Family

As an international law firm with a substantial presence in Asia, Addleshaw Goddard assists with outbound investment by Asian companies looking to expand internationally, whether into Europe, the GCC or beyond. We also provide practical legal advice and support to European and international clients looking to enter Asian local markets or who need assistance with managing existing operations.

Our offices in Hong Kong and Singapore work in conjunction with those in the UK and elsewhere, and with Hashidate Law Office in Tokyo (with which we have a formal affiliation) to provide clients – wherever they are based and their business interests lie – with a full range of high-quality legal services backed by extensive local knowledge.

We provide advice on all issues that can be relevant to companies operating internationally, including:

• Establishing operations in other jurisdictions
• Acquiring businesses or setting up joint ventures in those jurisdictions
• Generating international finance through, for example, shares listings or the raising of private equity or bank financing
• Successfully resolving complex and high-value disputes especially cross-border

Wherever required, we call upon the additional local legal expertise of members of our network of leading independent commercial law firms so that we may provide clients with a seamless cross-border capability. We also maintain dedicated regional business groups for mainland China, India, Korea, and Malaysia led by partners with substantial expertise and experience of operating in these jurisdictions.

Our CSR Approach

We care about the way we do business and have developed a CSR agenda that reflects our commitment to our stakeholders and developing local communities.

We strive to uphold the highest standards in everything we do and have a strong belief that in order to achieve this aim, we need to consider the way that we conduct ourselves and our business.

Our CSR strategy is framed around our ultimate objective of Unlocking Young Potential. We aim to make an active contribution to our communities through supporting young people to reach their full potential through our three CSR pillars: Access to Education, Access to the Profession and Access to Work.

We implement our CSR strategy through our community work, charity work and our pro bono programme. All of this is underpinned by a wider commitment and investment from the firm through the AG Charitable Trust and our environmental policies and initiatives.

Local CSR leadership teams oversee their office’s efforts in the local community, whilst we are proud of our central investment in firm wide programmes.

At Addleshaw Goddard we are particularly keen to encourage all of our employees to think about how they might use the skills they develop in their professional careers to help their local community and this is reflected in our strategy

Participating Lawyers:

• Dhaksha Giga (Litigation)
• Mark Leung (ECM)
• Luana Tung (Corporate)
• Janie Wong (Litigation)
• Sam Yazdani (Corporate)

Participating lawyer: Anita Leung

Anita Leung has been a legal practitioner for more than 25 years, advising both local and multinational companies on the full spectrum of both contentious and non-contentious intellectual property and information technology work, including mergers, acquisition and commercialization of IP assets, internal IP audits, pre-IPO due diligence, joint ventures, research collaboration, licensing, franchising and distribution. She provides clients with strategic brand integrity programs involving regional and cross-border enforcement programs at all levels, litigating on copyright, trademark, design and patent disputes. Anita also assists clients on data privacy and cybersecurity issues, both locally and regionally, and the development and execution of diverse legal initiatives to manage the legal risks faced by companies in the Greater China and Asia Pacific regions, including portfolio management, product regulatory and compliance issues.

Prior to joining David Lo and Partners as a consultant, Anita was a partner with two top international law firms in Hong Kong, Jones Day and Baker & McKenzie.

Davis Polk’s Hong Kong office, opened in 1993 and was one of the first offices opened by a major Wall Street firm in Hong Kong. For more than two decades, they have been involved in many of the region’s most important and high profile capital markets and M&A/private equity transactions, as well as litigation matters in China and elsewhere in Asia. Their world-class global enforcement and litigation practice is one of the largest in the Asian market. The firm’s sophisticated Asia practice and their fully integrated international practices provide their clients with one of the most efficient full-service global law firms in Asia today

Participating Lawyers:

Margie Chan

Jonathan Chang

Bo Huang

Robyn Crowter

Kate Chan

Herbert Smith Freehills is one of the world’s leading professional services businesses. With 27 offices spanning the globe, we offer local insight and seamless cross-border service in all major regions and strive to address and resolve our clients’ complex business challenges.

