Hong Kong: Court Procedure

When substantive proceedings unfold in one jurisdiction while key assets sit in another, can courts preserve those assets without determining ownership? The Hong Kong Court of Appeal's decision in Jacky Zong v Kelly Fuli Zong addresses this critical question in cross-border family wealth disputes, examining whether preservation orders under section 21M require proof of dissipation risk, whether applicants must first seek relief from foreign courts, and how disclosure orders can ensure effective asset preser

Hong Kong's debt recovery landscape has become increasingly challenging, with corporate insolvencies rising 45% in 2025 and bankruptcy petitions climbing to over 10,000. This comprehensive guide explores the legal pathways available to creditors, from initial demand letters to enforcement mechanisms, and examines when civil litigation versus insolvency proceedings may be the most effective strategy for recovering outstanding debts.

A junior associate at an international law firm submitted fabricated statutory text to the Court in a block transfer application, later revealed to be the product of AI hallucination. Despite repeated warnings from the AI tool itself to verify the text against authoritative sources, the associate failed to do so, leading to judicial scrutiny of professional standards, supervisory failures, and the appropriate use of artificial intelligence in legal practice.

In PT Asuransi Tugu Pratama Indonesia TBK (formerly known as PT Tugu Pratama Indonesia) v Citibank N.A. [2023] HKCFA 3, the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal...

Insolvency proceedings become more complex when an arbitration clause is in place, but a recent case in the British Virgin Islands brings some clarity.

International Arbitration Comparative Guide for the jurisdiction of Hong Kong, check out our comparative guides section to compare across multiple countries

Section 31B of the Hong Kong Employment Ordinance provides that an employee employed for a minimum of 24 months under a continuous contract will be entitled to severance payment if he is dismissed by reason of redundancy or where the employee is laid off.

Following the recent judgment of Hong Kong's Court of Final Appeal in the case of Mariner International Hotels Ltd v Atlas Ltd, the term ‘practical completion’ in Hong Kong building contracts is now arguably a legal term of art which means a state of affairs in which the works have been completed free from patent defects other than ones to be ignored as trifling.

It is established employment law that neither gratuitous commission nor discretionary commission is to be included in the calculation of holiday pay or annual leave pay. But that still leaves the question of contractual commission i.e. commission to which an employee is contractually entitled. Is contractual commission to be included in the calculation of holiday pay and annual leave?