Richard Keady

Richard is a partner in Dentons' Litigation & Dispute Resolution group based in Hong Kong.

He has more than 25 years’ experience in handling litigation, international arbitration and investigations for clients operating in highly regulated environments including the financial services, telecommunications, energy, aviation and life sciences sectors. He has particular niche expertise in:

• litigation arising out of equity and debt capital markets, and in the distribution of financial products and investment funds;

• insolvency and restructuring matters, acting for debtors, creditors and insolvency practitioners;

• advising listed companies, licensed individuals and senior directors/officers of major corporations and financial institutions in relation to investigations by various regulatory bodies including the SFC, HKMA, AFRC and Insurance Authority;

• shareholder and boardroom litigation, including in particular cross-border disputes arising out of joint ventures in China; and

• acting in professional disputes and disciplinary proceedings for a wide range of professionals including solicitors, accountants, brokers and licensed individuals.

Richard is recognised as a leading individual for Litigation, Arbitration and Employment by Chambers Greater China and Legal 500 Asia Pacific. In Chambers Greater China 2026, clients describe him as “an experienced litigator who can provide strategy and client-oriented solutions to achieve a favourable outcome for the client. He is very client-friendly and commercially minded.” He is also praised as “excellent—extremely responsive and efficient.” In the 2025 and 2026 editions of The Legal 500 Asia Pacific, he is praised by clients as a lawyer who is “absolutely top-notch” and “very practical, experienced and user-friendly”.

Richard is also ranked as a Litigation Star in Commercial & Transactions by Benchmark Litigation Asia Pacific2026 and a highly regarded lawyer in Restructuring and Insolvency by IFLR1000 2025. Lexology Index 2025 recommended Richard in Professional Negligence and selected him as a Global Elite Thought Leader for Client Choice: Professional Negligence. Doyles 2025 recognised him in White Collar Crime, Corporate Crime & Regulatory Investigations. Richard was chosen as an exclusive winner at the Lexology Client Choice Awards 2024 and named one of The Visionaries in the A-List 2024-25 by China Business Law Journal. He was also recognised as a leading practitioner in The Legal 500 Arbitration Powerlist: Hong Kong 2023.

Richard is actively engaged in professional and social bodies. He is a Director of the Hong Kong Solicitors Indemnity Fund Limited, Vice-Chairman of the Civil Litigation Committee of the Law Society of Hong Kong, and a member of the Board of Review (Inland Revenue Ordinance). He is also a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, and the Hong Kong Institute of Directors.

Prior to joining Dentons Hong Kong LLP, Richard headed the International Dispute Resolution Group in the Asia Pacific region at another international law firm.

• Director, Hong Kong Solicitors Indemnity Fund Limited

• Standing Committee on Practitioners Affairs, Law Society of Hong Kong

• Member, Hong Kong Institute of Directors

• Chairman, Building Appeals Tribunal (Hong Kong)

• Civil Litigation Committee, Law Society of Hong Kong

• Professional Indemnity Advisory Committee, Law Society of Hong Kong

• Member, Board of Review (Inland Revenue Ordinance)

• Member, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators

• Prosecutor, Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal

• Member, Editorial Board, Lexis Practical Law

• Member, British Chamber of Commerce