A strong commitment to pro bono and the communities in which we work is fundamental to our practice. With a large number of offices around the world, our people see every day how essential the rule of law is to the functioning of a civil and inclusive society. Our pro bono and citizenship initiatives reflect that global outlook by focusing on building the rule of law, social inclusion, capacity building and the far-reaching implications of climate change.

We are intensely proud to contribute to the work of clients who are thought-leaders and innovators, helping them to achieve important social change. Inspired by our clients and by our professional responsibility as lawyers, social impact and a sense of justice underpin everything we aspire to achieve as a responsible business. It is within that framework that we are delighted to participate in the PILnet Law for Change Student Competition.

Participating Lawyers:

Joanna Caen

Vicky Man

Lawrence Li

Jane Ma

As a leading global law firm, Linklaters advises the world’s premier companies, financial institutions and governments on their most challenging assignments. Its network of offices combines local knowledge with global infrastructure to provide the highest standard of innovative legal advice.

ln Asia, just as in the rest of the world, Linklaters is dedicated to being a responsible business. Their award-winning collective responsibility strategy formulates how they use their skills and resources to build a fairer, healthier and more prosperous society. Linklaters supports the 10 principles of the UN Global Compact on human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption. Linklaters is committed to making them part of their strategy, culture and day-to-day operations, and to engaging in collaborative projects which advance the broader UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Every year Linklaters offices provide over 30,000 hours of pro bono legal support to around 200 not-for-profit organisations, and many more vulnerable individuals. Its community investment programme allows Linklaters to donate money and skills within its communities. With its realising aspirations programme, Linklaters is removing barriers to success for young people from lower socio-economic backgrounds. Its growing capabilities programme uses their skills and resources to expand the capabilities of not-for-profit organisations. And through matched giving and paid time off to volunteer, Linklaters is inspiring its staff members to give back to the community.

Participating Lawyers: 

• Danny Kan
• Zoe Wong
• Ying Kiu Chow

Mayer Brown is uniquely positioned to advise the world’s leading companies and financial institutions on their most complex deals and disputes. With extensive reach across four continents, we are the only integrated law firm in the world with approximately 200 lawyers in each of the world’s three largest financial centers—New York, London and Hong Kong—the backbone of the global economy. We have deep experience in high-stakes litigation and complex transactions across industry sectors, including our signature strength, the global financial services industry. Our diverse teams of lawyers are recognized by our clients as strategic partners with deep commercial instincts and a commitment to creatively anticipating their needs and delivering excellence in everything we do. Our “one-firm” culture—seamless and integrated across all practices and regions—ensures that our clients receive the best of our knowledge and experience.

We believe in giving back to the community. Naturally, as an international business law firm, the most effective way we can accomplish this is by providing pro bono legal services to individuals and non-profit organizations. Our pro bono work is intrinsic to our professional identity, and has helped us to establish our reputation for offering true excellence as a law firm.

Participating Lawyers: 

• Billy Lam
• Alvin Wong

A longtime leader in Asia, O’Melveny helps clients navigate commercial matters critical to their businesses. Since establishing our first Hong Kong and mainland offices in the mid-1990s, O’Melveny has grown organically with the development of the Chinese economy, and we have advised on many of the most important and pioneering transactions in the region’s history. Lawyers in O’Melveny’s Hong Kong office represent clients from around the world in a broad range of matters, including cross-border disputes, joint ventures, complex mergers and acquisitions, financings, investment and capital market transactions, investment fund formation, international trade and regulatory matters, and restructurings and insolvencies.

O’Melveny’s commitment to exceptional client service historically has extended to the underrepresented members of society through our vibrant and award-winning pro bono practice. Our pro bono program tackles the critical issues of the day, including immigration, housing, women’s rights, foster care, education, jail reform, and community building. Our clients—from military veterans to couples seeking marriage equality to nonprofits stitching together a social safety net — are as diverse as the communities we serve. And we continue to challenge ourselves to do more.

