Hong Kong Legal Week

Prof. Yun ZHAO is Henry Cheng Professor in International Law and Head of Department of Law at the University of Hong Kong (HKU); PhD (Erasmus University Rotterdam); LLM (Leiden University); LLM & LLB (China University of Political Science and Law). Prof. Zhao is currently Representative of Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (ROAP) of the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH); Standing Council Member of Chinese Society of International Law; Council Member of Chinese Law Society; Council Member of Zhuhai International Court of Arbitration; Chair Professor at Xiamen University (2020-2023). He is listed as arbitrator in several international arbitration commissions. He sits in the editorial teams of several academic journals, including Hong Kong Law Journal (as China Law editor), Journal of East Asia and International Law (as Executive Editor). He is winner of Prof.Dr. I.H.Ph. Diederiks-Verschoor Award 2006 by International Institute of Space Law in France, the first winner of Isa Diederiks-Verschoor Prize in the Netherlands, and also first winner of SATA Prize by the Foundation of Development of International Law in Asia (DILA). He has published widely on various topics including particularly Dispute Resolution and Space Law.

His publications include Dispute Resolution in Electronic Commerce (Martinus Nijhoff, 2005), Liberalization of Electronic Commerce and Law (Peking University Press, 2005), Space Commercialization and the Development of Space Law (Intellectual Property Press, 2008), Mediation Practice and Skills (Tsinghua University Press, 2011), National Space Legislation in China: An Overview of the Current Situation and Outlook for the Future (Brill, 2015).

Eric Ng is Deputy Secretary-General at HKIAC.

Prior to joining the HKIAC, Eric worked for several years as a barrister-at-law in Hong Kong focusing primarily on international commercial and construction arbitrations, as well as general commercial litigation in Hong Kong, and has worked as counsel as well as tribunal secretary for several major international commercial, construction, and financial arbitrations around the world.

In addition to his work as a barrister, Eric was previously Adjunct Professor at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing, lecturing in advocacy and investor-state arbitration. He has also lectured at Tsinghua University and Peking University. Eric has also published on issues of international dispute resolution and investor-state arbitration.

Eric holds a BCL from Oxford University, PCLL and JD from City University of Hong Kong, MSc E-commerce from the University of Hong Kong, as well as a BS in Business Administration and Information Systems from Babson College in the USA. He is admitted to practice law in Hong Kong.

Gary F Bell is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Law of the National University of Singapore (NUS) where he was the founding Director of the LL.M. in Asian Legal Studies and the LL.M. in International Arbitration and Dispute Resolution. He has degrees in theology (B.Th) from Université Laval, degrees in both civil law (B.C.L) and common law (LL.B.) from McGill University and in American law (LL.M.) from Columbia University. He writes on the UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG), on arbitration, and on Indonesian contract law which belongs to the Dutch/French tradition with a code similar to the Code Napoléon. At the NUS he has taught courses on the International Sale of Goods, Indonesian Law, Civil-Law Contract Law in Asia, International Commercial Arbitration, and the Legal Systems of Asia. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and has acted as an arbitrator in many commercial disputes particularly when the governing law is that of a civil law jurisdiction. He clerked at the Supreme Court of Canada, started his academic career at McGill, is a titular member of the International Academy of Comparative Law, was the Founding Director of the Asian Law Institute, is on the Editorial Board of the American Journal of Comparative Law. He has taught as a visitor or guest lecturer at McGill, the University of Tokyo, the University of Hong Kong, Paris II Panthéon-Assas, the University of Hawaii, Universitas Indonesia, Universitas Pelita Harapan and numerous other universities in Indonesia.

Katie Kwong is a Senior Government Counsel at the International Law Division, Department of Justice of the Government of the The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (“HKSAR”). She provides advice to Government bureaux and departments on international law issues. This includes providing them with legal support in bilateral and multilateral negotiations, advising them on the enactment of local legislation to implement applicable international agreements, and assisting them in complying with the international agreements that are applicable to the HKSAR. The subjects on which she provides advice include international trade law, privileges and immunities, civil aviation and maritime matters.

Sherlin Tung is a partner in the international arbitration and litigation team at Withers.

She is a specialist in cross-border disputes, international commercial arbitration, and multi-jurisdiction litigations. With over a decade of experience, Sherlin has advised clients in Asia, the Americas, and Europe on all phases and aspects of cross-border disputes (both litigation and arbitration). Sherlin also advises clients on the enforcement of international arbitral awards and/or court judgments. Sherlin has a rare set of skills given her unique background. Her career has given her the ability to be involved in all roles of a dispute. Given this experience, she is able to understand the overlaying objectives of not only of her clients but also the strategies implemented by counterparties, how arbitral tribunal members/judges think, and how arbitral institutions/courts operate.

