Ahead of the commencement of the Advance Decision on Life-sustaining Treatment Ordinance on 31 July 2026, Dr. Nick Tsui of Alongside and Ted Chan delivered a CPD seminar on 7 July 2026 examining the legal and practical dimensions of Advance Medical Directives (AMDs). 

The session provided an overview of the legal framework governing AMD, focusing on the statutory requirements regarding its validity and applicability and its recognition under the new legislation. The speakers also addressed the evolving public policy landscape and the shift of AMD as an instrument primarily for end-of-life patients to all adults who wish to make advance planning in exercise of their medical autonomy. 

Drawing on Dr. Tsui’s clinical experience, the discussion explored the respective roles of medical professionals and lawyers in advising on and implementing AMDs. The speakers further considered potential areas of dispute and shared best practices for advising clients in this sensitive and developing area of law. A full-length article on AMD that expands on their insights will be published soon. Please stay tuned! 

Ted Chan

Ted has a broad civil and criminal practice. He has been regularly instructed to advise and/or handle probate, family and mental health cases. His experiences in handling cases with children and mental health dimensions also extend across different areas of law. Meanwhile, Ted continues to develop a wide range of practice areas including civil and commercial disputes. 

Ted is also a CEDR accredited mediator and has regularly been engaged in mediations of a wide variety of disputes, such as contract, restitution, matrimonial, nuisance, defamation, building management, etc. 

From 2017 to 2018, Ted was appointed as a Judicial Assistant in the Court of Final Appeal. He was responsible for conducting legal research for the judges, and preparing judicial bulletins and press summaries. 

More details can be found in Ted’s profile.

Dr. Nick Tsui

Dr. Nick Tsui is the CEO and Co-founder of Alongside. He graduated from the Medical School of The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) and is professionally trained as a specialist anaesthesiologist. With over a decade of experience in public hospitals, he is now in private practice and is currently serving as an anaesthesiology fellowship examiner. He is also qualified in simulation-based education, reflecting his passion for training and medical simulation education.

Nick further extended his professional interests into the medicolegal field, earning an LLM in Medical Laws and Ethics from the University of Edinburgh with a focus on medical negligence and end-of-life ethics. This additional expertise enhances his understanding of the legal and ethical dimensions of patient care.

This article was first published on 13 July 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.