Lawyers in Hong Kong

Chi Tat Anthony Lam

Consultant

Tung & Co.

Chi-Chuen Tang

Consultant.

Wilkinson & Grist

Chia Ching Tan

Chia Ching is a partner in Howse Williams' corporate practice. She has over 19 years of experience in a wide range of corporate and commercial matters including IPOs, spin-offs, transfer of listings, corporate restructuring, acquisition and disposal, general corporate advisory and regulatory compliance. Benefitting from her practice experiences in both Hong Kong and Malaysia, she is familiar with the Listing Rules, Takeovers Code and the laws of both Hong Kong and Malaysia. This serves as a strong foundation and provides her with better insights and competitive edge in understanding businesses from, not only the South East Asian countries, but also from Hong Kong and China. "She is experienced in assisting Southeast Asian companies with Hong Kong listings" (quoted from Legal 500 in 2020). She is familiar with a wide spectrum of industries, including but not limited to oil and gas, independent power plants, mining, manufacturing, media, telecommunications, agriculture/plantations, real estates, construction, digital platforms, healthcare, retail, technology, education and general trading. She reads and writes English, Chinese and Malay languages, and is fluent in speaking all three languages, as well as Putonghua, Cantonese and Hokkien. Chia Ching was involved in a number of notable initial public offerings and listings on the Stock Exchange acting for the sponsors as well as the issuers, both on the Main Board and GEM, including the first listing of a mineral company under Chapter 18 of the Listing Rules in 2008, the first business trust in the form of stapled securities of HKT Trust in 2011 and a dual-listing (Singapore and Hong Kong) in 2017. On M&A transactions, Chia Ching was involved in a number of local and cross-border acquisitions as well as public takeovers. She also advises listed companies on Listing Rules compliance matters post listing and secondary fund-raising.

Howse Williams

Chloe Leung

Partner

Zhong Lun Law Firm

Chris Cheng

Chris Cheng is a partner in the Corporate department of Appleby’s Hong Kong office and he leads Hong Kong Capital Markets team. Chris has more than 20 years of offshore and onshore experience, having previously worked at an international law firm in Hong Kong specialising in capital markets transactions. He has substantial experience in the area of capital markets, specialising in private and public offerings of debt and equity, private equity, mergers and acquisitions, privatisation as well as bank financing and other corporate and commercial law related transactions. Clients include Bermuda, Cayman Islands and British Virgin Islands entities, many of which are listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, as well as banks and financial institutions.

Appleby

Chris Dobby

Partner

Hogan Lovells

Chris Howse

Chris is the senior partner and managing partner of Howse Williams. His main practice areas are dispute resolution; shipping, insurance and professional indemnity insurance; clinical negligence and healthcare. Chris has more than 35 years of legal experience. He established Richards Butler's Hong Kong office in 1981. Chris worked as the firm's senior partner until he left to establish Howse Williams in January 2012.

Howse Williams

Chris Welty

Chris Welty is a partner in the Corporate Department of the Firm’s Hong Kong office. Chris represents public and private companies, private equity sponsors, and financial advisors in connection with corporate and transactional matters, including cross-border and multi-jurisdictional mergers and acquisitions, leveraged and managed buyouts, going private transactions, growth investments, consortium transactions, exits and joint ventures.

Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP

Christina Lee

Partner

Baker McKenzie

Christina Loh

DLA Piper

Christine Chen

Partner

Fangda Partners

Christine Liu

DLA Piper

Christoforos Bisbikos

Christoforos focusses on all types of cross-border asset and project financings (in particular ship lease and debt, including ECA, financings), loan restructurings, work-outs and enforcement. His clients include leading international banks in the shipping sector, Chinese financial leasing companies and top league shipping groups. Christoforos has a wealth of experience advising on finance deals involving Asia and the West and has led in high profile, award-winning and landscape changing ship finance transactions. He is recommended as a leading lawyer in Hong Kong for shipping finance by The Legal 500 Asia Pacific. Legal 500 most recently described him as “excellent”. He is registered as a Foreign Legal Consultant (England & Wales) with the HK law society.

Watson Farley & Williams

Christopher Kelly

Partner

White & Case

Christopher Williams

Chris is one of the founding partners of Howse Williams. Chris specialises in corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, direct investment and corporate restructurings and reorganisations. He also advises on corporate governance and compliance. Chris sits as non-executive chairman and non-executive deputy chairman of three entities listed on the Singapore Stock Exchange ("SGX"). His practice encompasses Hong Kong and the Asia Pacific region, particularly Indonesia and Singapore. Chris has been named in the Guide to the World's Leading Mergers and Acquisitions Lawyers as well as the International Who's Who of Merger and Acquisition Lawyers as one of the world’s top mergers and acquisitions lawyers.

