Dentons Hong Kong

Construction; Litigation; Arbitration

Alfred is a partner in Dentons' Litigation & Dispute Resolution Group based in Hong Kong.

With over 25 years of experience, Alfred is a highly regarded lawyer in the areas of general commercial litigation, arbitration and construction. He advises clients on a broad range of commercial disputes primarily in arbitration.  His arbitration experience include both local and international arbitrations.  Clients he has represented include banks, Hong Kong listed issuers, multinational corporations, funds, accountants/ liquidators and high-net-worth individuals.

Alfred also has a special focus on contentious and non-contentious construction and engineering matters representing international, China and Hong Kong based clients which variously include government departments, statutory bodies, employers, engineers, architects, contractors and subcontractors.  Alfred also represents clients in construction-related criminal investigations and prosecutions.

On the contentious side, Alfred has represented clients in various disputes, in litigation and arbitration, arising from infrastructure and building construction projects in Hong Kong, Macau, Mainland China and the region.  Projects involved include various large scale road/highway development projects, water supply and sewer main development projects, railway projects, housing projects, land reclamation, hospital projects, the Hong Kong International Airport, Environmental Protection Department projects, casinos in Macau, LPG facilities in China, etc.  The issues in dispute include variations, delays, loss and expense, measurement of quantities, defective works, suspension/termination of works, negligence (including collapse of works under construction and demolition), and other payment issues (including interim payments, final accounts and retention money).  In addition, there were tender related issues, employment issues, sub-contractor nomination issues, insolvency issues, environmental issues, regulatory violations, bribery on construction sites, fraud, etc.

On the non-contentious side, Alfred has advised on all Hong Kong Government standard forms of contract, FIDIC, NEC, JCT and ICE forms of contract, as well as bespoke and other private forms of contract.  He also regularly advises on tendering processes, consultancy agreements, formation of joint ventures (both incorporated and unincorporated), post-contract risk issues as well as construction bonds, guarantees and other construction related instruments.

Alfred also regularly takes on appointments as arbitrator for construction related and other commercial arbitrations. He is an HKIAC Accredited Mediator and a panel arbitrator of the HKIAC, SIAC, AIAC, APIAC, SHIAC and KCAB.  He sits regularly in ad hoc arbitrations and arbitrations administered by the HKIAC, SIAC and SHIAC.

Alfred has been ranked as a leading construction practitioner in Chambers & Partners from 2016 to 2025. In the latest edition of Chambers Greater China guide, an impressed client said, “I really like Alfred; he is very hard-working and very responsive. He is very attentive to detail and his legal drafting is accurate.” Another client added, “Alfred Wu has an engineering background, so he understands a lot of the technical issues which arise in these cases. His ability to understand and explain them in simpler terms is a real asset.”

In the testimonial for his leading individual ranking for construction in Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2023-2025, Alfred has been recognised for his “deep litigation expertise in the sector both on regular fee-earning matters as well as in his role as an arbitrator”.  A client commented, “Alfred Wu provided a first-class service in delivering focussed and responsive advice. He also ensured that the barrister team had what they needed to properly fight the case, much to the client’s benefit. He was a stand out lawyer on this matter.”

Alfred was ranked as a Litigation Star in Construction and Commercial & Transactions by Benchmark Litigation Asia Pacific 2025. He was also recognised in International Arbitration as a well-known practitioner by the Legal 500 Arbitration Powerlist 2023, and one client commented, “Alfred Wu is the principal partner.  He is very experienced and conscientious, gains the confidence of clients and leads his team very capably on behalf of his clients." Lexology Index also ranked Alfred as a recommended lawyer for Arbitration and Construction in its Mainland China, Hong Kong SAR and Macao SAR 2024 report.

England & Wales, 1998 Hong Kong, 1998 Qualified Civil Engineer in Ontario, Canada

English, Cantonese and Mandarin

Co-Chair, International Construction Projects Committee of the Inter-Pacific Bar Association, 2020-2024 Fellow, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators Fellow, Hong Kong Institute of Arbitrators Companion Member, Hong Kong Institution of Engineers

Osgoode Hall Law School, 1995, JD Queen’s University, 1989, M.Sc. University of Manchester, 1987, B.Sc.