Denis Chang’s Chambers maintains Tier 1 rankings in The Legal 500 Asia-Pacific 2024
In the newly released The Legal 500 (Legalease) Asia-Pacific 2024 guide to the Hong Kong Bar, Denis Chang’s Chambers has once again achieved excellent results across six practice areas.
We have been ranked as one of Hong Kong’s leading sets for Commercial Disputes, including Denis Chang SC, who is named a Tier-one Leading Silk for the fourth year in a row, as well as 10 other Members who are listed as Leading Juniors in this area.
We are also delighted to be awarded the Tier 1 ranking in Administrative and Public Law and Competition for the third year in a row. We are also honoured to be the only set to be awarded Tier 1 in Labour and Employment.
A total of 14 DCC Members are recommended as Leading Practitioners, with 5 Rising Stars. In addition to the above mentioned practice areas, our members have also been ranked in Family and Private Client, and Regulatory, Investigations And Crime.
These accolades are a testimony to DCC’s market-leading expertise and advocacy as well as high standards of client service. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to our valued clients, esteemed peers and The Legal 500 (Legalease) for their recognition and support.
Ranked Members at a Glance
Leading Silks
• Denis Chang SC – Commercial disputes
• Hectar Pun SC – Administrative and public law
Leading Juniors
• Jeremy S.K. Chan – Family and private client
• Simon Wong – Commercial disputes; Labour and employment
• Earl Deng – Administrative and public law; Commercial disputes; Labour and employment
• Randy Shek – Regulatory, investigations and crime
• Jeffrey Tam – Administrative and public law; Commercial disputes
• Richard Yip – Commercial disputes
• Carter Chim – Competition
• Anson Wong Yu Yat – Administrative and public law; Commercial disputes
• Tara Liao – Commercial disputes
• Thomas WK Wong – Commercial disputes
• James Wood – Commercial disputes
Rising Stars
• Geoffrey Yeung – Administrative and public law
• Andrew Lau – Administrative and public law; Regulatory, investigations and crime
• Flora Lam – Labour and employment
• Jason Ko – Commercial disputes; Regulatory, investigations and crime
• Vivien Leung – Family and private client
Testimonials for Selected Practice Areas & Members
Commercial disputes
DCC is “one of the strongest chambers in Hong Kong” and it “houses many great commercial litigators”, “they offer one-stop solutions to solicitors in Hong Kong in every possible legal issue a solicitor may be engaged with in their practice.” Clients find DCC “A wide range of competent counsel available. Many high flyers and rising stars.”
Leading Silk – Tier 1
• Denis Chang SC
“Denis is conscientious and diligent in his case preparation with eyes on details, and despite his seniority, he is still very hands-on and would never ever leave a stone unturned. When he is on his feet in court, he is extremely eloquent, and always addresses the questions raised by the bench straight to the point.”
Leading Juniors
• Simon Wong
“Simon is an impressive senior junior who is very client friendly. He is capable of dissecting complex legal issues and presenting them to lay clients in a simple and straightforward manner.”
• Earl Deng (Tier 1)
“Earl is meticulous and detailed, conscientious and hard working, able to communicate in a non-professional language with lay clients, sees issues from lay client’s perspective, and succinctly sums up his advice in conference. His speaking style is courteous and his overall advocacy manner very much styled along the English bar tradition.”
• Jeffrey Tam
“Jeffrey is very knowledgeable with good researching skills. He has good interpersonal skills, which enables him to deal efficiently with the client, and he is focused on his work and will also be approachable if there are any questions from the solicitors or the clients.”
• Richard Yip (Tier 1)
“Richard is solid in legal knowledge and advocacy. He has courage to put forward the case of his client, but at the same time, he is not pushy.”
• Anson Wong Yu Yat
“Anson is very comprehensive and creative in his research and very meticulous in his written work. His strength lies in his refusal to give up and his insistence in trying to find solutions around problems or obstacles to his client’s case.”
• Tara Liao
“Tara is a very safe pair of hands. She is extremely industrious and her work is consistently of a very high quality.”
• Thomas WK Wong
“Thomas is incredibly smart and hard working, and also incredibly responsive. He quickly grasps the essential features of a case, his written and oral advocacy are both excellent, and clients love him and often don’t see the need to instruct a silk if Thomas is handling the matter.”
Rising Star
• Jason Ko
“Jason pays attention to detail, is passionate about his work, and participates in every step of the proceedings, including advising on overall strategy and following closely on parties’ correspondence. He is responsible and takes initiative to remind clients of the relevant deadlines and upcoming procedures, and he also cares a lot about the quality of his work and pays attention to detail.”
