Wayne Walsh SC

Practice Areas

GENERAL CIVIL LITIGATION

Administrative and Public Law

Banking and Financial Services

Civil Fraud, Asset Recovery and Injunctive Relief

Company, Restructuring and Insolvency

International Law

Professional Liability and Discipline

CRIMINAL PROSECUTION, DEFENCE & APPEALS

Criminal Ancillary Matters: Extradition, Restraint, Confiscation and Forfeiture Matters, and Mutual Legal Assistance

Other General Crimes Regulatory Offences and Market Misconduct

White-Collar Crime

Career

Wayne has a deep bench of knowledge in both mixed criminal and civil law practice, with recognised expertise specialising in financial crime and compliance, civil fraud, and asset recovery. He also has notable and extensive experience in public international law cases involving cross-border litigation.

Prior to commencing practice at the private Bar in 2018, Wayne spent a 25-year career with the Department of Justice, Hong Kong, where he prosecuted white-collar crime and corruption cases and oversaw major criminal cases and certain civil cases involving cross-border litigation and international cooperation. Before this he was a prosecutor with the Serious Fraud Office in New Zealand, a solicitor in commercial litigation, and for 3 years an Inspector in the Royal Hong Kong Police Force.

Wayne has recognised expertise in the fields of Hong Kong extradition law, search warrants, mutual legal assistance, asset recovery and proceeds of crime. He has established an international and local profile in financial crime and regulatory compliance matters. He was a lead advisor to the Government on implementation of anti-money laundering and counter-financing of terrorism standards for many years and for 2 years, he co-chaired a Working Group of the Financial Action Task Force in Paris which revised the current international standards for the FATF Recommendations.

Since moving to private practice, Wayne has been acting for a range of individuals and entities facing financial crime and regulatory compliance investigations. He has a prominent practice in administrative and public international law, and in civil proceedings in the High Court especially asset recovery and insolvency cases involving allegations of fraudulent conduct demonstrating a notable depth of expertise in these areas.

He brings multi-disciplinary capabilities to his practice, making him a unique and distinctive asset at the Bar. His body of work/case history evidences his strong track record in these fields. Wayne is instructed in trials and appeals involving white-collar crime, money laundering and serious predicate offences. He also continues to advise the Hong Kong Monetary Authority on financial crime compliance standards and is periodically engaged by foreign governments and the International Monetary Fund on country missions and advisory work pertaining to the most recent financial crime benchmarks and best practices.

Professional Memberships

Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Widows and Orphans Pension Scheme, Hong Kong, 2011-2017

University of Hong Kong, Faculty of Law, Lecturer (Transnational Criminal Law, LL.M.) 2023-2024

Publications

Author of ‘Cross-Border Crime in Hong Kong: Extradition, Mutual Assistance, Financial Sanctions’ (3rd Ed.) LexisNexis 2023

Contributing editor, Archbold Hong Kong