Des Voeux Chambers is lauded as ‘one of the best sets in Hong Kong for commercial dispute resolution’, as well as matters pertaining to company and insolvency law. Among the silks at the set, William Wong SC is notable for his expertise in company, insolvency, and securities-related litigation. Of recent note, he acted for the plaintiffs in the Court of Appeal case of Beijing Renji Real Estate Development Group Co. Ltd v Zhu Min, which concerned cross-border enforcement and the question of when a Mainland judgment could be registrable in Hong Kong. José-Antonio Maurellet SC ’possesses profound knowledge of company law‘, and is active in a range of shareholder disputes, winding-up proceedings, and applications arising from the liquidation of companies. Frances Lok SC, who is praised as ’meticulously prepared, a strong advocate and fearsome cross examiner‘, made silk in the 2024 round and often handles winding up petitions, unfair prejudice petitions, and derivative actions for listed companies and their shareholders and directors. Rachel Lam SC Turning to the juniors, John Hui is ’a multi-disciplinary barrister‘ who is ’highly knowledgeable‘ in the area of commercial injunctions and asset recovery, as is demonstrated by his involvement in the case of Ming Yang Capital Ltd v China Vered Asset Management (Hong Kong) Ltd, in which he represented the plaintiff, who was seeking an injunction to restrain the defendant from processing share redemptions from a fund without the investment committee’s consent. Barrister and arbitrator Benny Lo is ’astute in terms of litigation strategy‘, with expertise in company law cases. Connie Lee ’is truly exceptional in her commercial disputes practice‘.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'DVC is excellent in all respects. One of the top two chamber sets in Hong Kong.'
- 'They have a strong team of senior counsel and junior counsel. I have worked with a number of them and they all delivered excellently.'
- 'DVC is one of the most reputable sets in Hong Kong, their barristers are very reliable and consistently deliver excellent results.'
- 'Counsel at Des Voeux Chambers are always very knowledgeable and client oriented.'
- 'DVC is a top commercial set of barristers, offering legal advice/services over a broad spectrum of practices.'
- 'DVC is highly regarded. It is one of the best sets in Hong Kong for commercial dispute resolution. Members of DVC have handled many complex litigation and arbitration. This set is forward-thinking and continues to play a very significant role in the legal landscape.'
Lawyers
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.
Barrie Barlow SC
José-Antonio Maurellet SC
'Jose possesses profound knowledge of company law and an insightful grasp of the priorities and goals of diverse corporate parties. He excels at swiftly crafting effective legal strategies, even when faced with highly intricate matters, and his talent for distilling complex issues into the essential questions that need resolution by the court or tribunal is truly impressive.'
William Wong SC
William is the best leader in advocacy and legal strategy.'
Anson Wong SC
'Anson is highly intelligent and always able to come up with novel and incisive arguments. He is very humble, respectful and easy to work with.'
Christopher Chain SC
‘Christopher is a highly accomplished barrister whose strategic insight elevates the strength of any legal matter he handles. He demonstrates a remarkable ability to anticipate judicial reasoning and reactions, enabling him to tailor arguments that resonate with the bench and guide the legal team toward successful outcomes, meaning his advocacy is both persuasive and precise.’
Douglas Lam SC
Rachel Lam SC
John Scott SC
‘John is an articulate and persuasive advocate, consistently presenting arguments with clarity and precision; his courtroom presence is confident and effective, and he is adept at both written and oral submissions. He also demonstrates strong analytical skills, quickly identifying key issues and providing practical, well-reasoned advice.’
Jenkin Suen SC
'Jenkin is meticulous and well thought out when it comes to litigation strategy. He is also commercial and user-friendly and can be relied upon when the matter is urgent.'
2024 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.
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.
John Hui
'John is a leading barrister in this area who has the ability to integrate his experiences and skills in other related areas to deftly navigate complex disputes and resolve them at ease. John's deep understanding of the commercial world allows him to provide practical advice on intricate legal issues and deliver the best outcome for clients.'
Connie Lee
'Connie is truly exceptional in her commercial disputes practice and her advocacy skills are top-notch, allowing her to present complex arguments in a clear and compelling manner. She has a remarkable ability to quickly grasp the core of any case and offer practical, commercially savvy advice.'
Benny Lo
'Benny excels in incisive, no-nonsense advice and advocacy, distilling complex issues into compelling, judge-focused arguments. His reliability is unmatched with robust advice and meticulous preparation underpinning consistently strong outcomes across contract disputes.'
David Chen
Sabrina Ho
Kerby Lau
'Kerby is commercially minded with a sound and deep knowledge of the law. He is able to master the facts of a case very quickly and he has superb analytical skills.'
Jacqueline Law
Michael Lok
‘Michael is exceptionally strategic in his approach and he is always a few steps ahead and is able to share useful insights to those instructing him. He is also determined to dive into the details of the case in identifying angles for arguments, and he is a strong advocate and is always able to catch close attention of the bench.’
Jason Yu
Tommy Cheung
'Tommy is extremely knowledgeable, approachable and commercial. He has great communication skills and is always able to deliver sound and practical legal advice, and he is also highly effective in his advocacy, particularly in making submissions and addressing the court's questions.'
Lai Chun Ho
‘Chun Ho stands out for his exceptional legal knowledge and thorough understanding of all the intricate legal issues and ability to provide commercial and practical legal advice to lay clients. His drafting skills are first-rate and leave no stone unturned.’
Martin Kok
‘Martin is bright, hardworking, and exceptionally user-friendly. He is confident and persuasive on his feet, with a natural courtroom presence that enhances his advocacy, and his ability to engage with both clients and the bench makes him a standout junior.’
Eva Leung
'Eva is very thorough in considering all legal issues of a subject matter. She has very good analysis of facts and is meticulous in her drafting work, and she always delivers her legal arguments in court in a clear and organised manner.'
Patrick Siu
Alexander Tang
'Alexander is a go-to barrister. He is very user friendly and passionate advocate who is concise and to the point, and his strategic thinking is also very much appreciated.'
Cherry Xu
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.
Tiffany Chan
Jasmine Cheung
'Jasmine is experienced, calm, and capable of handling last-minute changes and unforeseen factual development right before the hearing as the sole advocate. Very responsive and client-friendly, she provides clear, succinct, and precise submissions.'
Cyrus Chua
‘Cyrus is one of the strongest juniors at Des Voeux Chambers in terms of written and oral advocacy, and a go-to junior. His legal knowledge and ability is unparalleled, he has great commercial acumen, and he is a top team player.’
Look-Chan Ho
Michael Ng
'Michael has great attention to detail, great advocacy skills, familiarity with procedural law, and good legal points and arguments.'
