​Tan Kuang Hwee Founder

Direct: +852 2564 0108 
Email: [email protected]

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Kuang-Hwee is the founder of the firm. He has more than 30 years of experience in dispute resolution work. His litigation practice covers various areas including corporate and commercial disputes, enforcement of foreign judgments and arbitration awards, assets tracing, regulatory investigations by the Securities and Futures Commission, construction and engineering disputes, banking, insurance, intellectual property, insolvency, judicial review, defamation, employment and property related disputes. Many of the cases handled by him are reported in Hong Kong judiciary website.      

Kuang-Hwee obtained his law degree in England in 1989 and trained as a solicitor in London. After admitted as a solicitor in England in 1992, he practised in Singapore and Malaysia from 1993 to 1998. He has been in practice in Hong Kong since 1998.  

Qualifications
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• LL.B. (Hons), University of Central England, Birmingham,    England (1989)

 

• Admitted as Solicitor of England & Wales (1992)

 

• Admitted as Advocate & Solicitor of Singapore (1992)

 

• Admitted as Advocate & Solicitor of Malaysia (1998)

 

• Admitted as Solicitor of Hong Kong (2000)

Practice Areas
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• Commercial litigation & arbitration

 

• Corporate and shareholders disputes

 

• Conflict of laws

 

• Construction disputes

 

• Defamation  

 

• Enforcement proceedings

 

• Financial regulatory investigations

 

• Injunction in aid of foreign proceedings 

 

• Insolvency

 

• Insurance disputes

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• Judicial review 

Selected Cases and Reported Judgments

• Acting in statutory derivative leave application to prevent a conspiracy scheme through CIETAC arbitration to strip the          company assets (HCMP 222 of 2022)

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• Acting in breach of trust, proprietary and tracing claims against an accountant, his CPA firm and his family members for siphoning about US$12.5 million from clients' money (HCA 402/2020: see judgments delivered on 23 October 2020​ and 2 March 2021).    

 

• Acting for a PRC client in challenging excessive legal fees charged by an international law firm (HCMP 285/2016).

 

• Defending for a PRC technology company based in Hangzhou on the enforcement of Singapore arbitration award in Hong Kong and winding-up proceedings in Hong Kong (HCCW 224/2013).  

 

• Acting for some minority shareholders seeking leave of the court to commence statutory derivation action against directors of a large PRC state-owned company listed in Hong Kong (HCMP 1655/2013).

 

• Acting for some PRC shareholders of a BVI company in shareholders disputes and coordinating with Singapore counsel for the discharge of injunction application granted by the High Court of Singapore (HCA 1211/2010: see judgments delivered on ​18 March 2011 and 30 January 2012).

 

• Acting for a private equity firm based in China in summary judgment application in the High Court against a Hong Kong listed company for breach of terms of convertible bonds worth about HK$80 million and resisting defendant's stay of execution application (HCA 669/2009).

 

• Defending fraudulent claim in arbitration proceedings commenced under the rules of International Chamber of Commerce and resisting injunction application in aid of the arbitration proceedings (HCCT 20/2008).

 

• Acting in a derivative action involving complex issues of multi-derivative action and reflective loss. The case went to the Court of Final Appeal to become a leading case in Hong Kong on those issues (CACV 220/2005 and FACV 15/2007).

 

• Acting for Hong Kong based property developers in stay of proceedings application on the ground of forum non conveniens (HCA 1004/2005 and CACV 320/2007). 

 

• Acting in defamation action against a senior civil servant in the High Court involving malicious statements and defence of qualified privilege (HCA 108/2005).

 

• Defending a civil action for a geotechnical engineering firm in a claim of about $400 million brought by the Housing Authority of Hong Kong over short piling work  (HCCT 39/2001).

 

• Acting for Japanese clients in shareholders disputes over a joint venture project in China involving breach of warranty of authority (HCA 17010/1998).

 

• Defending for a PRC client with assets worth about HK$350 million in resisting Mareva injunction application in the High Court of Hong Kong in aid of the PRC legal proceedings commenced against him.

 

• Advising and managing a legal team in arbitration proceedings conducted at Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre against a developer in a highly technical dispute over foundation work.

 

• Acting for a Swedish pharmaceutical company in an arbitration claim against a Korean conglomerate under the International Chamber of Commerce arbitration rules.

 

• Acting for a director of a funds management company in investigations and disciplinary proceedings conducted by the Securities and Futures Commission over market manipulation and breaches of Mergers and Takeover Codes.

 

• Acting and making representation for a leading Japanese brokerage firm in a disciplinary proceedings brought by the Securities and Futures Commission for breach of Code of Conduct for Licensed Persons.

 

• Acting for a leading American hedge fund in obtaining Mareva injunction freezing assets of a company in Hong Kong in claims involving fraudulent transactions and money laundering in China.

 

• Advising for provisional liquidators in corporate recovery and restructuring work including tracing of company's assets.

 

• Acting for PRC clients in registration and enforcement of a PRC judgment in Hong Kong and a Hong Kong judgment in the PRC.