James Kwan

Practice Areas

James Kwan is an International Arbitration partner who leads the International Arbitration practice in Hong Kong. He is a member of Hogan Lovells’ International Arbitration Global Steering Committee leadership team. He specialises in technology, private equity, energy, and life sciences disputes. He has a range of international experience, having represented clients in arbitrations in Asia, the U.S., Middle East, and Europe under the major institutional and ad hoc rules, such as ICC, HKIAC, SIAC, CIETAC, LCIA, AAA, DIAC, and UNCITRAL. James has also sat as arbitrator and rendered awards in HKIAC, ICC, and DIAC arbitrations, and in addition is on the CIETAC, LCIA, SHIAC and KCAB and AIAC panels. James is a solicitor advocate with Higher Rights of Audience before the Hong Kong courts. James will be sitting as a Temporary Judicial Registrar in the High Court of Hong Kong in 2023. James has recently been appointed as a member of the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal Panel by the Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal.

James was recognised as one of Asian Legal Business’ Asia Super 50 Dispute Lawyers of 2023. James is the author of a chapter in The Hong Kong Arbitration Ordinance Commentary and Annotations, Sweet & Maxwell, 2015 (2nd edition); Arbitration in China: A Practical Guide, Sweet & Maxwell, 2004; and co-editor of Construction Arbitration in Hong Kong: A Practical Guide, 2015, Wolters Kluwer. He is one of the authors of the forthcoming publication Comparison of Asian International Arbitration Rules, 2024 (Third Edition), Juris Publishing.

James is the APAC and Hong Kong pro bono chair of Hogan Lovells. He was awarded the Gold Award for the Hong Kong Law Society Pro Bono and Community Work Recognition Programme in 2021 and 2022.