Drawing upon excellent ties with Hong Kong financial regulators, in part due to a number in the team that formerly served in-house at the SFC, Deacons is abreast of regulatory changes in the market, providing 'expert and practical input' to banks, funds and exchanges on compliance and licensing applications, in particular. Led by Jeremy Lam, who 'delivers succinct advice on tricky issues', the team not only acts on standalone matters, including for local financial services clients, but also often works with international law firms, which are appreciative of the firm's independent status and its knowledge, regularly providing the Hong Kong law advice for global financial services on multi-jurisdictional matters. Lam himself excels in handling regulatory matters pertinent to the asset management industry including establishment and licensing with the SFC, regulatory compliance and marketing of collective investment schemes. For fintech matters, Isabella Wong is 'very knowledgeable and responsive', while Joseph Kwan takes the lead on contentious work in the financial services sector.
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Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'They are always responsive and provide expert and practical input.'
- 'The very well-established and professional team is proactive in sharing the latest regulatory updates and always provide helpful market insights.'
- 'They are responsive, knowledgeable and importantly give us legal advice that is close to the regulator's position, yet adapted to the client's needs. They are practical and not overly theoretical in their legal advice.'
- 'Jeremy Lam is an excellent lawyer, who delivers succinct advice on tricky issues, but who also has good people skills, so it is always a pleasure to work with him.'
- 'Ming Chiu Li understands our business needs and always provides pragmatic advice.'
- 'Isabella Wong is definitely the go-to partner for fintech and regulatory advice. She is very knowledgeable and responsive.'
Work highlights
- Assisted multiple major asset management companies owned by global banking institutions in Hong Kong, on obtaining a corporate licence for the new licensing regime implemented by the SFC for depositaries of authorised funds.
- Assisted one of the world’s largest investment managers, to leverage on their full set of existing global group policies and procedures in order to comply with the Hong Kong Open-ended fund companies regime.
- Assisted a leading cryptocurrency firm based in Hong Kong on the new regulatory requirements under the Virtual Asset Trading Platform Guidelines and helped review and revamp their client documentation and exchange documents.
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Jeremy Lam