Howse Williams

Christopher Wong

Christopher Wong is a Partner and Head of the China Practice at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett. His practice area involves capital markets, public and private M&A, private equity and regulatory compliance.

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett Hong Kong

Christopher Yu

Chris is a partner in Howse Williams' corporate practice. He is experienced in private equity and Hong Kong capital markets transactions and regularly advises private equity clients and Hong Kong listed companies on strategic investments in and outside of Hong Kong and China. He is qualified as a solicitor in Hong Kong and England and Wales. Chris represents clients in cross-border mergers and acquisitions, privatizations of Hong Kong listed companies, PIPEs, pre-IPO and cornerstone investments, primary and secondary listings of portfolio companies on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, general regulatory compliance of private equity firms in Hong Kong and of their listed portfolio companies, and a broad range of other corporate transactions.

Howse Williams

Christy Ip

Partner

Zhong Lun Law Firm

Christy Kan

Christy is an associate in the corporate team in Carey Olsen's Hong Kong office. She advises on a range of investment fund and corporate matters. Christy is fluent in English, Mandarin and Cantonese.

Carey Olsen Hong Kong LLP

Christy Leung

Partner of Tongshang Hong Kong

Commerce & Finance Law Offices

Claire Fulton

Claire is Partner in our international Cayman and BVI practices. She has significant experience advising on a broad range of banking and finance, and debt restructuring transactions, with an emphasis on special situations financing and cross-border restructuring matters. Claire's practice advises major international financial institutions, credit funds, sponsors and borrowers with a focus on realising value in distressed situations, including security enforcements, special situations, debt restructurings and voluntary liquidations, and she is regularly approached to advise on offshore statutory merger regimes and schemes of arrangement. Claire also has extensive experience acting on cross-border leveraged and acquisition financing, real estate financing, take-private transactions and pre-IPO financing.

Mourant

Clara Leung

Partner

Zhong Lun Law Firm

Clarice Yue

Clarice is a telecoms, media and technology lawyer based in Hong Kong with a substantial data protection practice. With over 20 years of experience, she advises clients on corporate, commercial and regulatory matters in the TMT sector.

