The award ceremony took place on 13 September 2024 at the JW Marriott, bringing together legal professionals from Hong Kong to celebrate excellence within the legal industry. Our Partners, Heidi Chui and Rodney Teoh represented our firm at the gala dinner.

The ALB Hong Kong Law Awards is one of the most prestigious and longest-running awards in Hong Kong’s legal community, recognizing the outstanding performance by private practitioners and in-house teams in the region.

Additionally, our firm received nominations in several categories, including:

• Litigation Law Firm of the Year
• International Arbitration Law Firm of the Year
• Family and Matrimonial Law Firm of the Year
• Private Wealth Law Firm of the Year
• Hong Kong Law Firm of the Year
• Woman Lawyer of the Year – Heidi Chui
• Young Lawyer of the Year (Law Firm) – Gordon Tsang

 

We would like to take this opportunity to thank ALB for organizing such a remarkable event and extend our congratulations to all the winners and finalists.

Congratulations to Ms. Chui on this well-deserved recognition!

福田区司法局党组成员，副局长陈冰、福田区律工委国际与港澳台中心主任黄福龙律师、本所合伙人及企业融资部主管、锦天城香港负责人劳恒晃律师、锦天城深圳管委会主任宋征律师、管委会成员丘彪山律师、杨文明律师等合伙人及福田区众多企业代表、律师同仁共同参与了本次活动。锦天城深圳高级合伙人朱春燕律师担任活动主持。

朱春燕律师主持活动

活动伊始，锦天城深圳管委会主任宋征律师对出席活动的领导、嘉宾表示热烈欢迎。宋律师指出，鉴于目前市场环境的不确定因素，中国企业出海成为企业谋求发展的主流道路之一，阿联酋因其独特的优势正在成为理想的境外投资目的地，相信本场专题活动将为计划在阿联酋投资的中国企业提供更全面的了解当地文化、法律、投资路径以及风险防范的机会，为企业出海保驾护航。

宋征主任致辞

随后，福田区司法局党组成员、副局长陈冰致辞。陈冰副局长深刻阐述了在全球经济一体化背景下，企业“走出去”的必要性，强调了法律保障对于企业海外投资成功的重要性。他表示：“福田区始终致力于为企业‘走出去’提供坚实的法律保障和支持，希望通过此次活动，能够助力福田企业精准对接阿联酋市场，实现互利共赢的海外发展。”同时，陈局对锦天城在专业发展及行业建设中做出的成绩给予了肯定，也对未来发展提出了期许。

陈冰副局长致辞

主题演讲阶段，劳律师等多位业内资深律师、专家围绕阿联酋投资融资的热点话题、机遇与风险带来了精彩纷呈的专业分享。从阿联酋的法律法规体系、市场准入机制，到投资项目的风险评估与合规管理，再到行业状况等，为参会律师和企业代表提供了宝贵的实战经验和前瞻性洞察。

劳恒晃律师发表主题演讲

本所合伙人及企业融资部主管、锦天城香港高级合伙人劳恒晃律师首先发表演讲，劳律师从阿拉伯联合酋长国简介、《迪拜经济议程D33》、重点投资项目三个方面展开，相对全面、细致的对迪拜整体情况进行了说明。

来自阿联酋Trench & Associates DMCC 的创始人Cynthia Trench凭借多年在中东市场经营的成熟经验及专业能力，以“如何在阿联酋设立业务”为题展开线上分享。她表示，阿联酋最近的法律改革表明阿联酋政府希望向外国投资开放的态度，认为此时是境内企业在阿联酋投资的好时机，并向大家详细阐述了在阿联酋设立公司的流程、各个行业领域的业务现状、机遇以及风险点。

来自阿联酋Adelphos & Co的创始人Edwin Lee线上演讲主题是“外国公司如何吸引阿联酋资金进行投资”。Edwin向我们阐述了全球面临不确定的经济形势时，中东市场依然保持顽强的原因，就如何才能顺利进入中东市场、中东的市场趋势、如何与当地专业的金融团队合作等展开说明。

符气清先生发表主题演讲

来自阿联酋的不动产投资专家符气清先生以“阿联酋的房地产市场最新趋势”为题展开演讲。符先生向大家详细介绍了阿联酋房地产的发展历史及现状，他认为阿联酋的房地产市场正在向更加多元化和可持续的方向发展，也正在吸引国际投资者的关注。

刘砚枫律师发表主题演讲

本所合伙人、锦天城香港刘砚枫律师以“企业中东上市计划”为主题，介绍了锦天城专业的境外IPO团队，并就中东的上市要求、上市程序、时间表等方面为有上市需求的企业描画出清晰的上市路径。

杨文明律师总结发言

锦天城深圳管委会成员杨文明律师做总结发言。杨律师对福田区司法局、福田区企业服务中心、律工委对本次活动的指导与支持以及演讲嘉宾的精彩演讲表示感谢，希望未来在各级政府管理部门、协会的指导下，锦天城境内外办公室分工协作，为更多出海企业的境外投融资提供更专业、全面、高效的一揽子法律服务。

本场活动通过嘉宾的精彩分享与深度交流，与会人员更加清晰地了解了阿联酋的商业机遇与挑战，为福田区企业拓展海外市场，尤其是在阿联酋的投融资活动搭建了一座坚固的专业法律服务桥梁。

如有任何查询，请联系本所合伙人劳恒晃律师。

Ms Chui moderated the panel titled “Shareholders, Stakeholders & Director Disputes with Hong Kong & Foreign Companies: Best Practices to Protect the Company”. The distinguished panel featured Jeremy Bartlett SC, a Barrister at Princes Chambers; James Kwan and Jon Nicklin, a Director at Accuracy Beijing.

