Our Services

We provide a broad range of legal services for our banking and financial institution clients worldwide (including China).

We advise on and assist to review all aspects of regulatory compliance, bank mandates, standard forms and documents for the ever-increasing need of banking clients to develop new products.

In particular, we draft documentation relating to and advise on project financing, syndicated loans, property financing, debenture, share charge, building mortgage and other kinds of security documents, documentary credit, restructuring of debts, mortgages of vessels, leasing agreements, bills of sales and protesting of bills, as well as electronic and online banking services.

To meet the demands of our clients and in recognition of the rapidly growing economic importance of the People’s Republic of China, we have established as a foreign law firm in Shenzhen. Our branch office was granted its licence to practise in the Spring of 1993 by the Ministry of Justice of Beijing.

Our firm is confident that the China-Practice will experience the greatest growth and development in the coming years.

Our China-Practice offers extensive advice to both foreign investors and China entities (including state-owned enterprises) on different aspects of foreign investment such as the establishment, maintenance and dissolution of wholly foreign-owned enterprises, Sino-foreign joint ventures and other cooperative arrangements, conversion into joint-stock companies, acquisitions, mergers and reconstructions.

Further, we advise and draft necessary documents relating to lending and security, technology transfer, licensing and training, acquisition and sale (including project sale) of landed properties, estate development, distributorship and agency as well as retail and servicing businesses.

We derive professional support from China legal experts throughout China and our in-house China legal consultant.

Our five experienced China-Appointed Attesting Officers frequently handle voluminous Chinese notarial / attestation matters, further enhancing our capability in handling our China-related services.

We advise our clients on all aspects of the day-to-day legal issues involved in commercial operations.

We provide a comprehensive range of services to clients such as:

• formation of companies and businesses establishment, increase or reduction of capital, compliance of new and necessary laws and regulations;
• acquisitions, sale or restructuring of assets, businesses and companies, takeovers and mergers;
• drafting and reviewing all areas of joint venture agreements, agency and distribution agreements, franchising agreements, consultancy agreement and other commercial contracts;
• insolvencies, debt restructuring and corporate reconstructions, receivership and liquidation;
• other matters including taxation, unit trusts and mutual funds management, consultancy agreements; and
• employment contracts, employee share option and other incentive schemes.

We also provide secretarial and nominee director services to clients.

We provide advisory services for clients (sponsors, underwriters, investors, venture capital funds, enterprises etc.) relating to fund raising and other operations in the capital market, such as:

• listing of securities on the Main Board and Growth Enterprise Market in Hong Kong (including listing of Hong Kong, Cayman and Bermuda companies, H Share companies and privately owned enterprises in China);
• placing of shares and issue of warrants;
• advising on the issue of debt securities, including certificate of deposits, convertible securities, commercial papers etc, as well as handling legal matters relating to the listing of debt securities in Hong Kong and overseas;
• discloseable transactions and other transactions requiring shareholders approval; and
• compliance of listing rules and the regulatory framework in Hong Kong, U.S.A., Australia, Canada and other jurisdictions.

We are particularly well known for our wide range of services in Intellectual Property in Hong Kong, Macau, China and overseas.

Our services include the following:

• registration of patents (including patent inquiry, drafting, criminal prosecution, applying for grant, renewal and obtaining investigation report; analyzing feasibility for grant, validity and infringement), trademarks, designs, service marks, domain names and trade names,
• opposition and rectification proceedings,
• brand names and Intellectual Property portfolio management;
• infringements of patents, trademarks, designs, copyright and passing-off (including international litigation, judicial review and opposition proceedings),
• franchising and licensing;
• advertising media and entertainment law;
• anticounterfeiting and custom actions;
• computer related contracts;
• information technology and Internet related issues;
• technology transfer; and
• due diligence investigations on Intellectual Property.

Our Intellectual Property Department has deployed one of the most advanced and sophisticated Intellectual Property management systems available. This centralised database aids to streamline our workflow and provide clients with the most efficient and quality services.

Our dispute resolution team has commanded a great deal of respect during its many years of providing top quality service to our clients.

We handle all aspects of dispute resolution. We are actively involved in these areas of practice including:

• commercial disputes,
• debt recovery,
• winding-up and receivership,
• insurance claims,
• personal injuries,
• employment disputes,
• defamation claims,
• land disputes,
• Mareva injunctions,
• family law and children’s arrangements,
• criminal litigation in all areas,
• enforcement proceedings, and
• contentious probate.

We also represent clients in local and international arbitration cases with one of our solicitors being an Associate Member of The Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.

Fifteen of our solicitors have been appointed as civil celebrants of marriages by the Registrar of Marriages pursuant to the Marriage Ordinance Cap.181 providing marriage solemnization services at any time and at any place in Hong Kong other than marriage registries or licensed places of worship.

Our services include submitting the notice of intended marriage, celebrating the marriage and preparation of the marriage certificate.

Our Civil Celebrants are :

• Mr. YUNG Ching Tat
• Ms. Helen KONG Yuen Hoong
• Mr. David CHEUNG Kin Chun
• Mr. LAW Chi Yuen
• Mr. Kevin CHAN Wai Man
• Mr. Simon SIU Chak Yu
• Ms. Jennifer FAN Ho Kee
• Ms. Milly HUNG Yuk Kwan
• Mr. LEE Kui Lam
• Mr. MA Ching Nam
• Mr. Laurie LAM Hoy Lee
• Mr. Alfred LAM Kwok Cheong
• Mr. Jimmy KWONG Chi Keung
• Mr. Samuel LEUNG Kin Kee
• Mr. Wystan WU Wai Shun

Our firm has seven notaries public, appointed over the years, providing notarial and attesting services required by international and local clients.

Notaries public of the firm are:

• Mr. YUNG Ching Tat
• Mr. LAW Chi Yuen
• Mr. Simon SIU Chak Yu
• Mr. Tony WONG Kai Tung
• Mr. LEE Kui Lam
• Mr. MA Ching Nam
• Mr. KWONG Chi Keung

Our firm also has five Attesting Officers appointed by the Department of Justice of the People’s Republic of China, undertaking notarial services for international and local clients regarding acts, facts and documents occurring in Hong Kong for use as legal evidence in the People’s Republic of China.

China-Appointed Attesting Officers are:

• Mr. YUNG Ching Tat
• Mr. Simon SIU Chak Yu
• Mr. LEE Kui Lam
• Mr. MA Ching Nam
• Mr. Alfred LAM Kwok Cheong

The Property and Conveyancing Department has been one of the strongest departments of the firm.

To continue providing a professional yet competitive service to our clients, we have concentrated on implementing a more cost-effective procedure with qualified solicitors supervising teams of clerks with ultimate responsibility placed on the Partners.

A wide range of services are available including the following:

• sales and purchases of commercial, industrial and residential properties,
• tenancy matters, including commercial and residential leases and tenancy agreements,
• bank charges and mortgages,
• home ownership and private sector participation schemes, and
• estate / project developments.

We provide a wide range of services to our clients in relation to estate and probate matters, including but not limited to estate duty planning, obtaining estate duty clearance, drafting and preparing wills, advise on trust and estate matters and setting up of trusts, applying for grants of representation and re-sealing of grants.

We also advise on administration and distribution of estates.