Tara Liao 廖敏皓
Call : 2015 (HK)
Set : Main
Practice Areas
Administrative and Public LawArbitrationChanceryCommercial LawCompany and InsolvencyCompetition LawEmploymentLand and Property LawRegulatory and DisciplinaryTort and Personal Injuries
Contact
Email : [email protected] Secretary : Reyan Wong [email protected]

“Tara is extremely industrious, experienced and her work is consistently of a very high quality. She always delivers high-quality advice in a short amount of time, and we have had a great time working together”
Legal 500 Asia-Pacific 2025, Commercial Disputes — Leading Junior

“Tara is a very safe pair of hands. She is extremely industrious and her work is consistently of a very high quality.”
Legal 500 Asia-Pacific 2024, Commercial Disputes — Leading Junior

Tara began full practice as a barrister in 2015. She is ranked as a leading junior (tier 2) in the Commercial Disputes category by Legal 500 Asia-Pacific in 2021, 2022 and 2023. She sat as a Deputy District Judge in 2021 and 2023.

As counsel, Tara appears regularly in the Court of Appeal, the High Court, the District Court and in arbitrations with a focus on commercial injunctions, arbitrations, shareholders’ disputes, company, insolvency, civil fraud, trust and cross-border disputes. She also has experience in land, competition, insurance and regulatory cases. She was a Committee member of HK45 from 2020 to 2022, an active young arbitration practitioners group in Asia.

Prior to joining the Bar, she was a solicitor in an international law firm specialising in commercial litigation and regulatory matters. She holds a bachelor degree in PRC laws from Peking University and has passed the PRC National Judicial Examination.

Due to her language skills and background, she has been instructed by PRC law firms and clients in arbitrations and to provide legal opinions on Hong Kong law in PRC legal proceedings from time to time.


  • Solicitor, Hong Kong S.A.R. (2010 -2014)
  • PRC National Judicial Examination

  • PCLL, The University of Hong Kong
  • Graduate Diploma in Law, BPP Law School, UK
  • Bachelor of Laws (PRC), Peking University, Beijing, P. R. China

  • Middle Temple Society Advocacy Scholarship
  • Herbert Smith PRC Scholarship

• Contributed to the update on laws on matrimonial finance in the PRC in Chapter 20 of Family Law and Practice in Hong Kong (3rd Edition)


Company and Insolvency

Acropolis Limited & another v W&Q Investment Ltd & others [2018] HKCA 184, HCA 1496/2017, 31 August 2017 (shareholders dispute in a GEM listco – unfair prejudice – conspiracy to defraud/injure – breach of fiduciary duties – interim injunction)

Aeso Holding Limited & others v Chan Siu Chung & others, HCMP 1721/2017, 11 August 2017 (Director’s right to inspect documents – mandatory injunction)

Tsang Woon Ming v Lai Ka Lim & Others (HCCW 407/2016); King’s Glory Educational Centre Limited v Tsang Woon Ming & Others (HCA 33/2017); Nobility School Limited v Tsang Woon Ming & Others [2020] HKCFI 1503 (unfair
prejudice – just and equitable winding up – breach of fiduciary duties)

WHC Limited trading as Wine High Club & others v Hong Kong Wine Chamber of Commerce Limited [2019] HKCFI 2548 (irregular general meeting/resolutions – Chairman’s exercise of power -determination of membership)

Commercial injunctions

Silver Universe Investments Ltd v China Times Securities Limited & ors [2019] HKCFI 834, [2019] HKCFI 153, [2021] HKCA 105 (securities & financing arrangement – breach of trust – civil fraud – proprietary injunction – ancillary
disclosure order)

Aeso Holding Limited & another v Chan Siu Chung & others, HCA 1737/2017 & HCMP 1647/2017, 4 September 2017 (civil fraud/breach of fiduciary duties – Mareva/proprietary injunction – receivership)

Grupo Arbulu S L v Likewo (HK) Limited [2019] HKCFI 2896 (Mareva injunction)

The University of Hong Kong v Hong Kong Commercial Broadcasting Co Ltd & another, [2016] 1 HKLRD 536 (interim injunction – confidentiality – freedom of speech – public interest)

Arbitration

IPS International Polysacks GMBH v Intersack Holdings Ltd & Others [2019] HKCFI 1336 (stay of unfair prejudice petition in favour of arbitration)

Competition

Competition Commission v W. Hing Construction Company Limited [2019] HKLRD 46 (alleged market sharing & price sharing – economic efficiency defence)

Defamation

Tam Heung Man v Incorporated Owners of Tung Lung Court (Blocks A-F) [2019] HKDC 401 (defamation – qualified privilege – malice – attribution of malice)

Others

Re A & Another [2019] HKCFI 1749 (surrogacy – parental order)

Wu Zuo Cheng v Leung Lai Ching Margaret & others, HCMP 2080/2015, 16 February 2016 (registration and enforcement of a Mainland Judgment under the Mainland Judgments (Reciprocal Arrangement) Ordinance (CAP.597))


Legal 500 Asia-Pacific 2025: Tara Liao recognised as a “Leading Junior” in Commercial disputes

 

 
Court allows interim payment application of $115 million in a stock loan dispute

 

Legal 500 Asia-Pacific 2024: Tara Liao recognised as a “Leading Junior” in Commercial Disputes

 

Denis Chang’s Chambers joins community engagement with the Law Society at the annual gala dinner

 

Arbitration Seminar at DCC on 4th July 2023

 

Legal 500 Asia-Pacific 2023: Tara Liao recognised once again as a “Leading Junior” in Commercial Disputes

 

(Live Seminar) When CISG Meets Hong Kong Arbitration: Exploring CISG’s Potential Impact on Sale of Goods Disputes – 6 October 2022, 1pm to 2pm

 

Hong Kong Insolvency Law: Court of First Instance dismisses winding up petition, finding a triable issue over the petitioner’s unlicensed money lender status which may render the loan unenforceable

 

Tara Liao to moderate HK45 CISG Seminar on 17 May 2022, 4.30pm – 6.00pm

 

Tara Liao and Keith Cheung to Present Webinar on Commercial Injunctions – 29 July 2022, 2.30pm to 5.45pm

 

Tara Liao moderates HK45 Annual Update Webinar: Topical Developments in Arbitration Practice

 

Legal 500 Asia-Pacific 2022: Denis Chang’s Chambers named a Tier 1 set in Administrative and Public Law, and Competition Law, among excellent rankings across 6 practice areas

 

Tara Liao joins young arbitration practitioners group HK45’s Committee

 

Denis Chang’s Chambers achieves excellent rankings across five practice areas in Legal 500 Asia-Pacific 2021

 

Six practical tips for conducting remote hearings

 

COVID-19 – The Law Un-Masked:  Practical Means of Holding Extraordinary General Meetings During the Coronavirus Outbreak

 

COVID-19 – The Law Un-Masked:  Risks and Remedies for Non-Recourse Stock Loan Agreements in a Pandemic Market