Prior to joining Withers, Sherlin worked with a leading international law firm in Hong Kong where she was a member of the international disputes practice group. Sherlin started her international disputes career by working with a leading independent arbitrator where she acted as tribunal secretary for over 35 complex, international arbitration matters. Thereafter, Sherlin worked for the leading arbitral institution, the Secretariat of the ICC International Court of Arbitration, in both Hong Kong and New York, the latter of which she was a founding member of the case management office. During her time at the ICC, she managed over 300 international arbitration proceedings. Sherlin also worked in-house with a publicly listed international conglomerate where she handled the group’s international litigation and arbitration disputes. She is currently appointed as a permanent member of the ICC International Court of Arbitration’s National Committee Nominations Commission for Hong Kong. The committee is responsible for selecting candidates for proposal to act as arbitrators for ICC arbitrations. She is also appointed to be a commissioner to the ICC Belt & Road Commission for its next term.

Sherlin regularly speaks in conferences worldwide and gives lectures and trainings on international arbitration and cross-border disputes. She is prominent in the international arbitration community and sits on various international committees and boards. Sherlin is a member of the ICC Dispute Resolution Bulletin Editorial Board and the BVI International Arbitration Centre Rules Committee. She is currently on the South China International Arbitration Center (Hong Kong)’s Panel of Arbitrators. Sherlin is also the Deputy Director of the Vis East Moot Foundation, a non-profit organization that promotes international arbitration and trade law and operates the Vis East Moot Court Competition, the sister competition to the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot, which is the world’s largest and most renowned law student competition in the fields of international commercial arbitration and trade law.

Mr. Zhang, Yangyang (William), born in 1979, holds a LL.B. degree in International Law, China Foreign Affairs University and a LL.M. degree, the University of Michigan Law School (Ann Arbor). Mr. Zhang is currently serving as a Board Member of Ford Motor (China) Ltd., its General Counsel and Head for its Beijing branch company, also holding the supervisory Board position in Ford Model e (Nanjing) Co. Ltd. (Ford’s battery electric vehicle venture in China) and Jiangling Motor Corporation Ltd. (a publicly listed company); Mr. Zhang has over 20 years extensive experience in legal practice and general management for multinational companies’ operations, closely involved and leading various Ford Motor Company’s key transactions, investment projects and dispute resolutions inside and outside of China. Mr. Zhang is qualified to practice law in People’s Republic of China and in the State of New York, the United States of America.

Ms Maggie Wong assumed the post of Director-General of Trade and Industry of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in August 2022. She heads the Trade and Industry Department in fostering Hong Kong’s international trade relations, implementing trade policies and agreements, as well as supporting Hong Kong’s industries and small and medium enterprises.

Ms Wong has served in various policy bureaux and departments, including the Chief Secretary for Administration’s Office, the Civil Service Bureau, the Security Bureau and the Chief Executive’s Office. Before taking up the post of Director-General of Trade and Industry, Ms Wong was Deputy Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development (Commerce and Industry) (later renamed Deputy Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development), responsible for formulating and implementing various policies related to external commercial relations, inward investment promotion, as well as competition.

Mr Justice Lam was appointed a Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal on 30 July 2021.

Mr Justice Lam was born in Hong Kong in 1961. He obtained his LLB from the University of Hong Kong in 1983 and was called to the Hong Kong Bar in 1984. He commenced private practice in 1985, practicing generally in the fields of property and family law.

Mr Justice Lam joined the Judiciary as a District Judge in 2001. In 2003, he was appointed a Judge of the Court of First Instance. He was the President of the Lands Tribunal from 2003 to 2009 and a Probate Judge from 2008 to 2011. From 2011 to 2013, he was the Judge in charge of the Constitutional and Administrative Law List. He was appointed a Justice of Appeal in 2012 and became a Vice-President of the Court of Appeal in 2013.

Mr Justice Lam was a member of the Civil Court Users’ Committee from 2003 to 2013, the Core Group of the Civil Justice Reform Monitoring Committee from 2009 to 2015 and the Accreditation Sub-committee under Secretary for Justice’s Steering Committee on Mediation from 2012 to 2015. From 2013 to 2019, he was the Chairman of the Civil Court Users’ Committee. He presently chairs the Working Party on Mediation, the Working Group on Court Record Management under the Committee on Information Technology, the Working Group on Family Arbitration and the Family Proceedings Court Users’ Committee of the Judiciary. He also serves on the High Court Rules Committee and the Secretary for Justice’s Steering Committee on Mediation.