A leading firm for dispute resolution in the Hong Kong market, Herbert Smith Freehills has considerable breadth of expertise across the range of dispute resolution mechanisms and is particularly strong at handling litigation related to financial services regulatory investigations, insolvency and restructuring, fraud and other criminal activities leading to asset-tracing. As well as these areas, the practice is also noted for its expertise handling disputes in the private client space, assisting high-net-worth individuals and family-owned companies on large commercial disputes. Practice head Gareth Thomas draws on over three decades of commercial litigation experience, with expertise spanning complex banking, financial services, joint venture and shareholder disputes. Rachael Shek has a particularly strong reputation for banking litigation, as does Jojo Fan, who is a trusted advisor to numerous large Chinese banks and financial institutions. Senior associate Peter Ng also comes highly regarded, especially in insolvency-related litigation.

Heavily supported by strong contentious IP, antitrust, restructuring and insolvency practitioners, Allen & Overy’s litigation team offers a deep understanding of the commercial, regulatory and dispute resolution landscape in Hong Kong and Greater China. The practice has built a particularly strong reputation in banking litigation, regularly handling complex disputes concerning issues of derivatives, data breaches, fintech and contentious regulatory investigations. Qualified in both Hong Kong and London, practice head Matt Bower is highly sought after by banks and financial institutions in a wide range of private disputes and contentious regulatory investigations. Fai Hung Cheung is especially strong at handling cross-border financial and commercial disputes, while Eugene Chen is vastly experienced across both China outbound and inbound disputes. The team was bolstered by the addition of Melody Chan in February 2023, with the former White & Case China dispute resolution head bringing in-depth expertise in multi-jurisdictional commercial litigation.

Utilising the firm’s international capabilities to handle complex cross-border mandates, Baker McKenzie’s Hong Kong dispute resolution group works in joint operation with FenXun Partners to offer in-depth advice on Chinese law. The practice boasts an impressive range of major domestic and international clients, spanning public and private corporates, SOEs, high-net-worth individuals and investment banks and financial institutions. The practice is spearheaded by the vastly experienced Cynthia Tang, particularly sought after for her expertise in the listed company and financial services regulatory enforcement space. Bryan Ng's practice encompasses high-stakes commercial disputes and insolvency-related matters. Roberta Chan has developed a stellar reputation for significant property-related litigation, as well as corporate and commercial litigation including company and shareholder disputes.

Clifford Chance combines its renowned international capabilities with an in-depth understanding of the local Chinese market, having a particularly strong presence in the banking litigation space and regularly advising leading financial institutions, investors and corporates on complex cross-border mandates. Practice head Ling Ho brings over three decades of experience advising on IP and tech-related disputes, while the considerable breadth of Soo Khim Keoy’s expertise spans the likes of commercial and financial litigation, shareholder and JR disputes and contentious insolvency proceedings. Michael Wang’s practice focuses primarily on banking litigation and contentious regulatory matters, being a trusted advisor to top banks, investment funds, brokerage firms and listed companies. Below partner level, counsel Yvonne Shek and senior associate Jolly Xu are key contacts, with the former having developed a solid reputation for JV, insolvency and trust disputes.

The disputes team at Gibson Dunn is highly active across the gamut of civil and commercial litigation and disputes, with specialist expertise spanning the full range of banking, insurance, employment, shareholder, trust and tax matters. The Hong Kong disputes team collaborates closely with the firm’s compliance and investigations, competition and regulatory practices, providing clients with a full-service offering. One of those leading the department is Brian Gilchrist, with commercial litigation expertise that includes litigation relating to banking, corporate governance, directors’ duties and minority shareholders’ rights. Co-head Elaine Chen is a trusted advisor to numerous large companies and high-net-worth individuals, as is solicitor advocate Alex Wong.

King & Wood Mallesons offers a deep bench of experienced dispute resolution lawyers in Hong Kong and mainland China, regularly acting on a wide range of commercial and financial disputes for major listed companies and SOEs. The team depth is complemented by the breadth of expertise, with shareholder disputes, insolvency litigations and cross-border enforcement actions being particular strengths. Leading the practice is Paul Starr, vastly experienced in cross-border litigation and a renowned construction disputes expert. Edmund Wan is also adept in construction matters and brings strong commercial disputes knowledge, assisting banks and financiers to enforce defaulted loans and bonds. Peter Bullock is an expert in the field of TMT disputes and IP claims, while Barbara Chiu has a proven track record acting on shareholder and directors disputes.

Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP is highly regarded in the Hong Kong and Greater China market for handling complex commercial litigation, regulatory investigations and arbitration matters. The practice caters to a diverse range of clients ranging from major financial institutions and multinational corporations, to professional service firms and high-profile individuals. Martin Rogers and James Wadham jointly head the practice, both bringing an abundance of cross-border litigation experience covering multiple jurisdictions across Asia including mainland China, Japan, India, Korea and Singapore.

Independent Hong Kong firm Deacons considers disputes related to shareholders, banking, probate, private wealth and employment to be key areas of expertise; catering to a broad range of major clients from international corporations and PRC businesses to government and statutory bodies. Practice head Joseph Kwan brings over three decades of commercial litigation experience and is extremely well versed in handling asset distribution disputes for high-net-worth families in Hong Kong, especially following the passing of the patriarch or matriarch. KK Cheung is a particularly well regarded litigator in the construction field and regularly acts for major developers and contractors, while Peter So’s practice focuses on financial services litigation. Associate Michelle Li also handles a wide range of disputes, including employment, property and probate.

Debevoise & Plimpton LLP is highly sought after by major financial institution clients, regularly acting in significant litigation concerning private equity, investment banking, securities and wealth management. The practice also considers the areas of white collar crime and government investigations as key aspects of its litigation work, with multi-jurisdictional mandates spanning the Asia Pacific from India and Singapore to Japan and South Korea. Of counsel Mark Johnson and Gareth Hughes jointly head the offering, with the pair’s clients including top PRC asset management firms, global financial institutions, and individual executives and shareholders.

Dentons Hong Kong handles a large volume of cross-border contentious work, particularly disputes around the Greater Bay Area for major Chinese corporates and SOEs. The practice has carved out a notably strong reputation in the field of high-stakes boardroom and shareholder disputes, as well as complex professional indemnity and disciplinary matters. Keith Brandt heads the practice and brings almost four decades of dispute resolution experience in Asia, with his work focusing on commercial litigation in the energy, construction and financial services sectors. Senior consultant Allan Leung is experienced across a spectrum of complex disputes areas including environmental, contentious insolvency, and employment, while Richard Keady brings extensive knowledge of high-value banking and finance disputes.

With significant litigation capabilities in Hong Kong, DLA Piper has a broad range of expertise including shareholder and director disputes in listed and private companies, regulatory investigations and more specialised areas including employment, IP and shipping. In May 2022, the firm signed a cooperation agreement with Kaiman Legal in Shanghai, bolstering the firm’s capability to offer international and local PRC advice to clients in Mainland China. Kevin Chan jointly leads the practice and is highly sought after by major banks, multinational companies and SOEs. Co-head Harris Chan also has in-depth experience across all court levels in Hong Kong, handling a diverse range of disputes including banking and investment, construction, fraud and contentious probate. Satpal Gobindpuri is a key contact, having litigated on several ground-breaking shareholder, transport and insurance matters.

The dispute resolution group at HFW handles a variety of cross-border and domestic contentious matters, with a strong network of expertise throughout Hong Kong, Shanghai and the Greater Bay regions. Practice head Noel Campbell has over 25 years of commercial litigation experience, with his practice focusing on complex financial litigation, fraud, insolvency and trusts. He is heavily supported by George Lamplough, a specialist in cross-border banking and international trade disputes.

Hogan Lovells often litigates in complex and high-profile proceedings in courts locally and around the world, with in-depth expertise across commercial and financial services litigation, corporate shareholder disputes, and fraud and anti-corruption investigations. Practice head Chris Dobby advises clients on a broad range of cross-border commercial, insolvency, professional negligence and fraud related disputes. Adept across the range of commercial and contentious regulatory matters, Mark Lin regularly deals with courts, tribunals and regulators in Hong Kong, Singapore and the wider Asia Pacific region.

Regularly acting for large corporates, leading banks, government bodies and SOEs, Linklaters‘ Hong Kong and mainland China disputes specialists are experienced across a number of sectors including finance, real estate, consumer goods and entertainment. Justin Tang continues to develop his reputation amongst top banking and SOE clients, especially for complex shareholder disputes and insolvency-related litigation. Solicitor advocate Denise Fung is also a significant presence in the practice, regularly acting for financial institutions and corporates in complex commercial litigation and investigations.

The disputes resolution team at Mayer Brown is highly experienced across multiple disciplines and jurisdictions, with a notable offering in the fields of commercial, banking and finance, and real estate litigation, as well as recognisable skill in the regulatory investigations space. Co-head of the firm’s global litigation practice Geoffrey Chan fronts the Hong Kong offering and is especially highly regarded for his skills handling complex contentious construction matters. Alan Linning also brings over three decades of commercial litigation experience, with his practice focusing on financial services regulatory matters and investigations.

