Deacons

We are delighted to announce that our Construction Practice has been once again recognised by Doyle's Guide 2024. Partners KK Cheung and Joseph Chung have been recommended as Leading Construction & Infrastructure Litigation Lawyers – Hong Kong. Consultant Stanley Lo and Senior Associate Leo Wong have also been recommended as Leading Front End Construction, Infrastructure & Projects Lawyers – Hong Kong and Construction Law Rising Stars – Hong Kong respectively.   Doyle’s Guide is a legal ranking publication. The listings detail solicitors in Hong Kong practising within the areas of construction, projects and infrastructure matters across the region’s legal markets who have been identified by clients and peers for their expertise and abilities.   Find out more about our Construction Practice: https://lnkd.in/g95ERAfV   #Deacons #DoylesGuide #recognition #construction #litigation

Our Corporate Commercial partner Cynthia Chung and associate Stephanie Yip recently contributed to an article on “‘418 rule’ overhaul bridges benefit gap for Hong Kong workers” published by Hong Kong Business Magazine. In February, the Labour Advisory Board agreed to revise the “continuous contract” requirement, so as to replace the "418 rule" with a new "468 rule" once the amendment bill is passed and comes into effect. The proposed amendment is expected to extend benefits coverage to an additional 11,400 Hong Kong employees upon legislation. Cynthia and Stephanie explained that the relaxation of the "continuous contract" aims to protect more employees, particularly part-time workers, from potential exploitation. They believe the "468 rule" introduction is a positive step to enhance employee welfare and address manpower shortages. They also highlighted the need to revisit labour regulations for the evolving gig economy, so as to provide protections like minimum wage and work injury compensation, as gig workers often lack these rights as self-employed persons or independent contractors. Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/gGFvqMqJ Learn more about our Employment and Pensions Practice: https://lnkd.in/gHFxfVEh #DeaconsEmployment #EmploymentLaw #LabourRegulations #EmployeeWelfare #GIGEconomy 

On 3 July, our Partner and Head of Corporate Commercial Cynthia Chung participated in a panel discussion, titled “Asia Pacific’s Tomorrow’s Leaders” at the 2nd Asia-Pacific Employment Summit, organised by International Employment Lawyer in Singapore. Moderated by Cynthia, the panel also included other seasoned practitioners across the Asia-Pacific region Angelia Thng, Partner at Braddell Brothers (Singapore), Clancy Ding, Partner at DLA Piper (Australia), Melissa Tham, Senior Legal Employment Counsel APAC at Dyson (Singapore) and Teresa Young, Director & Senior Managing Legal Counsel – Head of APAC Employment Law at Boston Consulting Group (Singapore). The discussion provided junior employment and labour law practitioners with invaluable insights on developing a career as an international employment lawyer and discussed the challenges posed by the modern workplace. The event was well attended by more than 300 employment lawyers, in-house counsels and HR professionals. #DeaconsEmployment #IEL #EmploymentSummit #EmploymentLawyer #EmploymentLaw #Career

On 28 June 2024, our Construction Consultant Stanley Lo was invited by the Hong Kong Institute of Construction Adjudicators (HKICAdj) to speak as a panellist at the HKICAdj Adjudication Conference 2024. The conference, titled “Getting Prepared with Updates in Security of Payment and Opportunities”, was well-attended by industry experts and professionals.    During the panel discussion, Stanley provided recent updates on Security of Payment Legislation (“SOPL”). Moderator Mr. Richarson Poon, Construction Lawyer, along with Mr. James Johnson, Director of The Contracts Group Limited, and Mr. Jason Leung, Partner of Mayer Brown, also shared the main features and challenges in compliance with the SOPL. The session proved to be highly informative and relevant to the current trends and developments in the Hong Kong Adjudication landscape. Find out more about our Construction Practice: https://lnkd.in/g95ERAfV #Deacons #DeaconsLitigationandDisputeResolution #Construction #HKICAdj #Adjudication 

We are delighted to announce that our Construction Partners KK Cheung and Joseph Chung have been recommended in the Who's Who Legal (“WWL”): Construction 2024 practice area report. WWL: Construction provides in-depth analysis to the world’s elite construction lawyers and experts as well as future leaders in the field. KK and Joseph have been selected for their outstanding experience and expertise in resolving complex multi-jurisdictional construction disputes through litigation, mediation and arbitration. Please click here to read the full report: https://lnkd.in/ggNMK5y8   Find out more about our Construction Practice here: https://lnkd.in/g95ERAfV   #Deacons #DeaconsLitigationandDisputeResolution #Construction #Recognition #WWL

