Head of Commercial Litigation, Lewis Man, explained how the firm continues to thrive in Hong Kong as a boutique litigation firm after 40 years.

1) What do you see as the main points that differentiate MUNROS from your competitors?

We do not regard any law firm as our competitor, but rather our friends. Part of our firm’s role in the local legal ecosystem is to service other law firms’ clients where that other law firm is conflicted or does not have litigation expertise at their disposal. Other litigation boutique firms will also share work with us where multiple parties require separate representation and vice versa.

2) Which practices do you see growing in the next 12 months? What are the drivers behind that?

Individual bankruptcies and corporate insolvencies continue to rise, while the US-China trade war continues to impact the local economy. The new Mainland Judgments in Civil and Commercial Matters (Reciprocal Enforcement) Ordinance will also give rise to more enforcement and insolvency work, where debtors’ assets are located in Hong Kong.

3) What’s the main change you’ve made in the firm that will benefit clients?

Offering fee caps for predictable stages of work has enabled clients to better budget their litigation fighting funds.

4) Is technology changing the way you interact with your clients, and the services you can provide them?

Technology is helpful, but we do not see artificial intelligence (“AI”), for example, as the panacea to cutting costs of litigation. Presenting a persuasive case to Court requires the human touch, rather than AI, and nothing beats common sense legal analysis when it comes to selling your client’s case to a judge.

5) Can you give us a practical example of how you have helped a client to add value to their business?

We will help our clients fight to trial if we need to, but more importantly, our aim is to help our clients resolve their disputes as quickly as possible. We take our professional duty to promote settlement seriously. The less time clients are embroiled in litigation, the more time and energy they have to make money.

6) Are clients looking for stability and strategic direction from their law firms - where do you see the firm in three years’ time?

After more than 40 years in Hong Kong, I firmly predict that our firm will still be here in 3 years’ time.