Minter Ellison offers a heavy-weight disputes team in Hong Kong, with a broad caseload of complex litigation that spans boardroom and shareholder, investment fund, financial services and insurance-related disputes. The practice is also noted for its considerable cross-border expertise, which in addition to regularly acting for Hong Kong and PRC clients in their overseas disputes in regions such as Dubai and Africa, also has a significant presence in other key Asia Pacific jurisdictions such as Australia. Veteran David Morrison’s practice focuses primarily on corporate, regulatory and securities litigation, while William Barber’s litigation expertise spans key economic sectors including financial services, energy and commodities, and telecoms. Desmond Liaw is also a key contact for commercial and civil litigation, including employment, fraud and asset recovery.

Norton Rose Fulbright handles a broad span of big-ticket litigation for high calibre regional and global financial institutions, as well as a steady stream of complex family and probate disputes and construction related matters. The practice is also particularly strong regarding contentious regulatory and white collar work, active across all stages including investigations, enforcement proceedings and prosecutions by regulatory bodies. Practice head Camille Jojo brings extensive experience across the spectrum of banking, shareholder and general commercial disputes. Alfred Wu is also a key contact and highly regarded for his corporate dispute expertise, advising clients on a range of M&A, JV and finance matters. Daniel Ng is sought-after by banks, financial institutions and corporates to advise on contentious commercial matters.

Reed Smith Richards Butler LLP maintains a varied and high-profile caseload of cross-border commercial litigation, and, in addition to corporate, fraud and debt-repayment matters, has established a significant strength in shipping disputes. Jointly leading the practice is Lianjun Li, who has established a solid reputation in the Hong Kong market for handling major disputes related to international trade, transportation, cross-border investments and bond issuance. Team co-head Asha Sharma is also renowned for the breadth of her litigation expertise, handling a wide range of complex contractual, employment, property and banking related disputes.

The Hong Kong litigation offering at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP is particularly strong on matters with a US nexus, regularly representing highly-regarded US-listed Chinese Issuers in US courts. The team is led by the abundantly experienced and 'extremely knowledgeable' Rory McAlpine, who regularly handles complex and multi-jurisdictional disputes for corporates and financial institutions. He is strongly supported by associate James Tennison who is building a solid reputation advising on domestic, international and offshore litigation.

Stephenson Harwood is a robust presence in the Hong Kong litigation market, using its international network to act in numerous cross-border disputes related to shareholders, fraud, maritime and international trade, employment and contentious liquidation and insolvency matters. Ivan Ng and Ian Childs lead the practice, with the latter being a specialist across the board of civil, regulatory and criminal litigation; he has a particular focus on the financial sector and contentious regulatory issues. Jamie Stranger is a key presence when it comes to corporate insolvency disputes, as well as contentious probate and commercial litigation. Emily Li is highly sought after by PRC and international clients for her expertise, especially in the field of shareholders disputes.

Independent Hong Kong firm Tanner De Witt acts for a wide array of multinational corporations, SMEs, high-net-worth individuals and public sector bodies on complex and high-profile matters, from commercial and corporate to regulatory and IP-related disputes. Pamela Mak jointly leads the offering and has a proven track record acting for both private and listed companies on complex shareholders’ disputes. Co-head Jeff Lane’s practice focuses primarily on domestic and multi-jurisdictional fraud disputes and asset tracing and recovery matters; also bringing a strong niche in cyber-fraud.

Especially well-known for high value and complex disputes in the financial services sector, the litigation team at Ashurst works in conjunction with the firm’s financial regulatory, restructuring and insolvency practices to provide a comprehensive full-service offering. James Comber spearheads the practice and brings extensive experience in corporate, insolvency and contractual disputes, as well as contentious regulatory matters. Cliff Chow continues to receive instructions from major international and PRC banking and financial institution clients, handling both sensitive investigations and significant disputes.

Utilising its commanding international reputation, Clyde & Co LLP’s dispute resolution practice throughout Hong Kong and mainland China consistently handles complex disputes across a number of key economic sectors, including construction, energy, marine, aviation, trade and insurance. Practice head Simon McConnell has particular expertise in commercial disputes in the financial services sector, regularly handling matters involving directors, financial institutions, fraud, professional indemnity and trade credit cover. Patrick Perry has a proven track record acting in substantial construction litigation, while Matthew Lam has a particular focus on shipping matters, such as charter party disputes, marine casualties and bunker claims.

