Howse Williams

Managing Partner: Chris Howse
Number of Partners: 31
Number of Lawyers: 45
Languages: Cantonese, English, Mandarin, most European languages

Firm Overview:
Howse Williams (HW) is an independent Hong Kong law firm. As an independent Hong Kong firm, the partners are able to minimise legal and commercial conflicts of interest and act for clients in every industry sector. The partners have spent the majority of their careers in Hong Kong and have a detailed understanding of international business and business in Asia.

Main Areas of Practice:  

Dispute Resolution: HW handles complex multi-jurisdictional commercial cases involving sale of goods; trade finance; media law; fraud; shareholder, joint venture, intellectual property employment, property, trust and franchise disputes; injunction proceedings; jurisdictional challenges; public inquiries and judicial reviews.

Partners: Chris Howse, Alison Scott, Michael Withington, David Coogans, Desmond Lee, Janie Wong

Corporate & Corporate Finance: HW’s team advises clients on a diverse range of practice areas in all Asian jurisdictions, including mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, direct investment, capital markets and securities, private equity and venture capital, shareholder/ joint venture agreements, corporate restructuring/ reorganisation, corporate governance and general commercial matters including operational contracts and intellectual property commercialisation.

Partners: Christopher Williams, Brian Ho, Christopher Yu, Chia Ching Tan, Heidi Lee, Veronica Chow; Anthony Chan

Clinical Negligence & Healthcare: HW advises doctors, dentists and their indemnity providers and other healthcare professionals. The firm also advises private hospitals, medical group practices, corporate healthcare providers and pharmaceutical companies on issues relating to the import and distribution of drugs and pharmaceutical products, drug liability claims and regulatory matters. Three members of the team (including two partners) are dual-qualified as lawyers and medical practitioners.

Partners: Chris Howse, David Kan, Bernard Murphy, Oonagh Toner, Alison Scott, Maureen Liu, Carmen Fung, Hiu Yee Chung

Shipping: HW has considerable experience in all types of wet and dry shipping litigation. The team (which includes solicitors with seagoing experience) deals with collision, salvage, wreck removal and pollution cases as well as charterparty, bill of lading and other contract of affreightment disputes. The firm advises ship-owners, P&I clubs, hull and machinery insurers, salvors, charterers and freight forwarders.

Partners: Chris Howse, David Coogans, William Leung

Insurance/Professional Indemnity: HW advises on general insurance, professional indemnity, D&O and specialised insurance lines acting for underwriters, brokers, mutual and fixed premium insurers of ships, a wide range of insurers for freight forwarders, warehouse operators, transport intermediaries, cargo owners and trade insurers. The firm also represents insurers who provide professional indemnity insurance for various professional bodies in Hong Kong.

Partners: Chris Howse, William Leung, Alison Scott, Michael Withington, David Coogans, Gary Chow

Employment: HW provides contentious and non-contentious employment and immigration advice to both employers and employees in Hong Kong.

Partners: Patricia Yeung, Michael Withington

Family & Matrimonial: HW’s cases often involve families with assets in multiple jurisdictions. The firm handles all manner of children’s issues including custody, care and control and other parenting disputes, such as access, child maintenance, paternity and schooling applications both in respect of married and unmarried couples and cohabitants. The firm has experience in handling private adoptions; cases involving child abduction and family finances including property transfers, prenuptial agreements and separation deeds.

Partners: Karen Lam, Victoria Ng So

Fraud: HW regularly acts for victims of all types of fraud.

Partners: David Coogans, Michael Withington

Property & Building Management: HW's clients include some of the largest international real estate agencies, listed property developers, international and local building management companies, quasi-government bodies, property investment funds, incorporated owners of commercial/residential buildings, and commercial and individual landlords and tenants in Hong Kong.

Partners: Alan Yip, Daisy Tang, Michael Withington

Regulatory & Compliance: HW's regulatory team advises financial institutions and corporates on a wide variety of contentious and non-contentious regulatory and compliance issues.

Partners: William Wong, Jason Chan

Banking & Finance: HW's banking team has experience in a broad range of banking and finance matters, including bilateral and syndicated lending, international trade finance, project finance, acquisition finance, ship finance, general cash management and liquidity products, asset and debt recovery, security enforcement actions, banking regulation and compliance, sanctions, AML, KYC and various regulatory project and remediation works. The team also specialises in a diverse range of trade finance matters.

Partner: Antony Yung