Asialaw Profiles
The Guide to the legal markets of the Asia-Pacific

Martin Rogers heads Clifford Chance’s Asian litigation and dispute resolution practice, and is co-head of the firm’s regional regulatory group. The five-partner, 28-fee earner practice is the largest dedicated operation in Hong Kong and includes the ... [more]

Martin Rogers heads Clifford Chance’s Asian litigation and dispute resolution practice, and is co-head of the firm’s regional regulatory group. The five-partner, 28-fee earner practice is the largest dedicated operation in Hong Kong and includes the impressive James Wadham, as well as former JSM stalwarts Brian Gilchrist and Elaine Chen. Although the Hong Kong practice did lose the services of Tokyo-bound regional arbitration head Jim Jamison, it has countered this somewhat with the hires of former SFC senior counsel Lisa Chen and former Linklaters senior associate Joseph Chu.

Particularly strong on the financial services regulatory side, the firm has been one of the key beneficiaries of under-pressure financial regulators increasing the scale and aggression of their investigations. But the practice also covers arbitration, financial services litigation, corporate litigation (including shareholder and joint venture disputes), intellectual property, tax, trusts, insolvency and employment.

Key work over the last 12 months includes advising on one of the largest investigations against a listed company as legal advisers to CITIC Pacific. The practice is also advising Pacific Century Group on privatisation related issues. Another key high profile mandate was the firm’s work on the dispute as to the entitlement to Nina Wang’s estate and the Chinachem empire, which is estimated at about HK$100 billion.

Key clients of the practice include ABN Amro/RBS, Bank of China (Hong Kong) Limited, Hong Kong University, HSBC and Sun Hung Kai properties.

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Herbert Smith’s dispute resolution practice offers clients a comprehensive service that includes commercial litigation and arbitration, insurance, employment and regulatory related disputes. It has enjoyed a very busy 12 months across all areas of the ... [more]

Herbert Smith’s dispute resolution practice offers clients a comprehensive service that includes commercial litigation and arbitration, insurance, employment and regulatory related disputes. It has enjoyed a very busy 12 months across all areas of the practice, and its profile has been maintained partly as a result of its role on the ongoing dispute between Dr Stanley Ho and his estranged sister Winnie Ho – which caused a three year delay in the listing of SJM Holdings. The firm successfully defended Dr Ho and Ambrose So against Winnie Ho’s last-minute judicial review, the last in a series of 30 odd lawsuits that she filed.

Another high profile matter was the representation of former InvestHK director-general Mike Rowse in respect of disciplinary proceedings under the Public Service (Administration) Order against alleged misconduct brought by the Civil Service Bureau in Hong Kong. Other work includes advising a local bank on mis-selling claims concerning Lehman Brothers’ structured products, and American International Assurance on proceedings for defamation and wrongful interference with its business. Hong Kong-based Mark Johnson heads the regional practice and is ably supported by Tim Mak, Gareth Thomas and Gavin Lewis, with the latter returning to the firm after a stint in-house at UBS.

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The practice at Linklaters was boosted by the January 2009 arrival of partner Tom Lidstrom who relocated from the firm’s London office. Although experienced in cross-border litigation, international arbitration and alternative dispute resolution, Lidstrom ... [more]

The practice at Linklaters was boosted by the January 2009 arrival of partner Tom Lidstrom who relocated from the firm’s London office. Although experienced in cross-border litigation, international arbitration and alternative dispute resolution, Lidstrom has been brought in to add depth to the firm’s litigation response to suspected fraud and other forms of corporate misconduct in particular.

In September 2008, a matter that had been rumbling on since July 2004 came to a close when the High Court of Hong Kong dismissed 98% (in value) of an audit negligence case against Linklaters client Ernst & Young. The case had been brought by the New China Hong Kong (NCHK) group companies, which went into liquidation in 1999, against its former auditors.

Linklaters also advised LG Household and Healthcare Limited on a case in the High Court against Coca-Cola Amatil Limited and CCKBC Holdings Limited in respect of a dispute over a breach of seller warranties. The case was settled in May 2009.

In addition to Ernst & Young, key clients of the firm include Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Credit Suisse, HSBC, Jardine Matheson, Standard Chartered Bank and UBS.

