Robinsons, Lawyers

Areas of Practice

Corporate and Commercial

Robinsons, Lawyers is proud to have served companies, private equity and venture capital funds on a broad range of corporate transactions in Hong Kong, mainland China and throughout Asia. Notable experience of our Commercial Practice Division includes:

  • Mergers & Acquisitions
  • Joint Ventures and Shareholders’ Agreements
  • Shareholders’ Rights
  • Sales and Purchases of Business and Asset
  • Share Subscriptions and Repurchases
  • Directors and Officers Duties
  • Private Equity and Venture Capital Direct Investment

As part of our commercial practice, we have also provided advice on a wide variety of matters in support of our clients’ businesses, including inter alia:

  • Franchising, Licensing and Distribution Arrangements
  • Employment, Share Option and Employee Incentive Schemes
  • Commercial Property Leases

Our firm has earned its reputation as a law firm with expertise and in-depth experience in corporate and commercial transactions. Since its inception, the firm has completed numerous significant corporate and commercial transactions for clients with business interests in Hong Kong, mainland China and worldwide.

Our Clients are principally blue-chip, red-chip and other public and private companies in Hong Kong and state-owned and private enterprises from China with business interests in industries, real estate, infrastructure, banking, finance, servicing and retailing and are among the most active participants in the Hong Kong market.

Securities and Finance

Robinsons, Lawyers represents major corporations and financial institutions for advice with all aspects of domestic and international capital markets transactions. We are involved in the structuring and execution of all forms of debt instruments (including investment grade, high yield and asset-backed securities), derivatives and listed and unlisted structured products.

Separately, Robinsons, Lawyers also provide services to the securities intermediaries including:

  • Applying for types 1-9 licences of regulated activities;
  • Drafting manuals, guidelines, etc. in compliance with legal requirements and requirements of regulatory authorities;
  • Placing;
  • Dealing with compliance, anti-money laundering, etc. issues raised and investigation conducted by regulatory authorities; and
  • General advices

Our mission is to provide the best counsel, advocacy and personal service for our clients. We are committed to understanding our client’s unique needs, achieving creative, practical, and effective solutions.

We advise in all areas of corporate, securities & finance transactions, litigation, and counseling, representing issuers, underwriters, and investors.

Our capital markets practice also covers the full range of capital markets products and incorporates specialists in debt and equity capital markets, derivatives and structured finance, securitisation, corporate trust and agency and high yield.​

Cross Border Investment and Emigration

Here at Robinsons, Lawyers, we have a full-service Immigration Practice Group, recognized internationally for our ability to provide solutions to highly complex and routine immigration problems. Notable areas of which our lawyers had experience include:-

  • Investment Immigration Schemes to various Commonwealth Countries;
  • Handling of Employment and Investment Visa;
  • Dependants Visas, Extension of Stay and Appeal;
  • Permanent Residency Applications; and
  • Marriage Immigration.

We link up foreign investment projects and investors in mainland China and assist investors to prepare the legal documents in relation to their investment projects in overseas. Incidental to investment, we provide emigration services to those investors who intend to emigrate especially to Australia, Europe and Hong Kong. 

We have extensive experience in handling various Immigration matters including Visa applications, Immigration law advice and Immigration investigation. We have provided these services to a wide range of clients from multinational corporations to high-profile individuals. Each of our Client’s application are custom tailored with destinations ranging from Australia, Europe to Hong Kong.

We have in-depth knowledge of numerous industries with recurring trade policy concerns, and are skilled in many cutting-edge industries that are increasingly confronted with trade policy issues.

China Practice

Our China team consists of PRC lawyers and lawyers with overseas qualifications and has extensive knowledge regarding the legal system, business environment and social environment of the PRC. Our lawyers have dealt with a number of matters assisting Hong Kong and international clients in all aspects of their business in mainland China. All of them are proficient in Chinese (including Mandarin and Cantonese) and English.

  • Foreign Direct Investment
  • Establishment of Business Enterprises
  • Restructuring of Joint Ventures
  • Cross-border Investment
  • Corporate Finance
  • Mergers & Acquisitions
  • Private Equity transaction
  • Shareholders Disputes
  • Intellectual Property Registration, Protection and Enforcement
  • Investment by Injection or Transfer of Intellectual Property Technology
  • Litigation and Arbitration
  • Real Estate
  • Succession

Our Lawyers are experienced in structuring business transactions in mainland China, dealing directly with government authorities and formulating negotiation strategies to achieve our clients’ objectives.

