Commercial Dispute Resolution: The Bar

Des Voeux Chambers is one of the most substantial Hong Kong sets with a bench of over 90 counsel with deep expertise spanning all manner of commercial litigation and arbitration, construction disputes, insolvency disputes and contentious company law matters. One source remarks: "Des Voeux Chambers is a leading set in Hong Kong and we do feel that there are many choices and options offered by the set as many of its members can act on commercial, company, wind-up and IP matters." Another simply brands the set "excellent; among the very best in Hong Kong," while a third asserts that it is "the best commercial set in Hong Kong and certainly the best for all-round commercial capability." Jeani Wang is the practice development director, head clerk and a key contact.

Barrie Barlow SC conducts a wide-ranging practice spanning the commercial and public law fields, providing expertise in taxation and real estate-related cases, and offering further experience covering company and insolvency law disputes. "He is not afraid to take on difficult cases, and clients appreciate the fact that Mr Barlow SC rarely relies on the work of a junior."

Ian Pennicott KC is regularly identified as one of Hong Kong's pre-eminent construction practitioners, whether acting as courtroom advocate, arbitration counsel or arbitrator. He is also noted for his expert handling of professional negligence and employment-related claims. "Ian is my go-to counsel for construction disputes any time, without any doubt or reservation. I have worked with him on multiple cases in the past 20 years and he has consistently delivered measured, commercial and sensible advice and prepared thoroughly for hearings throughout all these years."

Simon Westbrook SC maintains a versatile commercial dispute resolution practice, with a particularly high profile for representing private entities and the Securities and Futures Commission in financial services regulatory disputes. He draws on almost four decades of legal practice at the Hong Kong Bar, which also covers experience handling construction and professional negligence matters.

Catrina Lam maintains a diverse practice across a range of commercial litigation instructions, commanding particularly high esteem for her accomplished competition law practice. "She is excellent overall; an outstanding advocate with excellent command of the law, she is pragmatic and commercial." "Catrina is the best competition law barrister in Hong Kong, no question." "Catrina is very bright, responsive and effective on her feet. She comes across as very calm and forceful in court."

Charles Sussex SC maintains a wide-ranging commercial litigation practice spanning shipping, securities and financial services-related disputes.

Anson Wong SC conducts a practice spanning an impressive range of instructions, with a civil and commercial remit incorporating company, insolvency and intellectual property law, in addition to contentious securities, probate and professional negligence matters. "Anson has a very good commercial sense and has impressed clients with practical legal solutions." "Anson provides valuable insights on the commercial reality of the cases. He provides practical and creative solutions to the underlying commercial needs of clients." "He is user-friendly and commercially savvy."

Clifford Smith SC wins recognition for the breadth of his commercial practice, which includes particular strengths in insolvency issues, company law and cases arising in the technology, telecoms and financial services sectors. "He's a very humble guy who is never too busy to speak with you; you can really talk to him about anything, any tricky points, which is fantastic. He's really user-friendly."

Jason Yu maintains a very versatile practice across corporate and commercial litigation and arbitration, with noted expertise in the handling of insolvency, intellectual property and company law disputes. "If I need to engage a senior junior barrister he's my first choice; he's excellent value for money and great with clients."

John Scott SC is an exceptionally accomplished barrister who has practised at the Hong Kong Bar for over 35 years, and his broad commercial dispute resolution experience incorporates a notable emphasis on company, construction and financial services issues and embraces both litigated and arbitrated cases.

Johnny Mok SC is renowned for maintaining a practice which spans the constitutional and administrative and general commercial law fields, winning him regular instructions from government entities and corporates alike. "Johnny needs no introduction. I am impressed with his ability to get to the core of the issues quickly and his commercial insight."

Jose-Antonio Maurellet SC maintains an impressively broad commercial dispute resolution practice, with a focus on company law matters, alleged malpractice in the financial services sector and cases involving distressed companies. "He's a pleasure to work with and very bright and very busy." "Jose remains the expert of the field. His advice is on point and insightful." "Jose is a very popular counsel who is quick and responsive." "He's a super charismatic man who is excellent with clients and has a very good relationship with judges; he's extremely good at reading judges."

William Wong SC is a prominent corporate, commercial and insolvency law silk who stands out for his handling of complex company law cases and is also significantly developing his capability as both counsel and arbitrator in the international arbitration sphere. "William is certainly a leading silk in company matters. He is an expert in company law who is meticulous and user-friendly." "William is very effective in taking complex issues and breaking them down in a simple manner."

Douglas Lam SC maintains a wide-ranging practice that is rich in experience both of company law and bankruptcy issues and of general commercial ones, including contractual breaches and professional negligence claims. He offers clients valuable experience gleaned from his time as a deputy judge in the High Court.

John Hui is notably active in the company and corporate law, insolvency, insurance and financial regulatory spheres, receiving regular praise for the breadth of his expertise and his deft handling of cases. "John is very approachable and user-friendly. He is also meticulous and is ready to provide practical solutions to complicated issues."

Justin Lam is noted for his wide-ranging civil, company law and financial services practice, and also handles contentious private client matters and disputes in the trust and probate sphere. "Justin is very responsive and has good legal research skills." "I think Justin is one of the best at his level of seniority. He's very clever and I am impressed by his quick and insightful analysis of the legal issues, even the complex ones. He is very pleasant to work with and very diligent."