Clifford Chance

Clark Wang

Clark Wang is one of the first batches of students recruited by the University of Hong Kong from top PRC universities under the Jockey Club Scholarship Programme following the handover of Hong Kong in 1997. As a native mandarin speaker with dual education and qualification in both mainland PRC and Hong Kong, Clark has the perfect skillset to solve disputes with PRC elements and has for that reason developed a substantial practice in cross-border litigation and arbitration in areas such as contractual disputes, corporate shareholders’ disputes, company matters, securities law and family matters. Clark understands the legal and commercial reality of both jurisdictions therefore is able to identify and present the cases of his PRC clients to Hong Kong Courts in the proper PRC context and background. Conversely, he is also able to explain Hong Kong law to his PRC clients as well as the PRC courts and arbitral tribunals in a simple and straightforward manner. Due to his skills and expertise, he has had the honour to be invited to act as an amicus curiae to advise the Court of Appeal and to represent and advise the Hong Kong government and public bodies including the Securities and Futures Commission in PRC related cases. Clark is also experienced in other areas such as personal injuries, insurance, trust, land, and probate matters. Clark has been recognised by The Legal 500 2022 to be “excellent in understanding the client’s commercial goals and provides thoughtful strategic advice”. RECENT HIGHLIGHTS Employees Compensation Assistance Fund Board v. Fong Chak Kwan FAMV 43/2022 – Acting for the Employees Compensation Assistance Fund Board in the leading case on the interpretation of the tort gateway under O. 11 r. 1(1)(f) Rules of the High Court (Cap 4A). Lawin (HK) Ltd v Ng Yau Fong Yvonne and Ors[2022] 2 HKCFI 410 – Acting for several parties in a group of multi-party litigations involving disputes in land and issues including partnership, joint venture, agency, beneficial interest of a purchaser of land before completion, breach of fiduciary duties and voidable dispositions of land. OTHER NOTABLE CASES Commercial / Company Daimler AG v Herbert Heinz Horst Leiduck and Anor, HCA 4089/1994, CACV 172/2011 – Multi-jurisdictional commercial dispute against one of the most famous car manufacturers Daimler AG on international sale of goods contracts involving issues of Mareva injunction, fraud, bribery, privilege, interrogatories, sanctions of pre-emptive order, medical issues etc. that spanned almost 30 years. In particular, this case is linked to the US SEC’s investigation and sanction of Daimler AG. Gao Haiyan and Another v Ma Maogen HCA 466/2012; Achieve Goal Holdings Ltd v. Zhong Xin Ore-Material Holding Co LtdHCA 1987/2005 (also other related actions in HCA 1315/2012, HCCT 41/2010, CACV6/2019, FAMV 163/2020 etc.) – A series of shareholders’ disputes for the control and ownership of a coal mine situated in Shaanxi, PRC valued over RMB 2 billion fought across the border whereby issues such as enforcement of arbitration award, contractual interpretation, PRC tax law, fraud (upon both parties and Courts of Hong Kong and mainland PRC), misrepresentation, etc. are intertwined. La Dolce Vita Fine Dining Co Ltd v. Zhang Lan (HCMP 473, 474/2015; HCMP 585,586/2017; HCCT 35, 36/2019; 最高法民特4號, 5號) – A USD300 million multi-jurisdictional dispute involving the sale and purchase of a famous Chinese restaurant chain “South Beauty” by a private equity fund CVC. The main proceedings were conducted by way of CIETAC arbitration (applying HK law) whilst ancillary litigations were conducted in various jurisdictions such as mainland PRC, HK, Singapore and the US. Yingde Gases Investment Ltd v Shihlien China Holdings Co Ltd HCA 2059/2012 – A cross-border commercial dispute between partners of a joint-venture involving issues including jurisdiction, arbitration clause, interpretation of contract etc. and foreign laws including PRC law and Taiwan law. Arbitration Represented an investment fund in a multi-jurisdictional commercial battle for the control and operation of a world-famous French cuisine brand established by a renowned Michelin-starred French master chef. Various litigations and arbitrations were instituted both in Hong Kong (HKIAC arbitration, CIETAC arbitration) and in mainland PRC (SHIAC arbitration, court litigation and various trademark disputes in PRC). The disputes centre around the licencing rights and goodwill to open and operate restaurants, tearooms, cellars, etc. under various shareholder’s agreements, sale and purchase agreements and licencing agreements. Represented a PRC based investment fund in HKIAC proceedings against respondents of various jurisdictions arising out of shareholders’ agreement and sale and purchase agreement and successfully obtained Mareva injunctions in multiple jurisdictions in aid of arbitration. Represented a PRC State Owned Enterprise in HKIAC proceedings to enforce a sale and purchase agreement of certain machinery. Represented a Taiwan listed company in HKIAC and court proceedings in relation to a dispute of trading and agency agreement in the electronics industry. Represented a foreign owned real estate developer in CIETAC proceedings to enforce contracts relating to the sale and purchase of certain real estate project. Lo Siu Wa v Employees Compensation Assistance Fund Board and Anor[2018] CFA 3 – Leading case on interpretation of insurance policies in the area of personal injuries and employees’ compensation. So Yuk Kam v Liu, Chan & Lam (a firm) and AnotherCACV 105/2014 – A personal injury case where professional negligence of a solicitor firm and the proper statutory interpretation of the Employees’ Compensation Assistance Ordinance, Cap 365 in respect of the duties and obligations of the Employees Compensation Assistance Fund Board was\s hotly disputed. Family W v C[2013] 2 HKLRD 602 – Acted as the amicus curiae in divorce proceedings whereby the issue of domicile, the jurisdiction of the Court to hear the divorce petition and the application of the principle of forum non conveniens were raised. Y v W, FCMC 1847/2011 – A jurisdiction challenge in a matrimonial dispute where the Domicile Ordinance, Cap 596 was first analyzed and applied since its coming to force in Hong Kong with PRC law opinions involved. Land and Trust Wong Kam Tong v The Incorporated Owners of Yuen Long Tin Shing Court, [2012] 2 HKLRD 1128 – Leading case on the Court’s approach to award costs in the post-CJR era. New Champion (HK) Ltd v Treble & Triple Ltd, HCA 2691/2008 – Conveyancing dispute involving the interpretation of sale and purchase contract, especially the “escape clauses”. Others Secretary for Justice v Chan Thao Phoumy and Another, [2018] 3 HKLRD 310 -Rrepresenting the Secretary for Justice in a landmark application to enforce the confiscation order made by the Intermediate People’s Court of Guangzhou in Hong Kong. DIRECTORY QUOTATIONS “Clark is excellent in understanding the client’s commercial goals and provides thoughtful strategic advice. He has a good command of the facts, and his legal submissions are succinct and to the point.” (Legal 500 2022)

Rede Chambers