Maritime Law and So Much More
Hill Dickinson Hong Kong is a leading international legal practice and one of the fastest growing law firms in Hong Kong. In response to market conditions and increased client demand, the team in Hong Kong has doubled in size over the past five years, increased its client base threefold and added a number of new practice areas.
The Hong Kong team works with the firm’s Singapore office to provide a combined legal services offering for APAC clients that also accommodates the needs of both offices’ growing non-marine client portfolios, which span sectors including insolvency and restructuring, banking and finance, regulatory, health and tech, real estate, luxury and leisure, international trade, and construction and engineering.
Insolvency and restructuring
The value of seeking good advice early when your business is in trouble cannot be overstated. Hill Dickinson’s Hong Kong team are experts not only in insolvency and restructuring but in helping clients take steps to mitigate or avoid the failure of their business and protect their assets. As Damien Laracy, HDHK’s head of office, says: “The sooner you seek good legal advice the better placed you are to manage the situation that lies ahead, whether that involves restructuring or disposal. We are ideally placed to assist you with that.”
Shipping and International trade
The firm assists traders, shipowners, charterers and International Group P&I clubs with trade and transport-related arbitration and litigation. Specifically, the teams handle Admiralty claims arising from collisions, salvage, groundings and pollution; cargo loss and damage claims, mis-delivery claims, ship mortgage enforcement and charterparty disputes, together with insurance and reinsurance matters.
On the non-contentious side, the APAC teams handle sale and purchase (including of superyachts), corporate shipping, shipping finance, ship leasing, ESG and decarbonisation in shipping, escrow arrangements, pooling agreements and joint ventures.
Commercial litigation and arbitration
The Hong Kong team is well versed in handling and winning commercial cases at all levels in the Hong Kong courts and before specialist tribunals and boards. It has also embraced the shift towards arbitration as a practical, quicker and often more cost-effective route towards dispute resolution.
Corporate transactional work
The Hong Kong team handle all aspects of corporate transactional and regulatory work that business owners – from SMEs and startups to large international conglomerates – typically require, including complex cross-border deals. The firm’s Asia-Pacific offices are staffed with highly experienced lawyers qualified in the UK, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, India, Australia, New York and New Zealand.
Hong Kong as a centre for legal and dispute resolution – what does the future hold?
In a speech delivered in Hong Kong on 1 July 2022, President Xi Jinping expressed support, for the first time, for maintaining ‘the common law’ of Hong Kong. His words have dispelled recent concerns over the preservation and continuance of the common law of Hong Kong and demonstrate the central government’s resolve to further enhance Hong Kong’s legal and dispute resolution services within the Greater Bay Area (GBA). Indeed, Hong Kong has been a popular location for international arbitrations and legal services for years, a role that in recent years has been reinforced and strengthened by the mutual cooperation and access between Hong Kong and other cities in GBA, as well as the rest of Mainland China.
Commenting on what lies ahead for law firms like Hill Dickinson in Hong Kong, Damien Laracy said: “The common law of Hong Kong is the only common law jurisdiction in China, providing a bridge between Mainland China, Hong Kong and the rest of the world. That won’t change. In fact, contrary to earlier fears, the strengthening of reciprocal cooperation with its mainland counterparts means that Hong Kong will continue to flourish both as an international dispute resolution and legal services hub and as a ‘super-connector’ between the world and the GBA and beyond. The future looks good.”
About Hill Dickinson
Hill Dickinson’s Hong Kong and Singapore offices are two of the firm’s 10 UK and international offices that in total employ more than 950 people, including 200 partners and legal directors.