Rachel Lam SC is acknowledged for her deft handling of a wide range of commercial litigation matters, but comes particularly highly recommended for her expertise in company law and insolvency disputes. "For me, Rachel is a total joy to work with. She's collaborative, commercial and incredibly smart, with fantastic advocacy skills." "She's a calm and convincing presence in front of the Bench at the court of final appeal." "Rachel is meticulous, composed and eloquent. She is the go-to person on complex cases." "Rachel is usually the first person I go to with complex cases. She is extremely intelligent and user-friendly, a strong advocate and brilliant at cross-examination. At the Bar this is rare, but she is a team player and will work with solicitors to resolve unexpected complications."

Sabrina Ho is particularly prominent in company and commercial law cases, including insurance, shareholder and contractual disputes, and is also frequently sought out to act as counsel in contentious trusts and probate cases. "She's excellent and extremely responsive as a junior counsel; she's one of the best juniors that we've worked with." "Sabrina is very capable of grasping key points and has an ability to put them clearly and succinctly in advocacy. She's also very good with clients, down to earth and easy to engage with."

Alexander Tang operates across a broad spectrum of company and commercial disputes, in which shareholder and insolvency-related matters figure particularly prominently, and is also active in probate and matrimonial cases. "He's very able and his legal knowledge, particularly with regard to arbitration, is outstanding. I feel very comfortable working with him." "I enjoy working with Alex. He is a very smart barrister who has a good understanding of the business world. He delivers very practical and commercial advice and manages lay clients well." "On his feet, he is a very forceful advocate. He is well prepared and his arguments well thought through."

Calvin Cheuk is well regarded for his practice focusing on construction disputes, often advising on contentious issues arising from complex cross-border projects. "Not many Hong Kong barristers can actually arbitrate in Chinese, especially not Putonghua, but he did it very well; throughout the process he was always very responsive and helpful." "Calvin is a consummate professional; he is able to effectively distil complex issues into advice that is palatable to clients."

Connie Lee handles a wide range of civil and commercial matters, receiving regular instructions on company and insolvency-related mandates, but attracting a particularly high level of positive notice for her increasing body of work in the competition sphere. "Connie has superb advocacy skills and is able to deliver arguments in a succinct manner. She can transform complicated matters into clearly defined issues." "She's got strong analytical skills and outstanding advocacy; she's always dependable." "Connie punches above her weight as she is a superb strategic counsel with an excellent eye for detail and a complete understanding of the law. She is very smart and approachable." "Connie impresses me most with her tactical, practical and commercial advice. She is also a very effective and composed advocate and works extremely well in a team. She has very mature client-handling skills and is always able to tailor her advice in a most client-friendly and succinct manner." "Connie is very knowledgeable in a broad range of areas."

Jenkin Suen SC is noted by sources for his impressive handling of diverse public law, commercial and chancery matters. A counsel of choice for government entities and regulatory bodies, he is frequently seen in judicial review proceedings and land and planning disputes, in addition to maintaining a busy practice acting on company law, contractual and trust matters. "Jenkin is a meticulous, hard-working and user-friendly barrister. His advice always suits the client's need and commercial purpose." "Jenkin is very responsive and diligent; a very capable counsel."

Kerby Lau consistently wins recognition for his deep expertise in handling trust and probate disputes. He is also equipped to advise on company and insolvency law.

Michael Lok acts prominently on company law issues, maintaining a noted specialisation in the areas of insolvency and bankruptcy and regularly representing public authorities and agencies, including the Secretary for Justice and the SFC. "Michael is one of the most sought-after junior barristers in town. He is no doubt a guru of company law matters. On top of his superb legal skills, he always keep the client’s commercial objectives in mind and is always able to identify the best possible strategy to serve those objectives." "He's very smooth and a very good advocate." "Michael is very responsive and diligent. He is a capable junior counsel to work with."

Teresa Wu maintains a broad civil practice, embracing both litigated and arbitrated disputes, and offers particularly noted experience in the handling of property, probate and land-related cases.

Ho Look-Chan stands out for his close focus on insolvency issues, and in-depth expertise concerning them, a field to which he brings both the technical knowledge of a published authority on the subject and the practical insights derived from having practised as a solicitor in the area for over 15 years. "Look-Chan has good experience knowing what judges think in terms of precedents. He has strong knowledge of restructuring and the law around it; it's very complicated and he handles it very well." "He really does know insolvency." "Look is an expert in cross-border insolvency and restructuring law. He is renowned in Hong Kong and abroad in this field." "Look is exceptionally intelligent and knowledgeable in relation to company and insolvency matters. He works incredibly hard and is very responsive."

Tom Ng has a highly varied caseload built around a strong core of company, insolvency and financial services-related work. He is also equipped to advise on trust and probate matters. "Tom is very impressive and a go-to junior for me." "I've seen him in court and he's excellent." "Tom is very bright and is always a safe pair of hands."

Christopher Chain regularly attracts praise for the impressive range of his practice, which incorporates particular strengths in company and corporate law, shipping and insolvency issues.

Frances Lok is particularly noted for her handling of insolvency and company law disputes, and also acts on contentious probate and shareholder matters. "Frances is an amazing trial counsel. I tend to use her for injunction work, either defending and applying for injunction."