Your counterparty has stopped paying — and the contract points to Hong Kong?
We run international arbitration and cross-border enforcement from Hong Kong: HKIAC proceedings, awards and judgments moving between the Mainland, the CIS, offshore centres and the Hong Kong courts — the latter together with locally licensed firms.
What we solve
A cross-border dispute rarely starts in a courtroom. It starts with a missed payment, a warehouse that will not release goods, or a counterparty that suddenly answers only through lawyers. By the time the dispute is real, the questions are practical: which forum does the contract actually point to, where are the assets, and what can be preserved before they move.
Hong Kong is one of the few places where those questions have workable answers. HKIAC is among the world's leading arbitral institutions, awards travel under the New York Convention to more than 170 jurisdictions, and a dedicated reciprocal regime moves judgments between the Mainland and Hong Kong. We design the strategy and run the international and foreign-law side; whenever the Hong Kong courts are involved, we act together with locally licensed firms.
What we do
HKIAC arbitration
Conduct of proceedings under the HKIAC Rules — from drafting the arbitration clause to the final award, including emergency arbitrator applications and procedural strategy.
Enforcement of arbitral awards
Recognition and enforcement of CIS, PRC and offshore awards in Hong Kong under the New York Convention and the Arbitration Ordinance (Cap. 609).
Mainland judgments
Recognition and enforcement of Mainland court judgments under the reciprocal enforcement regime substantially widened from January 2024.
Anti-suit & anti-enforcement injunctions
Injunctive strategy that holds parties to their arbitration agreement — prepared with, and moved by, locally licensed Hong Kong counsel.
International Commercial Court matters
Strategy and foreign-law support for disputes before Hong Kong's new International Commercial Court, acting together with local firms.
Interim measures & asset freezing
Freezing and preservation strategy across jurisdictions, before and during proceedings — so the award is worth more than the paper it is printed on.
Cross-border debt recovery
Coordinated recovery against debtors with assets in several jurisdictions: demand strategy, security, settlement and enforcement.
Representative experience
Enforcement of a CIS arbitral award in Hong Kong
Acted for an industrial exporter enforcing a CIS-seated award against a Hong Kong counterparty. Leave to enforce and asset preservation were obtained with local counsel, followed by a negotiated settlement.
HKIAC proceedings over a terminated supply contract
Represented an Asian trading company in HKIAC arbitration arising from a terminated long-term supply arrangement. The matter resolved on confidential terms after the evidentiary hearing.
Mainland judgment recognised for a holding company
Advised a BVI–Hong Kong holding structure on recognising a Mainland money judgment in Hong Kong under the reciprocal enforcement regime, working with a locally licensed firm.
Anti-suit strategy protecting an arbitration clause
Developed anti-suit strategy for a client facing parallel foreign court proceedings brought in breach of an HKIAC clause. The foreign proceedings were stayed.
Matters are described without identifying parties or amounts. More representative matters.
Partners recognised in Chambers and Legal 500.
Recognition sits with the individuals who run your matter — not with a logo. The partners responsible for this practice are listed in the leading independent directories.
- 01Initial meeting and conflict check, then a written assessment of your situation.
- 02A proposal with a clear fee structure and scope before any work begins.
- 03The matter is run with regular updates and direct partner access.
- 04A result report and a recommendation on next steps.
The team for this practice
Eleanor Yip
HKIAC arbitration, enforcement Mainland ↔ Hong Kong, International Commercial Court.
Daniel Lockhart
Cross-border strategy, HKIAC arbitration, relationships with banks and local firms.
Alexandra Verne
Commercial and investment disputes, anti-suit and anti-enforcement relief.
Dina Ferr
Support for arbitration and litigation teams.
Nathan Royce
Analysis on arbitration and cross-border enforcement.
Questions clients ask
Can a CIS or Russian arbitral award be enforced in Hong Kong?
Yes, as a rule. Hong Kong applies the New York Convention through the Arbitration Ordinance (Cap. 609), and awards from Convention states — including CIS jurisdictions — are enforceable with leave of the Court of First Instance. The grounds for refusing enforcement are narrow and largely procedural.
The court application itself is a Hong Kong law step, so we prepare the strategy, evidence and foreign-law analysis and act together with a locally licensed firm.
Can a Mainland Chinese judgment be enforced in Hong Kong?
Yes. The reciprocal enforcement regime between the Mainland and Hong Kong was substantially widened with effect from January 2024, and most civil and commercial money judgments now qualify, subject to registration requirements and limited defences.
Not every judgment is eligible, so we assess eligibility first and then run registration together with local counsel.
How quickly can assets be frozen?
Where there is a real risk of dissipation, interim relief can be sought urgently — through emergency arbitrator procedures under the HKIAC Rules, or through the courts in support of proceedings.
Speed depends on evidence. The sooner we see the contracts, correspondence and asset picture, the faster a credible application can be prepared.
Do you appear in the Hong Kong courts yourselves?
No. We advise on international and foreign law and run strategy, evidence and the arbitration side. Court steps in Hong Kong are taken by the locally licensed firms we work alongside — a division of roles we are open about and that works well in practice.
What should an arbitration clause in an Asian contract say?
At a minimum: the institution (for example HKIAC), the seat, the number of arbitrators, the language of the proceedings and the governing law of the contract.
A clause drafted in ten minutes is often the most expensive paragraph in the contract. We review and draft clauses as a standalone service, usually before a dispute exists.
We are already mid-dispute. Is it too late to involve you?
No. We are regularly instructed after proceedings have started — for enforcement planning, settlement strategy or a second view on the merits. A written assessment of your position and options is the usual first step.
What if the debtor has no assets in Hong Kong?
Then Hong Kong is a stage, not the destination. An award recognised here travels under the New York Convention to more than 170 jurisdictions, and the enforcement plan follows the assets: tracing first, then a sequence of forums ranked by where recovery is realistic.
We build that map before spending on any single application — enforcement without an asset picture is theatre.
Is HKIAC arbitration confidential?
Yes, as a rule. Hong Kong law imposes confidentiality on arbitral proceedings and awards, subject to limited exceptions — one of the reasons commercial parties choose arbitration over open court litigation.
We treat both the dispute and the fact of the dispute as confidential by default.
From the Disputes & Arbitration cluster
Enforcing judgments Mainland ↔ Hong Kong: what changed in 2024
Emergency arbitrators under the HKIAC Rules: when speed matters
Anti-suit relief in support of a Hong Kong arbitration clause
Practitioner notes for this practice are in preparation and will appear in the Disputes & Arbitration cluster.
Visit the Insights hubDiscuss a Disputes & Arbitration matter.
A written assessment of your position and options is the usual first step.