Lareina Chan

Practice Areas

Lareina maintains a strong matrimonial/ family and civil practice. She has appeared as an advocate in her own right in the Court of Appeal, the Court of First Instance, the District/Family Courts, and as Junior Counsel. Lareina is often instructed as sole advocate and has been called to the Bar for 11 years.

Lareina has substantial experience in all aspects of matrimonial and family litigation. She is regularly instructed in a broad spectrum of matrimonial finance matters and children's disputes. These include ancillary relief proceedings (including those involving cryptocurrencies), third-party interest claims, international relocation applications, custody / care and control arrangements, enforcement proceedings and committal proceedings. Since 2017, Lareina has been an Executive Committee Member of the Hong Kong Family Law Association (HKFLA), and she is also a member of the Hong Kong Bar Association’s Committee on Family Law.

She has been ranked by Chambers & Partners under Family/Matrimonial: The Bar in 2025, and named as a "Leading Junior: for Family & Private Client work by the Legal 500 for 2024 and 2025, and a Recommended Family & Divorce Law Barrister by Doyle's Guide for 2024.

“Lareina was able to provide her expertise and deal with complicated and time-sensitive matters well... Lareina is experienced in handling cases relating to children, advising on disputes relating to custody, relocation and education.” (Chambers & Partners, Greater China Region 2025)

"Lareina is a very thorough and tough barrister. She is not afraid of fighting hard for clients in court and trying out some of the more challenging and creative arguments." (The Legal 500, 2025 Edition)

In other civil litigation, Lareina has an established practice with an emphasis on private client matters. She has been instructed in a wide range of cases including mental health proceedings, wills, probate and estate administration, intellectual property, cases involving cryptocurrencies/bitcoin medical negligence, land law, shareholder's disputes, as well as other company and commercial matters.

Outside of her practice, Lareina is an Advocacy Trainer for the Hong Kong Advocacy Training Council (HKATC), involved in advocacy training programmes for pupil barristers, and also teaches at the University of Hong Kong.

Professional Memberships

Lecturer, PCLL Civil Advocacy (Small Group Tutorials), Department of Professional Legal Education, University of Hong Kong (Sep 2019 – Present)

Member, Committee on Family Law (CFamL), HK Bar Association (Mar 2019 – Present)

Member, Standing Committee on Legal Education, HK Bar Association (Mar 2019 – Present)

Member, Hong Kong Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) (Nov 2018 – Present)

Member, Standing Committee on Practice Development, HK Bar Association (Jun 2018 – Present)

Advocacy Trainer, Hong Kong Advocacy Training Council (Jan 2018 – Present)

Executive Committee Member, Hong Kong Family Law Association (Member since 2015) (Nov 2017 – Present)

Vice-Chairman, Standing Committee on Young Barristers, HK Bar Association (Mar 2017 – Feb 2019)

Secretary, Standing Committee on Young Barristers, HK Bar Association (Mar 2016 – Mar 2017)

Member, Bar Council of the Hong Kong Bar Association (under Winnie Tam SC) (Jan 2016 – Jan 2017)

Member, Task Force on Continuing Professional Development (CPD), HK Bar Association (Oct 2015 – Jan 2017)

Member, Task Force on Hong Kong Bar Code of Conduct and Registered Foreign Lawyers Advising on & Practising in Hong Kong, HK Bar Association (Oct 2015 – Jan 2017)

Member, Hong Kong Competition Association (2015 – Present)

Member, Middle Temple Society in Hong Kong (2015 – Present)

Member, Standing Committee on Welfare and Sports, HK Bar Association (2015 – 2018)

Publications

Speaker, “Volatile & Risky Matrimonial Assets: Strategies on Dealing with Fluctuating Values and Varying Risk Appetites”, Haldanes (8 Dec 2023)

Speaker, “Family Law Enforcement: Unless Orders”, RKS Rita Ku & Ser (24 Feb 2023)

Speaker, “Cross-Border Reciprocal Enforcement in Matrimonial & Family Cases”, Howse Williams (16 Nov 2022)

Speaker, “Cryptocurrencies & Cryptoassets in Matrimonial Proceedings”, RKS Rita Ku & Ser (24 Jun 2022)

Contributing Author, “Annotated Ordinances of Hong Kong – Bills of Exchange Ordinance (Cap 19), LexisNexis (Sep 2022 – Present)

Speaker, “Breaking the (Block)Chain: Divorce & Cryptoassets”, Charles Russell Speechlys & PwC (17 Feb 2022)

Speaker, “Remote Hearings & Virtual FDR”, Committee on Family Law, HK Bar Association (Jul 2021)

Speaker, “Family Law Practice & Procedure: First Appointment Hearings”, Committee on Family Law, HK Bar Association (Sep 2019)

Speaker, “Family Law Procedure: Domestic Violence”, Committee on Family Law, HK Bar Association (Jun 2019)

Contributing Author, LexisNexis Practical Guidance – Private Client (Ancillary Relief) (Mar 2019 – Present)

Speaker, “Can barristers be directly instructed to advise on taxation issues? How best to collaborate between barristers and tax practitioners?” (organised by the Taxation Institute of Hong Kong) (Dec 2018)

Speaker, “Topical Issues on Contentious Probate & Administration of Estates” (Sep 2017)

Speaker, “Crowdfunding and its Regulation in Hong Kong: Room for Inertia?” 2015 UNCITRAL Emergence Conference (published in August 2017) (Nov 2015)

Languages Spoken

English, Cantonese, Mandarin, Spanish

Awards