Administrative and public law – Tier 1 Set
For the third consecutive year, the Legal 500 recognises DCC as “Tier 1” set in Hong Kong for Administrative and public law. We are identified as “a legendary set, with its barristers frequently appearing in high-profile disputes before the Court of Final Appeal. It is the set to go to for any client challenging administrative decisions.’
Leading Silks
• Hectar Pun SC
“Hectar always delivers high-quality advice in a short amount of time. He conducts clear and concise advocacy, thinks quickly on his feet, and can always answer questions from the bench impressively.”
Leading Juniors
• Earl Deng (Tier 1)
“Earl is strong in thinking outside the box while being comprehensive in his legal research, and one can often rely on him for exhausting remedies for a client. He is a first-class public lawyer.”
• Jeffrey Tam (Tier 1)
“Jeffrey is a passionate and fearless advocate who always fights for clients in the most difficult and complicated cases. He always makes good judgement calls.”
• Anson Wong Yu Yat
“Anson has deep knowledge of the law with great attention to detail and he cuts through issues with ease. He is a brilliant mind with incomparable work and he is excellent to work with.”
Rising Stars
• Geoffrey Yeung
“Geoffrey is a junior of the highest calibre. His research skills are excellent and he prepares meticulously, always spotting and addressing effectively the critical issues in a case.”
• Andrew Lau
“Andrew is a very hardworking barrister with outstanding advocacy and drafting skills. As a former journalist, he is particularly good at presenting his arguments in a logical way, making his written and oral submissions convincing and easy to understand, and he is also well-known for being good at explaining the most difficult and complex legal principles and cases in the most straightforward and practical way so that the clients would be able to comprehend them easily.”
Competition – Tier 1 Set
Named a “Tier 1” set for the third year in a row, DCC is lauded for being ‘a strong set overall, with a number of barristers being involved in competition cases in Hong Kong.’
Leading Juniors – Tier 1
• Carter Chim
“Carter is a leading specialist in competition law in Hong Kong and is known for his deep legal knowledge in EU and Hong Kong competition law. He is a very collaborative and effective communicator, he gives pragmatic advice that addresses commercial realities and client sensitivities, and his persuasive style and ability to distill complex legal concepts into accessible language make him a compelling advocate.”
Family and private client
Rising Star
• Vivien Leung
“Vivien has a strong presence in court and does not shy away from a battle. She has never been intimated by an opponent or witness and she is meticulous, having covered the key points in cross-examinations and re-examinations.”
Labour and employment – Tier 1 Set
DCC is praised as ‘one of the most renowned chambers in Hong Kong‘, and its employment and personal injury practice boasts sought after counsel who frequently represent large companies, organisations, and high-profile individuals in proceedings before the Labour Tribunal.
Leading Juniors
• Earl Deng
“Earl is strong in thinking outside the box while being comprehensive in his legal research, avoiding the risk of tunnel vision in the field, which often hampers effectiveness of some public interest lawyers. Because of his research skills and comprehensiveness, he is a brilliant junior.”
• Simon Wong
“Simon is very thorough and a very safe pair of hands. He is very responsive and always meet deadlines, he has a practical approach and always helps to find solutions before advising clients to go to trial, and his advocacy skills are excellent.”
Rising Star
• Flora Lam
“Flora is very detail-oriented and creative in formulating legal arguments. As for advocacy, she can make good use of the evidence to strengthen her client’s case and to impress the judges.”
Regulatory, investigations and crime
Leading Junior
• Randy Shek
“Randy’s advocacy is of a high quality; he is a passionate defence counsel who always fights for clients till the end. He stands out from his peers.”
Rising Star
• Andrew Lau
“Andrew has very strong written and advocacy skills in criminal and regulatory matters. As a young practitioner, he always shows confidence when he conducts trials as a defence lawyer, and his confidence is based on his excellent cross-examination skills and familiarity with legal principles.”
• Jason Ko
“Jason is an all-rounded barrister that you can always count on to provide practical and solid advice to lay clients. He is an excellent advocate in Chinese and English, his presentation is calm, clear, and persuasive, and he is able to get a good reading of the judge’s approach and can think on his feet accordingly.”
About The Legal 500 (Legalease) Asia Pacific
The Legal 500 (Legalease) Asia Pacific is a leading independent publication which ranks legal practitioners globally based on extensive research compiled from interviews, peer reviews and client feedback.
This article was first published on 17 November 2023.
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.