On 26-27 September 2016, our Partner Ms Sherlynn Chan attended the “Symposium on Cross-Border Disputes Involving Children – Perspectives on Family Disputes Involving Children in a Globalized Society”, which was held at the Supreme Court Auditorium, Singapore. It was co-organized by the Family Justice Courts of Singapore and the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH).

The event was well attended by leading judges in their respective jurisdictions, including Australia, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, etc. The Honourable Chief Justice Diana Bryant AO, Family Court of Australia, delivered a keynote address on an overview of the present day issues faced by judges in cases involving children in cross-border situations and the related challenges faced by the judiciary in providing for the needs of the child.

The Hon. Madam Justice Bebe Chu, Judge-in-charge of the Family Court List in the High Court of Hong Kong, was also one of the panelists, who shared on the topic of judicial communications and collaboration from the perspective of Hong Kong.

Apart from panelists’ presentation, attendees were also given an opportunity to engage in interactive table discussion on issues, legal frameworks, practices and challenges in their jurisdictions with regard to different case scenarios.

On the second day, there was a lively presentation on recent developments in adopting mediation and cross-disciplinary approaches as a dispute resolution tool for international family disputes, including how judges collaborate internationally to support the role of mediation and expedite mediation in international custody, access and relocation cases.

Filled with fruitful discussion and sharing, the two-day symposium ended by the closing remarks given by Mr Anselmo Reyes, Representative, HCCH, Asia Pacific Regional Office, Hong Kong, followed by an official dinner held at Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre in the evening of 27 September 2016.

Please contact our Ms Sherlynn Chan for any enquiries or further information about this event.

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.