About
- Joint managing partners: Jo Farmer, Richard Miskella - Joint Heads of Hong Kong: Catherine Leung, Jezamine Fewins - International offices: Dublin, Hong Kong The firm: At Lewis Silkin, we do things differently. We’re an international law firm with a focus on what matters most to your business - your ideas and people. We help turn ideas into reality, supporting creativity, innovation, transformation and growth. And with the UK’s largest and best regarded employment law team, we help you realise the potential in your people. With more than 750 people working across nine offices, plus strategic partnerships around the world, we take pride in our difference. Lewis Silkin’s Hong Kong offices focuses on employment, intellectual property, litigation, data privacy, immigration and reward advice. The firm advises both businesses headquartered in, and those with operations in, Hong Kong on the full range of people and brand protection matters including: - Employment and immigration law - day-to-day HR support - employment documentation - separation agreements - employment disputes in the Labour Tribunal - restrictive covenants and team moves - whistleblowing and discrimination claims - transfer of business undertakings - restructuring - immigration applications - employee benefits sand incentives - worker status (including worker status claims) - advising senior executives - Intellectual property - complex licensing - issuing and defending proceedings relating to IP infringement - assignment and manufacturing - lodging opposition, cancellation, rectification and invalidation proceedings - service and distribution agreements IP aspects of corporate transactions (including IP due diligence and stock exchange listings) - Data privacy - compliance with the Hong Kong Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance (PDPO) - privacy policy documents - workplace data privacy issues - terms of business - performing audits - handling data breaches - subject access requests - Commercial litigation - disputes relating to commercial contracts - director and shareholder disputes - disputes relating to fraud - interim relief - arbitration - mediation The Hong Kong office supports various multinationals on international projects across the Asia Pacific region as well as global project. The office also advises Asia Pacific-based companies on the setting up of operations in the UK, in particular working closely alongside the firm’s London-based Chinese, Japanese and Korean desks. ### Languages - Cantonese - English - Mandarin ### Memberships - Ius Laboris - International Chamber of Commerce - The British Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong - The American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong - The Asian Patent Attorneys Association ### Staffing Figures - 15 Number of lawyers - 3 Number of office Partners - 105 Number of firm wide Partners
Practice areas
Lawyers in this office
Catherine Leung
I am the Head of Employment in our Hong Kong office, recognised as a leading employment lawyer by legal directories. As a strategic ally for organisations, I strive to cultivate a culture of clarity and confidence. By empowering HR professionals and legal counsel to navigate the complexities of employment law with ease, my innovative strategies not only mitigate risks but also drive success. I believe that a healthy workplace culture is fundamental to organisational effectiveness, and I collaborate closely with clients to align legal practices with business goals. I advise on a full spectrum of employment law matters, including redundancies, bonus entitlement disputes, team moves, data privacy, and complex discrimination and sexual harassment cases. I am also adept at managing investigations from the Labour Department and the Equal Opportunities Commission, and to provide comprehensive advice on global mobility and immigration issues. My client portfolio features multinationals and high-net-worth individuals across diverse sectors such as financial services, professional services, luxury retail, and technology. With a strong international focus, I collaborate with lawyers across the Asia Pacific region, helping navigate complex cross-border employment law challenges. · Employment
David Kong
Born and raised in Hong Kong, I obtained my JD Degree and PCLL from the Chinese University of Hong Kong. I speak Cantonese, English and Mandarin and support clients from a variety of sectors, including start-ups, tech firms, retail and financial institutions. I advise on a full range of employment law issues including redundancies and terminations of employment, reviewing and drafting employment contracts, employee handbooks and bonus policies. I lead regional employment law projects across all major Asia Pacific jurisdictions, covering grievance and disciplinary matters and data privacy. I have particular experience of advising on employment disputes. I speak at external seminars and provide internal client training on topical employment issues. I have contributed articles to numerous trade publications including Hong Kong Economic Times and HK Lawyer. · Employment
Gladys Ching
I am an employment Managing Associate in our Hong Kong office. I am a Hong Kong and Australian (NSW) qualified lawyer. In addition to working in Hong Kong, I have also worked in Tokyo, Japan. I also hold a Certified Information Privacy Professional / Asia (CIPP/A) certification from the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP). My clients come from a broad range of industries including financial services, technology and communications, media & entertainment, and retail & hospitality. My work often involves an international element and I support clients on the full spectrum of the employment lifecycle. Having been seconded to one of the largest US based tech firms working as their Asia Pacific employment counsel, I am also uniquely positioned to understand the needs of my clients from their lens. · Employment
JP Buckley
I assist and direct clients in their complex, commodity and crisis data protection, AI and cyber work. I undertake a wide range of information law work including data protection, DSARs (data subject access requests) and other rights requests, cyber, AI, e-commerce, direct marketing and freedom of information - and has cross-sector experience in these areas. I also have extensive experience in IT outsourcing, overlapping with my data privacy practice. I deliver project, advisory and transactional work in these areas, with particular highlights being DPO services, data protection compliance reviews, process creation/consultancy and dealing with ICO investigations and data breach management and reporting. I particularly enjoy hosting and providing training sessions in data privacy, and I regularly provide clients, teams and the wider business community with tailored, relevant advice and practical guidance, bringing his topic area to life with practical, memorable examples. This means that the wider team is aware of data protection issues so that these can be proactively resolved before they become breaches. · Data Protection
Jezamine Fewins
I have been working in Hong Kong for more than 25 years assisting clients with their employment, intellectual property and commercial needs. My speciality is dealing with cases involving the misappropriation of trade secrets and confidential information as well as team moves. I advise clients on contentious and non-contentious employment issues, ranging from drafting contract documentation, dealing with sensitive misconduct issues, employee exits and the enforcement of restrictive covenants. On the IP side, I assist clients protect and exploit their assets through IP filings, licenses, and franchising agreements. I also help them enforce their intellectual property rights through opposition and invalidation applications as well as pursuing claims for damages and obtaining injunctive relief through the High Court. I am passionate about giving back to the local community and devote a substantial amount of time to pro-bono and responsible business initiatives. · Employment
Kenneth Leung
I am a Senior Consultant with the Hong Kong office with over 25 years of experience. I had lived in London for over 12 years before relocating back to Hong Kong. I speak fluent Cantonese and Putonghua. I am dually qualified in Hong Kong (1997) and in England & Wales (2000). My clients include listed companies, multi-nationals, new startups in the financial services, and professional sectors. I enjoy open water swimming, martial arts and cooking when I am off from work. · Employment
Matthew Durham
I am an experienced Asia employment lawyer specialising in mainland China matters. I have spent over 20 years working for international law firms in Shanghai after starting my career in London. I am happy to have joined the dynamic Lewis Silkin team in mid-2023. I focus on helping multinational companies to navigate a wide range of employment and people-related issues in mainland China. I also work on cross-border and multi-jurisdictional projects with a nexus to Hong Kong and the wider Asian region. My work encompasses a broad array of sectors, including banking and finance, technology, retail, media and professional services. · Employment
