Profile
Michael's practice encompasses civil and commercial litigation, with a focus on construction, property and securities disputes and arbitration. He also advises and appears in winding-up and bankruptcy matters, securities-related matters, including IPO-related advisory work and regulatory issues, and public, administrative and regulatory proceedings. He has appeared as sole advocate and as led junior in trials and substantive hearings at various levels of the Hong Kong courts, and is regularly instructed in property sale and purchase disputes and interlocutory applications.
Michael is frequently instructed to appear on arbitration cases and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. He has experience in acting and often acts without instructions from solicitors in construction and commercial disputes and arbitrations, including matters arising from major infrastructure projects, aviation sales and leasing, and securities services arrangements involving real property developers, Macau casinos, listed companies and licensed sponsors.
On the criminal side, Michael has experience conducting Magistrates' Court trials and substantive hearings across a range of offences, including theft, assault, dealing with proceeds of crime, drug-related offences, and road traffic matters. In addition, he has been invited to speak at CPD seminars and has written widely in the legal field, including as a co-author of Construction Law and Practice in Hong Kong.
Michael served his pupillage with Mr. Richard Leung, Mr. Gary Soo, Ms. Catherine Wong and Mr. Clement Lau.
Michael is fluent in Cantonese, English and Mandarin, and has experience drafting legal documents in Chinese.
Selected Cases
+Insolvency
- Joint and Several Trustees in Bankruptcy of the property of Lau Yu also known as Jaffe Lau v All Powerful Holding Limited & Others (HCA 2289/2018) – successfully acted for the trustees against the bankrupt for setting aside transactions at an undervalue under the Bankruptcy Ordinance (Cap 6) (led by Mr. Richard Leung)
- Re Carnival Group International Holdings Ltd (HCCW 48/2020; [2022] HKCFI 2668) – acted for offshore supporting creditors in the winding-up petition
Property & Conveyancing
- Sunline Investment Ltd. v Team Wealthy Ltd (HCMP 893/2025) – Vendor and Purchaser Summons clarifying the Court's approach to the Government's acquiescence in breaches of covenant under a Government Lease over several decades
Securities & Regulation
- Chan Chi Hung v Lai Ieng Man & Others (HCA 1069/2021) – acted for the plaintiff in a securities-related contractual dispute concerning services for procuring an initial public offering on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (led by Mr. Foster Yim)
Arbitration
- 2014 HKIAC Domestic Arbitration Rules – successfully acted for the Claimant in a 10-day trial regarding a construction dispute on a remeasurement contract governed by Macau Law for works at a major casino (led by Mr. Richard Leung)
- 2024 HKIAC Administered Arbitration Rules – acted for the Respondent in a securities-related dispute concerning services for procuring an IPO on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, including issues relating to the reverse takeover code
- 2018 HKIAC Administered Arbitration Rules – successfully acted for the Claimant in an aviation dispute concerning repudiatory breach and forfeiture of pre-delivery payments in an international sale of aircraft
- 2018 HKIAC Administered Arbitration Rules – acted for the Claimant in an aviation dispute concerning breach of delivery conditions and misrepresentation regarding the technical status of an aircraft
- 2018 HKIAC Administered Arbitration Rules – advised the Respondent in an aviation dispute regarding outstanding storage charges and lien enforcement over an abandoned aircraft
- 2018 HKIAC Administered Arbitration Rules – acted for the Claimant in a commercial dispute involving breach of consignment agreement
- 2018 HKIAC Administered Arbitration Rules – procedural applications including joinder of third parties, consolidation of arbitrations, and jurisdictional challenges
Memberships & Accreditations
+- Fellow, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (FCIArb)
- Fellow, Hong Kong Institute of Arbitrators (FHKIArb)
- Hong Kong Bar Association Bar List (Arbitrators)
- Panel Arbitrator, eBRAM International Online Dispute Resolution Centre
- Panel Arbitrator, WTC Macau Arbitration Center
- Committee Member, Committee on Construction Law, Hong Kong Bar Association
- Committee Member, Legal Affairs Committee, Hong Kong Professionals and Senior Executives Association (HKPASEA)
- Associate, The Taxation Institute of Hong Kong (ATIHK)
- Vice President, Supervisory Board, Taxation Association of Macau
Publications / Lectures / Talks
+- Co-author – Construction Law and Practice in Hong Kong, 5th edition (Sweet & Maxwell, 2024)
- Lecturer – Hong Kong Legal Training Institute (HKLTI) – Construction, Tendering and Contract Law (2022 – Present)
- Speaker – The Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors, Quantity Surveying Division CPD – Statutory Construction Adjudication: Do's, Don'ts and More (2026)
- Speaker – Hong Kong Institution of Engineers / CIPHE / HKBA / Law Society CPD – Advantages of Arbitration in Engineering (2026)
- Speaker – Law Society of Hong Kong CPD – Blockchain for Lawyers: Strict Regulation of Cryptocurrencies and the Boom of NFTs (2021)