’ corporate practice.  Heidi has extensive…	View Profile
	Mr William Leung	William is a Partner in Howse Williams’ dispute resolution practice. His practice…	View Profile
	Mr Stephen Leung	Stephen is a partner in the firm’s corporate practice.  He is experienced…	View Profile
	Ms Eviana Leung	Eviana is a Partner in Howse Williams’ dispute resolution team.  She specialises…	View Profile
	Ms Maureen Liu	Maureen is a Partner in Howse Williams’ medico-legal and healthcare team.  Maureen…	View Profile
	Mr Bernard Murphy	A medically qualified solicitor, Bernard represents healthcare organisations, doctors, dentists, veterinary surgeons…	View Profile
	Ms Alison Scott	Alison is a Partner in Howse Williams’ dispute resolution practice. She specialises…	View Profile
	Mr Kevin So	Kevin is a Partner in Howse Williams’ dispute resolution practice.   He is…	View Profile
	Mr Chia Ching Tan	Chia Ching is a partner in Howse Williams’ corporate practice. She has…	View Profile
	Ms Oonagh Toner	Oonagh is a Partner in Howse Williams’ dispute resolution practice. She specialises…	View Profile
	Mr Christopher Williams	Chris is one of the founding partners of Howse Williams. Chris specialises…	View Profile
	Mr Michael Withington	Michael is a Partner in Howse Williams’ dispute resolution practice. He is…	View Profile
	Ms Jill Wong	Jill is a partner in Howse Williams’ financial services and corporate regulatory…	View Profile
	Ms Patricia Yeung	Patricia is a partner and heads up Howse Williams’ employment team.  She…	View Profile
	Mr Christopher Yu	Chris is a partner in Howse Williams’ corporate practice.  He is experienced…	View Profile
	Mr Antony Yung	Antony has experience in a broad range of banking and finance matters,…	View Profile