On 23 September 2016, Senior Associate Mr. Franky Fung together with our Banking Department Legal Executive, Mr. Man Wong attended the grand opening ceremony and banquet of Vpower Finance Security (HK) Limited (“the Company”).

The Company founded by Shenzhen Vpower Finance Security Company Limited (“Shenzhen Vpower”), is the first pilot professional finance security company designated by the head office of The People’s Bank of China. Shenzhen Vpower provides multifarious finance security services, ranging from cash convoy operations to vault security services. With the total asset value reaching over RMB 200 million as of today, Shenzhen Vpower continues to provide finance security covering all banking branches in Shenzhen. As the Hong Kong office of Shenzhen Vpower, the Company enjoys the advantage of tapping into the success of Shenzhen Vpower in terms of its business model.

Stevenson, Wong & Co. takes pride in being entrusted as their legal advisor and assist in the establishment of their office in Hong Kong.

For more enquiries about this event, please contact our Mr. Eric Lui.

Stevenson, Wong & Co. was awarded the “Best Legal Advisory in Non-Financial Services Categories” in Wealth APAC – International Private Wealth Management (IPWM) Forum & China Awards 2016. SW Partner, Mr. Hank Lo, and Head of Business Development (China), Ms. Connie Yeung, attended the Forum cum Award Presentation Ceremony on 21st September 2016 in Shanghai, China. There were over 200 awardees and representatives attending the event. SW was again recognized in China for its professional services following the establishment a by SW as a professional trustee which also received the “Most Distinctive Family Overseas Trust Planning Services Award” in May 2016

The IPWM China Awards is a large-scale industry event hosted by WEALTH Magazine, endorsed by China Banking Association and co-organized by China Chief Economist Forum. Participants include reputable family offices, private banks, independent wealth management institutions and other high-net-worth organizations in areas of trust, insurance, law, immigration, overseas education, with a wide geographical coverage over 30 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities in China. After WEALTH Magazine consolidated all the submissions from candidates, they were forwarded to a judging panel consisting of internationally renowned consulting firms including Boston Consulting Group and Bain & Company, China Banking Association Private Banking Committee and Chinese Academy of Social Sciences for evaluation and assessment to decide on the awardees of approximately 50 awards spanning across multiple categories.

Cases submitted to the judging panel by SW included IPO, financing, merger & acquisition, divorce and financial disputes, family trust, asset protection and inheritance arrangement. In particular, one high-profile case involved the highest amount of maintenance being awarded by courts in all common law jurisdictions at that time. In terms of market influence, our frequent hosting of seminars on asset protection, inheritance and active participation in the design of international accreditation courses were highly commended by the judging panel. SW holds licences for Hong Kong and New Zealand family trust companies, and at the same time, assists clients in establishing private trust companies and provides clients with legal solutions on asset protection. SW also manages the assets inside and outside the trust. With a solid legal platform in China and overseas, SW is capable of providing professional overseas legal services to high-net-worth individuals in a flexible way.

In public voting, SW was the only law firm shortlisted from Hong Kong and received more than 20,000 votes. We would like to take this opportunity to express our gratitude to our clients, private bankers, experts in family offices and financial institutions, and other professionals for their support. The credibility of the award is enhanced by incorporating the element of public voting and including professional theory and market recognition in the assessment criteria.

Please contact our Mr. Hank Lo for any enquiries or further information about this award.

On 20th September 2016, Mr. Zhu Jianhua and another representative from Shanghai Bureau of Justice, Mr. Yu Xuejie of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in HKSAR, Mr. Zhou Tianping and Wang Xufeng of the Shanghai Bar Association visited our Hong Kong office.

SW partners, Mr. Willy Cheng, Mr. Eric Lui, Ms. Heidi Chui and Mr. Stephen Wong together with the senior partner of Allbright Law Offices, Mr. Lawrence Zhu exchanged ideas with the guests on various topics. It was brought up that the increase in the amount of work requiring cross border cooperation led to the further development of the strategic association between our firm and Allbright Law Offices. In light of the importance of interaction between lawyers from different jurisdictions, the guests gained insights on how our association worked, hoping that our successful implementation would be a blueprint of more such associations in the future. Our SW partners also shared the newly launched “ ‘One Belt, One Road’ Southeast Asia Legal Service Centre”, whereby our firm seeks to promote business cooperation between China and countries along Southeast Asia.

From left to right: Mr. Eric Lui, Mr. Willy Cheng, Mr. Zhou Tianping, Mr. Yu Xuejie, Mr. Zhu Jianhua, Mr. Lawrence Zhu, Ms. Heidi Chui, Mr. Stephen Wong, Representative from Shanghai Bureau of Justice

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

On 19 September 2016, our partner Mr Eric Lui spoke in a panel workshop on Partnership Associations in Guangdong organised by the Practice Management Committee of the Law Society of Hong Kong. The panel workshop was held at the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre.

In view of developing closer cooperation between the legal professions of Hong Kong and mainland China, the Pilot Implementation Measures for Partnership Associations between Hong Kong Law Firms and Mainland Law Firms in Guangdong Province was introduced in 2014, allowing law firms in these two jurisdictions to establish partnerships in Guangdong.

Our firm set up a Partnership JV with AllBright Law Offices in the Qianhai Modern Service Industry Cooperation Zone in Shenzhen. It becomes one of the first batch of Hong Kong law firms to receive the approval of the Guangdong Bureau of Justice to form a Partnership JV in Qianhai.

Mr Lui shared with participants in the workshop, among other topics, the benefits of forming the Partnership JV in Qianhai, the strategic importance of forming and operating such a Partnership JV, the associated challenges, and how potential conflict of interest is handled.

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

On 9 September 2016, our Banking Department legal executive Mr. Man Wong, together with our Ms. Hebe Au, was invited by AIA International Limited to give a presentation on stamp duty and mortgage applications. It was well attended by around 80 people including insurance practitioners.

The presentation covered the basic know-how of stamp duty, including its computation, and the updates of the implementation of the buyer’s stamp duty and special stamp duty.

In addition, as a veteran legal executive in the banking field, Mr. Wong shared his practical experience on mortgage applications from banks.

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

SW partner Ms Catherine Por attended the IAFL Annual Meeting 2016 held by International Academy of Family Lawyers (IAFL) in New Delhi, India on 14-18 September 2016. Founded in 1986, IAFL is a worldwide association of practicing lawyers who are recognized by their peers as the most experienced and skilled family law specialists in their respective countries. Ms Por has been a fellow of the IAFL since 2004.

The Annual Meeting was well attended by more than 120 fellows from multiple jurisdictions. Legal practitioners from all parts of the globe shared and exchanged insights and recent developments on a wide spectrum of family law issues. Topics such as cohabitation arrangement, financial remedies, surrogacy, etc. were thoroughly explored. Ms Por, together with other speakers, joined in the panel discussion on financial remedies on a case study.

Please contact our Ms Catherine Por for any enquiries or further information about this event.