Marc Harvey heads the three-partner practice, which also includes China disputes practice head Melvin Sng. Harvey himself is an adviser to the Hong Kong government.

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The 14-partner litigation practice at Richards Butler in association with Reed Smith is divided into commercial, corporate/regulatory litigation, medico-legal, professional indemnity, employment, shipping and international trade, cargo recoveries and ... [more]

The 14-partner litigation practice at Richards Butler in association with Reed Smith is divided into commercial, corporate/regulatory litigation, medico-legal, professional indemnity, employment, shipping and international trade, cargo recoveries and freight forwarders, marine personal injury litigation and the PRC shipping practice.

Significant matters over the last year include acting for the former chairman of a listed company in an appeal to the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal. The appeal was against a conviction under the Securities and Futures Ordinance for reckless conduct in failure to ensure the accuracy of information publicly disclosed by the listed company.

The UK firm also acted on the collapse of Ocean Grand, advising a former director in regulatory and criminal proceedings arising from the collapse. And it represented a listed company, which operates hotels and restaurants, in their dispute with some tenants during the redevelopment of a hotel and in setting aside an injunction obtained in the UK.

Key individuals in the practice include: senior partner Chris Howse, who established the medico-legal team in Hong Kong; Andrew Horton, who heads the cargo recoveries and freight forwarders team; and Lianjun Li, who leads the China shipping practice.

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Partner Gary Seib heads the seven partner practice at Baker & McKenzie. The firm is acting for Avery Dennison Corporation and its subsidiaries in China in defending trade secret and unfair competition claims by Taiwanese company Four Pillars Enterprises ... [more]

Partner Gary Seib heads the seven partner practice at Baker & McKenzie. The firm is acting for Avery Dennison Corporation and its subsidiaries in China in defending trade secret and unfair competition claims by Taiwanese company Four Pillars Enterprises (4P) in different PRC courts. This case was recognised as one of 50 exemplary cases in 2008 by China’s Supreme People’s Court. Bakers is also advising a European Fortune 500 company on contractual rights and strategy in relation to a major investment in northern China, the investigation into the affairs of the company, potential shareholders’ disputes and liquidation issues including the recovery of assets in China.

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The 17-partner dispute resolution practice at Deacons is one of the largest in Hong Kong and covers commercial litigation, insurance litigation and construction and arbitration. The group acts for major banks, government departments and statutory bodies, ... [more]

The 17-partner dispute resolution practice at Deacons is one of the largest in Hong Kong and covers commercial litigation, insurance litigation and construction and arbitration. The group acts for major banks, government departments and statutory bodies, local and international insurers, property developers and local and multinational corporations. Key clients include MGM Grand, Bank of China, ICAP (HK), Hitachi Cable and Hudson STAR Group.

Work over the last year includes acting for one of the largest developers in relation to the purchase of a hotel to be constructed. The Deacons team addressed issues under Hong Kong’s Buildings Ordinance, with the Court of Final Appeal unanimously ruling in favour of the firm’s client. The defendant was ordered to refund a HK$321 million (US$41 million) deposit plus interest and costs.

The firm also acted for a major bank in successfully striking out two writs with claims against the bank for misrepresentation and damages involving HK$5 billion (US$645 million). The commercial litigation practice is headed by Alex Lai.

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DLA PiperAppointed in March 2009, partner Satpal Gobindpuri heads the eight-partner practice at DLA Piper that includes Christopher Clarke.Sidley AustinPartner Charles Allen heads Sidley Austin’s team of 10 lawyers, which includes regional managing partner ... [more]

DLA Piper

Appointed in March 2009, partner Satpal Gobindpuri heads the eight-partner practice at DLA Piper that includes Christopher Clarke.

Sidley Austin

Partner Charles Allen heads Sidley Austin’s team of 10 lawyers, which includes regional managing partner William Fifield and Allen Kim, handling complex international litigation and arbitration out of Hong Kong. Recent work includes successfully acting for China Life Insurance in connection with the securities fraud class actions brought against it. The plaintiffs’ complaint was eventually dismissed in September 2008. And Kim served as an arbitrator in an AAA/ICDR arbitration in which US company Claimant sought to recover US$100 million in alleged damages against a Korean pharmaceutical respondent for alleged breaches of a licensing agreement.

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