On 28 October 2016, our Partner Mr. Stephen Wong together with our Public Relations Manager Ms. Yo Yo Fang, attended a forum in Tianjin on the development of commercial litigation and arbitration under the new economic environment. The forum was jointly held by AllBright Law Office (Shanghai), AllBright Law Office (Tianjin), Stevenson, Wong & Co. and Tianjin Arbitration Commission.

Mr. Wong spoke on the topic of international dispute resolution. He discussed the existing arbitration rules in Hong Kong and commented on how business enterprises could make the most of arbitration in resolving disputes. Mr. Wong also explained the possible legal challenges which may be faced by Chinese enterprises under the current “Go Out” policy adopted by the Chinese government.

Please contact our Mr. Eric Lui or Mr. Stephen Wong for any enquiries or further information about this event.

On 27 October 2016, our Ms Connie Yeung, Head of Business Development (China), and Ms Zita Huang, Business Development Manager (China), attended the Jiangsu Chamber of International Commerce Cross-border Acquisitions and Investment Seminar as speakers, which was held in Novotel Nanjing Central Suning in Nanjing.

The seminar covered issues on cross-border acquisitions from different perspectives such as current trends of cross-border acquisitions of Chinese enterprises, cross-border acquisition practice and risk management, tax evaluation and planning, valuation and bidding strategy, etc. Ms Yeung was invited to give a 30-minute presentation on the topic “The Structural Advantage of Hong Kong and Overseas Assets Protection”.

Please contact Ms. Connie Yeung for any enquiries or further information about this event.

Our partners Mr. Willy Cheng, Mr. Eric Lui and Ms. Lai Lam attended the Interlaw Annual Global Meeting held in Tokyo between 25-30 October 2016. Interlaw is an international association of independent law firms (currently 75 firms over the world) and has been ranked by Chambers and Partners as an elite global network of law firms allowing clients to have access to more than 7000 trusted legal experts around the world.

Nearly 150 delegates and accompanying guests from Interlaw member firms attended this year’s meeting on Global Compliance.

The highlight of the meeting was a symposium attended by more than 80 Japanese clients on “Global Compliance Issues for Japanese Companies Doing Business Overseas”. Compliance specialists from three different Companies shared their experience. Mr. Masanori Nagata from Panasonic Corporation shared his views on the necessity and difficulties of tackling Cartels. Mr. Hideki Yamanaka from Astellas Pharmaceutical Corporation and Mr. Hiromichi Jitsuno of Sumitomo Corporation both shared their experiences in developing global compliance for corporations operating across the world. Our partners also attended several Special Business Team Meetings including Global IP/IT, Managing Partners, Next Generation and Women Lawyers of Interlaw.

The strength of the network lies in its longevity, quality of client service, collegiality between Member firms and the longstanding friendship between fellow Interlawyers. At the conclusion of the meeting, delegates were already looking forward to the next meeting beginning with the joint Americas and Asia Pacific Meeting in Seattle in April 2017.

Please contact our Mr. Willy Cheng or Mr. Eric Lui for any enquiries or further information.

From left to right: Ms. Bee Hong Ooi, Ms. Tomoko Takemura, Mr. Willy Cheng

From left to right: Mr. Makoto Matsuo, Mr. Willy Cheng, Mr. Kevin Zhu

Mr. Bruce Wood and Mr. Willy Cheng

Mr. Brett Hearnden and Ms. Lai Lam

On 21 October 2016, in light of being awarded the “Best Legal Advisory in Non-Financial Services Categories” in Wealth APAC – IPWM Forum & China Awards 2016, Stevenson Wong & Co hosted a gratitude event in AllBright Law Offices in Shanghai to express our gratitude to our clients for their recognition and support.
Over 70 participants from more than 40 organizations including family offices, private bankers, independent financial advisors, law firms and clients attended the event.

On the same occasion, our Head of Business Development (China), Ms Connie Yeung gave a seminar on overseas assets protection and inheritances, which covered areas including needs for assets protection, strategy and tools of assets protection, overseas trust concepts and case study, and competitive advantage of SW Trustees (Hong Kong) Limited, a professional trustee established by SW.

Please contact Ms. Connie Yeung for any enquiries or further information about this event.

Stevenson, Wong & Co has again been recognized for its success and dedication in the legal industry by being voted “Best Full-Service Law Firm – Hong Kong” and “Sustained Excellence in Banking & Finance Law – Hong Kong” by APAC-Insider.

APAC-Insider is a magazine from the UK focusing on business strategy and analysis in the Asia-Pacific region. Winners are voted by respected industry individuals and by in-house research.

Stevenson, Wong & Co has long been practising banking and finance law such that we are on the approved list of all the major banks in Hong Kong.

Please contact our Mr. Willy Cheng or Mr. Eric Lui for any enquiries or further information.

The Plaintiff suffered serious injuries while wakeboarding. The Plaintiff and her then boyfriend and three colleagues hired a boat owned by the 1st Defendant, and a coxswain named as the 2nd Defendant. At lunch, the Plaintiff drank 2 cans of beer and the coxswain also drank some beer. The Plaintiff wakeboarded once, and then she had a slight headache. After recovery, the Plaintiff wakeboarded the second time, when the accident occurred and serious injury ensued. The Plaintiff sued the owner of the boat for vicarious liability and negligence in failing to instruct the coxswain on how to perform his job safely, and the coxswain for negligence which caused the accident and her injuries. An interlocutory judgment in default was entered against the owner.

The Court found that the coxswain did not act negligently and hence was not liable to the Plaintiff for the injuries. There was no evidence that the coxswain was speeding or that the coxswain’s control of the boat was adversely affected under the influence of the alcohol. Since the Plaintiff’s then boyfriend (and the Plaintiff accepted to) instructed a coxswain only and not a wakeboarding instructor, the coxswain was not under any duty to provide sufficient personal safety equipment. With the Plaintiff having recovered from her earlier headache, there was no evidence that the coxswain knew that the Plaintiff was unfit for wakeboarding. The Court also found that the coxswain was not a duty or had the power to prevent the Plaintiff from wakeboarding. Since the sport of wakeboarding is commonly known as inherently risky, the mere occurrence of the accident alone would not be sufficient for an inference that the coxswain was negligent. Therefore, the Court concluded that the coxswain was not negligent on a balance of probabilities.

As for the claim of vicarious liability against the owner, since his employee, the coxswain, was found not to be negligent, the owner would not be found vicariously liable. It also appears that the Court considered the negligence arguments against the owner were in substance the same as the ones against the coxswain. Hence, the claim against the owner may likely fail too.

This case reiterates the principle that the employee has to be found negligent so that there is a basis for vicarious liability to set in. Also, the court, in holding that the coxswain was not under a duty to prevent wakeboarders from the activities after drinking, seems to place quite substantial responsibility on wakeboarders for taking care of their own safety. Wakeboarders should therefore ensure they are properly insured before riding a wakeboard.