Plowman Chambers

Giles is a very accomplished & experienced advocate with a strong practice in heavily contested matrimonial & criminal matters.  He was called to the Hong Kong Bar in 1993 joined Plowman Chambers in 1994, and was called to the Bar of England & Wales in 1997.

Matrimonial /Family

His matrimonial practice involves all financial and children related matters arising from the breakdown of marital & other relationships. ,

In addition to the financial relief and children matters, matrimonial injunctions, inheritance (provision for family and dependents), and Hague convention (return of children to HK from overseas) are features of his practice. Trust(s), probate and mentally incapacitated persons (“MIP”s) also increasingly occur as a feature of ‘family matters’ reflecting the changes in HK’s demography.

Giles has sat temporarily as a Judge in the District Court hearing Family Cases.

Since the beginning of October 2021, Giles became a Fellow of the International Academy of Family Lawyers (IAFL), a worldwide association of practising lawyers who are recognised by their peers as the most experienced and skilled family law specialists.

Crime

Giles’ criminal practice ranges from: commercially oriented crimes, (corruption, fraud, deception & money laundering);  to violent crimes (murder, serious assaults);  to sexual offences  (including rape and paedophile cases)  to drugs.

Giles has sat temporarily as a Judge in the District Court hearing Criminal Cases.

Mediation

Giles qualified and became accredited as a mediator in 2007 at CEDR (Centre for Alternative Dispute Resolution) in London.

He has conducted well over a hundred mediations on all issues arising from marital/relationship breakdowns including but not limited to: all aspects of finances; child custody & access; relocation of children to other jurisdictions; education etc.  He is considered one of the most experienced mediators and is wise & thoughtful guide helping families find workable solutions to challenging problems in difficult and turbulent times.

Giles has also conducted mediations in:  multi family member probate and MIP disputes;  employment; personal injuries;  as well as in areas as diverse as violent football match disputes; neighbour disputes; and ‘animal issues’ (ownership of animals and noisy & disruptive animals) enabling participants in mediation to avoid protracted, damaging & expensive litigation.

Disciplinary Tribunals 

Giles represents participants in a variety of disciplinary tribunals including those related to the Insurance Industry, the medical field,  and the HK Bar Associations’ own disciplinary proceedings where he has prosecuted for the HK Bar.

Advocacy Training & Teaching 

Giles is heavily involved in training advocates. He was a founding member of and is now Vice Chairman of the HK Advocacy Training Council – the HK Bar Association’s training arm.

Having trained & qualified as an advocacy teacher and subsequently a teacher trainer at the National Institute for Trial Advocacy (NITA) in the USA,  Giles frequently teaches both novice and more experienced advocates and trains aspiring advocacy trainers. He has been involved in advocacy training & teaching not only in Hong Kong, but also trained English Barristers at Keeble College Oxford University, Public Prosecutors in Fiji and in Brunei, and advocates practising at the Malaysian Bar.

English

Hong Kong Bar, 1993 Gray’s Inn, England and Wales, 1997

BSc. (Econ) Hons., Wales PCLL, University of Hong Kong

Giles is married, he & his wife have three teenage children. He is a keen sportsman.