During the session, the panel highlighted industry trends in shareholder and joint venture disputes, especially in renewable energy, new energy vehicles, batteries, and life sciences. The discussions emphasised the complexity of these disputes, often involving multiple layers of holding companies in offshore jurisdictions like the BVI and the Cayman Islands.

The panel also explored the challenges posed by the economic downturn in the People’s Republic of China, which has led to a rise in share redemption disputes as start-ups struggle to go public through IPOs. They stressed the necessity of precise mechanisms in shareholder agreements to address redemption prices and prevent prolonged disputes. Additionally, they highlighted the importance of clauses to manage deadlock situations and unfair prejudice as essential for mitigating potential conflicts.

Another significant topic covered was investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) complexities in shareholder disputes. The panel discussed the contrasting approaches to reflective loss in national company law versus ISDS, raising concerns about the potential undermining of national legal principles by allowing such claims under many bilateral investment treaties.

For further inquiries, please contact Partner Heidi Chui.

Calvin, alongside Zhang Han, Senior Partner at AllBright Law Offices discussed the new regulatory framework for wealth management services’ trusts and the mutual recognition and enforcement of family law cases across jurisdictions.

Calvin’s topic on “Mutual Recognition and Enforcement Issues of Family Law Cases Across Regions” addressed the complexities surrounding the mutual recognition and enforcement of family law cases between different regions. He provided a comprehensive overview of the legal frameworks and fundamental principles governing marriage and family law cases, detailing the factors that determine which court has jurisdiction over a case. Furthermore, he discussed how courts in different jurisdictions can recognize and enforce each other’s judgments, including those related to divorce, custody, and asset division.

For further information about the event, please contact our Partner Calvin Lo.

The HKIAC launched the WIA in February 2018 to promote and support female practitioners in arbitration and related areas. This initiative is part of the HKIAC’s commitment to improving women’s representation in arbitration, a commitment underscored by signing the Equal Representation in Arbitration Pledge in October 2016. Over the past six years, the WIA has conducted numerous events across Asia, fostering cross-cultural exchanges and professional development within the international arbitration community.

Heidi led a dynamic discussion exploring the myriad accomplishments and challenges that have shaped Queenie’s career. A childhood love for Enid Blyton’s Malory Towers series inspired her to go to boarding school in the UK. Queenie shared her remarkable journey from studying at the Cambridge University to becoming a solicitor in Hong Kong and then joining Temple Chambers as a barrister. Beyond her legal career, Queenie also shared her passion for music, including playing in the college orchestra while Eddie Redmayne played a lead role on stage!

Queenie’s candid discussion covered her transition to arbitration, her first experiences as counsel in arbitration, and later as a mediator and arbitrator. She emphasised the importance of being open to new opportunities. She shared how she managed to overcome the challenges of running her own “mini business” as a barrister, compared to working in large teams as a solicitor. Her anecdotes about balancing a demanding career with diverse interests, such as photography and stress relief techniques, were fun and inspiring.

Queenie also discussed arbitration’s innovative nature, highlighting the increasing use of bilingual proceedings (especially Mandarin and English together) and the flexibility arbitration offers. She shared her experiences with virtual and hybrid hearings and gave practical tips for conducting effective online arbitrations.

Following the interview, participants engaged in a vibrant networking session, which facilitated meaningful connections and insightful exchanges within the arbitration community. With over 50 attendees joining both in-person and online, the event successfully fostered a collaborative environment.

For any enquiries, please contact Heidi Chui.

Our Partner Gordon Tsang (left) and Jason Ye, Managing Partner of Prtoli Rosenstadt Ye Pte. Ltd.
The conference offered attendees an opportunity to gain insights from seasoned industry experts on the U.S. capital markets and explore Asia’s vibrant business environment.

On the first day of the conference, Gordon was one of the panel speakers in the session “Competition or Collaboration: Financial Institutions’ view on Singapore and Hong Kong”. He joined other speakers in discussing various legal topics relating to Regulatory Environment and Business Climate, Market Opportunities and Growth Potential, Technological Innovation and FinTech Ecosystems and Geopolitical and Economic Factors.

Stevenson, Wong & Co. has a strong track record of advising companies on their successful listings on the Nasdaq Stock Marketing, including Junee Limited (NASDAQ: JUNE), Garden Stage Limited (NASDAQ: GSIW), Prestige Wealth Inc. (NASDAQ: PWM), Millennium Group International Holdings Limited (NASDAQ: MGIH), CBL International Limited (NASDAQ: BANL), Magic Empire Global Limited (NASDAQ: MEGL), Intelligent Living Application Group Inc. (NASDAQ: ILAG), Zhong Yang Financial Group Limited (NASDAQ: TOP), Hywin Holdings Ltd. (NASDAQ: HYW) and Oriental Culture Holding LTD (NASDAQ: OCG). In addition, Stevenson, Wong & Co. has advised more than 10 companies on their confidential filing and public filing for their Nasdaq listing applications.

As OR Law’s long-term business partner, we would like to take this opportunity to thank OR Law for their invitation and we look forward to assisting enterprises in the APAC region to resolve their legal problems and strengthen ties in Singapore, the United States and Hong Kong.

Gordon and AllBright Law Singapore Offices

For more information, please contact our Partner Gordon Tsang.