Participating Lawyers:

Denis Brok

Alvin Sin

Aditya Kurian

Angela Yeung

Valerie Tsui

Participating Lawyer: Malcolm Kemp

Malcolm is the Senior Partner of Stephenson Harwood Hong Kong and heads its litigation practice. The practice incorporates trust and probate litigation, arbitration, insolvency, construction, trade finance, regulatory work and general commercial litigation.

Malcolm has been admitted as a solicitor in Hong Kong for more than 35 years. He was educated at Keble College, Oxford University from 1973 to 1976 where he obtained a BA in Jurisprudence which has now become a MA. He began his professional career with Messrs Richards Butler in London, specialising in Marine litigation and Arbitration. On arrival in Hong Kong, Malcolm continued to practice marine litigation, but expanded into the areas of insolvency and trust and probate litigation with the inclusion of general commercial litigation.

Kay Chan is a graduate of City University of Hong Kong School of Law and was on the Dean’s List. He has been practicing at the Bar since 2008. Frequently appearing in different levels of courts and tribunals, Kay has built a diverse practice in both civil and criminal law. Kay has appeared in cases ranging from mediations to international arbitrations to FDR’s to criminal trials and appeals. Kay has conducted cases in venues such as the Lands Tribunal, High Court as well as the Court of Final Appeal.

Kay is currently on the Board of Directors of the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals, He is also Honourary Treasurer of The New Medico-Legal Society of Hong Kong, Vice Chairman of the Hong Kong Collaborative Practice Group, a committee member of the Hong Kong Family Law Association, a member of the Hong Kong Maritime Law Association and a member of the Committee of Criminal Law and Procedure of the Hong Kong Bar Association.

Alan Leong, S.C. graduated from the University of Hong Kong and University of Cambridge. He has been practicing at the Bar since 1985, and in 1998 became one of the first Senior Counsel appointed after the handover. Alan served as the Chairman of the Bar Council between 2001 and 2003. During his term as the Chairman, he strenuously fought for the rule of law and the freedoms of Hong Kong citizens.

Alan was elected as a Legislative Councillor representing Kowloon East geographical constituency in 2004, 2008 and 2012. Alan was the Party Leader from 2011-2016 and currently the Party Chairman of the Civic Party. He also ran against Mr Donald Tsang in the first ever contested Chief Executive Election since the handover in 2007.

Alan is also an Honorary Lecturer at the Department of Professional Legal Education of the University of Hong Kong.

Ms. Li is a counsel of Chow Tai Fook Enterprises. Prior to joining Chow Tai Fook Enterprises, she used to be an associate at Davis Polk. She graduated from Sydney Law School in 2008 with LL.B.

Christine Wong, Senior Advisor to the Chairman‘s Office of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX), has been a corporate and regulatory lawyer for over 25 years.

Between 2010 and 2016, Christine was the Chief Counsel and Head of Legal Services of HKEX. Leading a team of 12 lawyers, she advised on milestone projects of the group including the acquisition of the London Metal Exchange in 2012, the setting up of OTC Clear (Hong Kong’s over-the-counter derivatives clearing house) in 2013, and the establishment of the Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect in 2014. Prior to HKEX, Christine was a corporate lawyer in private practice, as Consultant at Linklaters from 2001 to 2010, and as Associate Solicitor at Freshfields between 1992 and 1995. Christine worked for the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) from 1995 to 2001, initially, as Senior Manager of the Corporate Finance Division focusing on takeovers work; and subsequently, as Senior Director of Corporate Finance specialising in listing regulation.

Christine qualified as a solicitor in 1988. She obtained her law degree from the University of Hong Kong (HKU), and has been a mentor for law students under HKU’s Law Mentorship Programme for more than 12 years. Since 2016, she has served as pro bono legal adviser to Mother’s Choice.