On 24 June, our Financial Services Partner, Joyce Li, moderated a panel titled “Charting the course: Onshore and offshore strategies in Mainland China's fund business” at the HKIFA 17th Annual Conference. The panel covered a range of topics, including the current market environment, the recent announcements from the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) regarding new measures for cooperation with the Hong Kong capital market, enhancements made to the mainland-Hong Kong Mutual Recognition of Funds (MRF) scheme, as well as the developments in the Wealth Management Connect (WMC) program. Learn more about our Financial Services practice here: https://lnkd.in/gqKmBm7v #Deacons #DeaconsFinancialServices #InvestmentFunds #Authorisedfunds #Assetmanagement #InvestmentManagement #HKIFA

At Deacons, we offer a comprehensive training program on a variety of skills and knowledge for our colleagues under Deacons Academy. On 27 June, Deacons Academy hosted its first ever learning + social event inviting guests from NGOs and charities in Hong Kong to share insights and ideas on handling funds and donations.   The event started with a seminar on “AML and CTF issues for NGOs and charities in Hong Kong” followed by a networking cocktail. The seminar was presented by KK Cheung, Partner of our Litigation and Dispute Resolution Department, and Chris Wong, Senior Associate of our Banking and Finance practice, and moderated by Annie Tsoi, Partner-in-charge of our Professional Standards and Development Department. Senior executives and representatives from various NGOs and charities joined us to learn about the AML and CFT regime in Hong Kong, as well as practical tips of dealing with and assessing money laundering and terrorist financing risks in their daily operations. Many questions and concerns were raised and discussed during the Q&A session and there were also valuable sharing of common practice amongst the audience.    Deacons is committed to giving back to society via different channels; Deacons Cares embraces a wide range of CSR initiatives and organises events for different interest groups. Learn more about our corporate responsibility: https://lnkd.in/gSiRs8ke   #Deacons #DeaconsAcademy #DeaconsCares #CSR #CorporateResponisbility #SocialImpact #CommunityEngagement #AML #AntiMoneyLaundering

Deacons IP Department hosted another “IP in Business - Deacons Afternoon Tea Series” on 26 June. Continuing with the last seminar series on issues arising during the life cycle of a new product using a fictional case study, the team delved into what happens when distribution arrangements go wrong. IP Partner Catherine H. Zheng, Consultant Charmaine Koo, Counsel Eliza Siew, and Associate Tianqi Liu started the seminar with the challenges faced by the fictional client with its distributors in Hong Kong and mainland China, followed by how our team would advise our clients in similar situations. The two-session seminar highlighted practical tips and pitfalls when handling breach of contract, strategic advice in cross-border litigation and dispute resolution on IP infringement matters, as well as key considerations when drafting distribution agreements as a preventive measure. Disputes with distributors are a frequent problem faced by many IP owners, our team has extensive experience in advising clients with comprehensive strategies and action plans for handling conflicts with distributors. Contact us today for more information – https://lnkd.in/gtMYADNP #Deacons #DeaconsIP #IntellectualProperty #IP #ProductDevelopment #Distribution #IPLitigation #IPArbitration #BreachofContract

Our Corporate Commercial Partner Cynthia Chung recently hosted a podcast titled “How the AI Revolution is Reshaping the Future of Legal Systems”, organised by Employment Law Alliance (ELA) Joining Cynthia in this programme was Albert Yen, Associate at Lee, Tsai & Lee, Tsai & Partners from Taiwan. They delved into a discussion on the technological advancements in AI and provided insights into how the rapid development of AI technology drives the need for legal systems to evolve and adapt to the new realities reshaped by these advancements. Listen to the full episode: https://lnkd.in/gfRB_dHY #DeaconsEmployment #ELA #EmploymentLaw #EmploymentLawyer #AI #Technology

On 20 June 2024, our Commercial Litigation practice co-hosted a seminar on “Key Features and Practical Guidance on the Reciprocal Enforcement of Judgments Regime Between Hong Kong and Mainland China” with Shihui Partners 世輝律師事務所. The seminar, attended by over 80 participants both offline and online, comprised three sessions. Our Head of Litigation and Dispute Resolution department, Joseph Kwan, first delivered an opening speech, setting the tone for the day's discussions. The seminar followed by our Commercial Litigation Partner KK Cheung, Senior Associate Genevieve Lam and Associate Andy Lam, who provided in-depth analysis on the development and implementation of the new arrangement on Reciprocal Enforcement of Judgments Regime in civil and commercial matters (“REJ”) by the Courts of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. In the next session, our guest speakers from Shihui Partners, Dispute Resolution Partner Yulong Lai and Senior Associate Shixin Yang discussed the implementation of the new arrangement on REJ and comparison to the choice of Court arrangement in the Mainland. They also shared their practical experiences and strategies for asset preservation and enforcement in the Mainland, providing valuable insights to attendees. The event concluded with an interactive roundtable discussion, where the speakers facilitated a deeper exploration of the topics covered. For more details, please see our legal update and reach out to us to see how we may assist you under the new REJ Arrangement or any other way: https://lnkd.in/gcnhefbX #Deacons #DeaconsCommercialLitigation #ReciprocalEnforcementofJudgments #REJ