Boutique law firm Gall focuses almost exclusively on dispute resolution, with the specialist Hong Kong practice remaining extremely active in the fields of commercial litigation, fraud matters, employment disputes, insolvencies and family matters. Nick Gall is one of those leading a practice that boasts an impressive client portfolio, regularly acting for foreign governments, banks, hedge funds and other large financial institutions. Co-head Chris Wong specialises in a broad range of corporate and commercial disputes, with an emphasis on complex multi-jurisdictional disputes for both mainland Chinese and foreign companies and individuals.

The commercial disputes and regulatory group at Kennedys continues to maintain its strong reputation for director and shareholder disputes, financial sector litigation, regulatory defence and contentious employment. The practice is particularly reputable when it comes to healthcare work, with co-heads Christine Tsang and Sandy Cho overseeing a strong contentious offering that covers litigation in relation to clinical negligence and medical malpractice, criminal investigations and death inquests involving medico-legal issues. Rudy Chung also leads the practice and brings vast experience in construction and engineering disputes, as well as contentious regulatory insurance and financial services matters.

O'Melveny assists its clients in high-profile and complex cases involving shareholder and partnership issues, professional negligence claims, commercial and finance disputes, and insurance matters. Specialising in commercial, corporate and regulatory litigation, practice head Denis Brock is highly sought after by major domestic and international clients to advise on disputes concerning investments, joint ventures and commodities. He is supported by experienced counsel Kieran Humphrey, an expert in contentious regulatory investigations who receives considerable client praise for his 'extremely good technical legal knowledge'.

The litigation and dispute management team at Eversheds Sutherland is highly regarded for the breadth of expertise it offers, with commercial, administrative and regulatory, financial services, contentious restructuring and insolvency disputes considered key areas of expertise. Mark Hughes heads the practice and brings in-depth experience of numerous multi-jurisdictional issues, including regulatory and internal investigations arising from alleged misconduct. Of counsel Jason Tam is highly knowledgeable across the spectrum of commercial and financial disputes, regularly acting for listed companies, banks, hedge funds and multinational corporations.

Fangda Partners is consistently instructed by Chinese, foreign and local entities on commercial cross-border disputes, drawing upon the firm’s deep expertise in corporate, finance, trade and investment law. Peter Yuen oversees a practice that is well known for its broad industry focus, encompassing the likes of banking, energy, financial services, healthcare and real estate disputes. Howard Chan is another prominent presence, well versed representing multi-national corporations, financial institutions and high-net-worth individuals before the Hong Kong courts.

In addition to the traditional commercial disputes practice, the team at Hill Dickinson Hong Kong continues to engage in new generation disputes involving the latest technologies, including those related to cryptocurrency and crypto-assets. Bryan O’Hare jointly oversees a practice that receives a steady stream of complex contentious insolvency, construction, international trade and regulatory disputes. Co-head Damien Laracy is a highly sought after litigator with more than three decades of experience, with a particular strength in key growth sectors from real estate and retail to trade and transport.

With a particularly extensive network in mainland China, Latham & Watkins LLP regularly represents clients in substantial cross-border litigation throughout Asia, including disputes related to contract, shareholders, M&A and JV, banking and securities, and professional liability. Hui Xu is chair of the firm’s Asia litigation and trial department and advises clients on a broad range of claims, with a particular focus on resolving multi-jurisdictional white collar investigations and litigation. Solicitor advocate Dominic Geiser’s practice focuses on complex commercial litigation and he is one of the relatively few lawyers in Hong Kong who has been awarded Higher Rights of Audience in civil litigation matters.

The litigation team at Morrison Foerster has extensive experience representing multinational and Chinese companies, SOEs and individuals in complex disputes spanning a wide array of key economic sectors, including technology, pharmaceuticals, energy, construction and private equity. Timothy Blakely heads up the practice and is vastly experienced in representing companies and individuals in high-stakes contentious matters concerning US and Hong Kong law, as well as PRC litigation on behalf of individual clients.

Wilkinson & Grist increasingly receives mandates from private clients in relation to family disputes, as well as acting for a number of major local and international banks in Hong Kong in significant and high-value banking disputes. Practice head Ivan Chu’s practice spans the spectrum of civil litigation and he oversees a practice that is highly active across commercial and shareholder disputes, defamation, employment and professional negligence matters.

Zhong Lun Law Firm is recognised for its skill representing clients in cross-border disputes with a significant PRC and Hong Kong element, including those arising along countries partaking in the one belt and road initiative. Solicitor advocate Frederick Hui is one of those leading the practice and specialises in commercial litigation and white-collar crime, with a proven track record acting for high-value shareholders. Gilbert Leung also heads the team, bringing extensive knowledge regarding insolvency matters, commercial fraud, contentious banking and real estate disputes.