CPD Recap: Arbitration Meets Insolvency: Hong Kong, England and Offshore
On 16 October 2026, Denis Chang’s Chambers co-hosted an insightful CPD seminar with Quadrant Chambers, Haiwen and Fieldfisher titled “Arbitration Meets Insolvency: Hong Kong, England, and Offshore”.
When a failing debtor’s contract mandates arbitration, which prevails: the parties’ contractual bargain or a creditor’s statutory right to wind up an insolvent company?
Using a realistic hypothetical scenario, our expert panel explored how strategies diverge across jurisdictions, what an arbitration clause is truly worth once insolvency comes into play, and why understanding these forum differences is critical.
A huge thank you to our speakers for sharing their invaluable cross-border insights:
Robert-Jan Temmink KC FCIArb (Quadrant Chambers)
Edward Liu, MH, JP, Partner (Haiwen & Partners LLP)
Tara Liao, Barrister (Denis Chang’s Chambers)
Tracey Wright, Partner, Dispute Resolution (Fieldfisher)
The seminar wrapped up with wonderful networking drinks, giving practitioners a chance to continue exchanging perspectives on complex cross-border disputes. Thank you to everyone who joined us for a fantastic evening!
Robert-Jan Temmink KC FCIArb
Barrister, Quadrant Chambers
Robert has a wide-ranging and international practice in commercial and chancery law. He is called to the Bar in the Eastern Caribbean and Trinidad & Tobago and has worked in Cayman, the Turks & Caicos Islands and Bermuda. He has worked, in Abu Dhabi and in Hong Kong over the course of many years. He is known for being an intellectually-agile advocate equally at home in fraud and financial services cases as in aviation and shipping matters. He has a strong practice in construction, energy and infrastructure disputes and is often asked to advise and act in complex insolvency and cross-border actions. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and has acted as Counsel and as an arbitrator for all of the world’s major arbitral institutions.
Edward Liu, MH, JP
Partner, Haiwen & Partners LLP
Edward Liu is admitted in Hong Kong, England & Wales and the British Virgin Islands, and is also qualified as a lawyer in Chinese Mainland. He specialises in international arbitration, commercial litigation, and shipping and trade disputes, with a particular focus on complex, high-value cross-border matters. He is widely recognised by leading legal directories and industry publications, including Chambers & Partners, The Legal 500, China Business Law Journal, Asian Legal Business and Lloyd’s List, for his work in international arbitration, commercial litigation and shipping. He regularly advises financial institutions, multinational corporations, stateowned enterprises, and shipping and commodities companies in multi-jurisdictional disputes. He also serves as an arbitrator at numerous international and domestic arbitral institutions and is a mediator of International Organization for Mediation.
Tara Liao
Barrister, Denis Chang’s Chambers
Tara is ranked as a leading junior in Commercial Disputes by Legal 500 Asia-Pacific since 2021. She sat as a Deputy District Judge in Hong Kong in 2021 and 2023. She is on the HKIAC List of Arbitrators and sits as an arbitrator from time to time. Tara has a broad commercial practice in the UK, Hong Kong, and BVI with a focus on commercial injunctions and civil fraud, international arbitrations, company and cross-border disputes. She has also been involved in cases in the Cayman Islands, Jersey and the Isle of Man.
View Tara’s profile for more information.
Daniel Hayward
Partner, Fieldfisher
Daniel is co-head of the international dispute resolution team, of Fieldfisher, based in London. His arbitration team is repeatedly globally ranked as one of the world’s leading arbitration practices. A fluent Russian speaker, Dan has acted for clients in international arbitrations all over the world. Daniel has run teams of lawyers in insolvency and infrastructure disputes, construction cases and numerous cases involving allegations of fraud, conspiracy and misrepresentation. He advises governments, large international companies, directors and HNW individuals on a variety of legal issues including contract, shareholder, fraud, negligence, regulatory and whistle blower disputes around the world.
This article was first published on 23 October 2026.
Disclaimer: This article does not constitute legal advice and seeks to set out the general principles of the law. Detailed advice should therefore be sought from a legal professional relating to the individual merits and facts of a particular case. The photographs which appear in this article are included for decorative purposes only and should not be taken as a depiction of any matter to which the case is related. The views and opinions expressed in this article/material are solely those of the members authoring it and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Denis Chang’s Chambers, or of any other member or members of Denis Chang’s Chambers.