East Asia - Hong Kong Bar
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Administrative and public law

Temple Chambers

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The team at Temple Chambers is praised as ‘one of the market leaders in public and administrative law litigation with commercial or regulatory dimensions’. Key Silks include Jin Pao SC and Abraham Chan SC, who represents both applicants and respondents, including corporates, public authorities, and individual claimants in high-profile and complex public law disputes. Anthony Chan SC made Silk in the 2023 round and is active in cases regarding the Basic Law. Chan SC acted in HKSAR v Li, which concerned claims that the conviction of villagers for conspiracy to defraud a public officer when they falsely declared they owned land was in contravention of the Basic Law. Bonnie Cheng is a key junior and she represented the Secretary for Environment and Ecology in a judicial review claim brought by a transgender person on the grounds of discrimination and infringement of the right to privacy based on the Public Conveniences Regulation, which prohibits people entering part of a public toilet that is assigned for the use of the opposite sex. Tim Parker joined the set in November 2023 from Denis Chang’s Chambers.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • 'Temple Chambers has a number of barristers who can properly be called experts in the area of public law. They are known particularly for their respondent work, appearing for various public authorities, though their barristers do appear on both sides.'
  • 'They have significant experience in commercial judicial reviews, and often act as amicus curiae to assist the court in difficult public law cases.'
  • 'Temple Chambers stands unequalled in the area of administrative and public law in view of its combination of applicant and respondent instructions, the variety of sub-areas covered by its members, the quality of its advocates, and the highly sought after synergy that comes from the set's strength in both the commercial and public law domains in public and regulatory matters where both private and public law elements combine.'
  • 'Temple Chambers is a clear leader in the field, particularly in relation to commercial judicial reviews, disputes in statutory tribunals, and the highest-stakes constitutional cases.'
  • 'Temple Chambers is unparalleled in this practice area in terms of the number of its silks and juniors and the range of their work, including high-value public law disputes with a commercial dimension.'
  • 'Temple Chambers is by far one of the market leaders in public and administrative law litigation with commercial or regulatory dimensions.'
  • 'Temple Chambers is a top set in Hong Kong.'

Silks

Leading Silks
KCs at the very top of their field, with a long-established record of market-defining cases, and widespread endorsement from clients and peers. All silks appointed in the last two rounds are listed further below.
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Abraham Chan SC
Temple Chambers
 'Abraham is a star advocate who obviously has the trust and respect of the court, as his advocacy is measured, persuasive, and forceful. He is practical and thoughtful in terms of strategy, he is extremely knowledgeable on the law, and he has an exceptional grasp on even the finest details on the facts of a case.'
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Jin Pao SC
Temple Chambers
 ‘Jin is an extremely strong lawyer with very good intuition, and he is a fantastic advocate. He is also very user friendly and a pleasure to work with; absolutely top notch!’
2023 Silks
KCs at the very top of their field, with a long-established record of market-defining cases, and widespread endorsement from clients and peers. All silks appointed in the last two rounds are listed further below.
Anthony Chan SC
Temple Chambers
 'Anthony is often capable of familiarising himself with the factual background and the key legal issues very efficiently, and is able to give advice on the overall tactics. He pays a great deal of attention to details and is often able to identify the missing links and weaknesses of each side's case.'

Juniors

Leading Juniors
Leading juniors are those with significant experience of key cases, strong market recognition from both peers and clients, and are seen as future candidates for silk.
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Bonnie Cheng
Temple Chambers
 ‘Bonnie is a highly capable operator in the area of administrative and public law with a great depth and range of experience and excellent judgement.’
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Tim Parker
Temple Chambers
 ‘Tim is an outstanding public law junior. He has the law at his fingertips and offers incisive analysis of the issues, coupled with first-rate communication skills and an assured manner in court.’
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Martin Ho
Temple Chambers
 'Martin is very knowledgeable, he is familiar with the key public law principles and positions, he wastes no time in giving helpful advice, and he reads and works very efficiently. He is very thoughtful and often considers how to present the evidence or arguments in different contexts for clients' consideration.'
Rising stars
Rising stars at the Bar are defined as barristers between four and eight years’ call who are seen as up-and-coming members of the Bar in their respective practice areas by clients and peers alike. They will already be instructed in high-profile, complex, and high-value contentious and non-contentious matters, working with and opposite more experienced leading counsel.
Joshua Chan
Temple Chambers
 'Joshua is a strong junior in the area of public and administrative law. He is highly intelligent, efficient, organised, and easy to work with.'

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