Geoffrey Chan is a partner of Mayer Brown. He has extensive experience in all aspects of contentious construction work in terms of legal proceedings, arbitration and alternative dispute resolution in Hong Kong, China and Macau. He advises on town-planning and building law and is highly experienced in advising on numerous construction contract claims, construction negligence claims and claims involving environmental issues. He also advises clients on labour importation issues by the Legco Select Committee. Geoffrey is ranked in Chambers Asia Pacific (2015-2018) and is named a Leading Individual by The Legal 500 Asia Pacific (2017 and 2018). He is also named a 'Construction Expert' in Expert Guides (2016) and in 2007, Geoffrey was the recipient of the Caernarfon Award from the Institute of Quarrying in New Zealand. He has been described as "valued for his ability to 'understand complicated facts and grasp the gist of the matter quickly.'" (Chambers Asia Pacific 2017), and is "highly skilled in contentious matters, particularly construction-related cases" (The Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2003/04).Geoffrey speaks fluent English, Cantonese and Mandarin.
Mayer Brown
Under the leadership of Geoffrey Chan , the ‘exceptionally strong and well-balanced team’ at Mayer Brown provides ’intelligent and strategic advice’ to public and private sector clients on domestic as well as large-scale cross-border construction projects, where it is particularly well-suited to act by virtue of its expansive network of international offices. Infrastructure, hospitality and leisure, residential and cultural projects are particular areas of strength, and the firm is often sought out by clients to advise on high-profile local/regional projects including its ongoing work for The Hong Kong Jockey Club on the Conghua Training Centre in China. On the litigation front, Menachem Hasofer is appreciated by clients for his ability to ‘come up with brilliant solutions to resolve difficult issues’, including on complex judicial review proceedings as well as conventional arbitration proceedings. In addition, Hasofer excels in public procurement matters and has developed niche expertise advising on bid challenges under the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA). The ’very experienced’ Mei Ling Lew is noted for her ‘great eye for detail’ and is ’able to efficiently handle large-scale complex disputes’, including recent involvement in two major Commissions of Inquiry.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'It is an exceptionally strong and well-balanced team that provides intelligent and strategic advice.'
- 'The team members are all experienced and are extremely hardworking and meticulous.'
- 'Menachem Hasofer is an experienced litigator with impressive legal skills. He is good at strategy and is always able to come up with brilliant solutions to resolve difficult issues.'
- 'Mei Ling Lew is always hands-on and has a great eye for detail. She is very experienced and is able to efficiently handle large-scale complex disputes.'
Key clients
- The Hong Kong Jockey Club
- Swire Properties Limited
Work highlights
- Advising The Hong Kong Jockey Club on their HK$3bn+ construction of a world-class facility for the training of Hong Kong's thoroughbred racehorses at Conghua Training Centre (CTC) in Conghua, Guangdong, China.
- Advising Swire Properties Limited on the review of a series of standard forms of construction contracts, consultancy agreements and supply contracts being used for their projects in Mainland China.
Lawyers
Leading individuals
Menachem Hasofer is a partner of Mayer Brown and Co-Leader of the firm’s International Arbitration practice. He is experienced in litigation, arbitration and alternative dispute resolution with an emphasis on handling documents-intensive disputes arising from building construction and infrastructure projects.Menachem advises companies on records retention and management, including storage and retrieval of electronically stored information and e-discovery. He is a co-author of chapters on international litigation and arbitration in Electronic Discovery Deskbook, published by Practising Law Institute, and was an active member of the Hong Kong Judiciary’s working group for the Practice Direction for an e-Discovery Pilot Scheme published in 2014.Menachem also has significant experience in public/administrative law cases, particularly in representing Hong Kong land owners and NGOs in judicial review proceedings concerning town planning, environmental and land lease decisions. He also advises on public procurement/tendering issues under the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA).
Mei Ling Lew is a partner of Mayer Brown. She is experienced in litigation, arbitration and mediation with an emphasis on disputes arising from building construction projects. She also advises on environmental regulatory and compliance issues, non-contentious construction matters, including preparation and drafting of tender and contract documentation. She also has experience in public/administrative law cases. She is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (FCIArb), an Accredited Mediator on the panel of the Hong Kong Mediation Accreditation Association Limited, a member of the Business Environment Council's Waste Management Advisory Group and Energy Advisory Group, and an associate member of The Institute of Quarrying.
Practice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
Geoffrey Chan