As a result of our lawyers’ extensive cross-border legal knowledge and years of practical experience in the mainland China, we have since built upon our partnership with our associate PRC law firms where they are ready to assist on legal matters within their geographical proximity.

Litigation and Dispute Resolution

We have been engaged in a broad range of litigation and arbitration proceedings for clients across a wide range of business sectors. Our multifaceted international practice features a team of highly experienced lawyers, known for effectively litigating unusually complex matters and skilfully handling multiparty, multijurisdictional cases.

Our substantial litigation experience means that our clients are effectively represented in the event of court action and are advised on how to avoid potential liability and exposure in planning matters. One of our key features is that we are able to assemble teams tailored to the particular elements of complexity, to utilize the skills of these lawyers with the latest technology to achieve efficiency and, ultimately, to deliver results in the courtroom, before juries or judges.

We also understand the need for cost-consciousness and efficiency. Litigation is expensive, but can be controlled through litigation management skills, risk-assessment techniques, and selective use of alternative dispute resolution techniques suitable to the particular situation.

We have also been engaged in a number of novel litigation matter, namely, litigation involving the field of Information Technology. With one of the firm’s founding members having been Chairman of the Technology Committee of the Law Society of Hong Kong for about 20 years, our firm has been at the forefront of development of Technology Law in Hong Kong. Notable novel IT related matters include:

  • Blockchain and Cryptocurrency Related Disputes; and
  • Recovery of properties lost to cybercrime.

Other than litigation proceedings, we assist clients to resolve their disputes through conciliation, mediation and arbitration with a view to achieving their business objectives yet obviating the time-consuming litigation process. Our reputation—and our willingness to take cases to trial—enhances our already substantial leverage in obtaining the most favourable settlements possible for our clients.

Matrimonial Services

We specialise in all aspects of family law, in particular with issues that arise out of the breakdown of a relationship. Understanding such moments are stressful and arduous times, we aim to give practical and pragmatic advice at a time which is often a time of great emotional turmoil and difficulty for our clients. Our Matrimonial Practice Group offers specialised service in the following areas:

  • Divorce
  • Financial Consequences of Divorce
  • Judicial separation
  • Separation agreements
  • Pre-nuptial agreements
  • Jurisdiction disputes
  • Children/ parenting disputes
  • Child Abduction
  • International relocation of children
  • Enforcement and/ or variation of court orders

Our Matrimonial Practice Group offers a client-orientated approach and deal with every matter in a sensitive, constructive and professional manner. We also aim to tailor our advice to individual needs and recognise that litigation can be an emotionally stressful, lengthy and costly means to resolve family disputes and will recommend that negotiated settlements, or alternative dispute resolution options are often better suited for our clients.

Technology Law

Computer, Internet and Telecommunication Laws (collectively “Technology Law”) is a specialty area that has developed from the new & unique legal issues that arise from the use of computer, internet and telecommunication.

The technical-legal issues are evolving quickly and substantively as the industries themselves. It is in the best interest of lawyers and clients to understand those legal issues as they directly relate to clients' business. It will be critical to consult with lawyers who not only understand the technologies, but are also staying on top of current technical developments and the rapid changes in the legislations, case laws and precedents being established.

In this respect, Robinsons, Lawyers are pleased to present our lawyers, many of whom are proficient in the technologies, being professional and/or academically qualified in the relevant fields. These include:

Being practitioners of both law and technology, we at Robinsons, Lawyers understand that not only do practitioners need to know the law, they also need to understand the technology industries, and how their clients actually do business.

The key issues in any negotiation are more likely to revolve around the commercial mechanics of the deal than esoteric points of law. A profound knowledge of the technologies is essential for the lawyers to understand our client's case particularly in litigation. Lawyers do not learn this at law school; so, our service is as much commercial as legal.

Lawyers in the firm enjoy a wealth of practice experience in the telecommunication and IT sectors. We have advised companies, investors and other participants in the related industries.

Criminal Litigation Practices

Our Criminal Litigation Department having represented clients from all over the world with varying backgrounds (from top executives of listed companies to refugee seekers in need), especially those that generate considerable public attention. With a criminal defence taskforce with top-tier reputation, our firm represented clients in a wide range of matters including but not limited to:

  • Anti-Bribery & Public Corruption Probes;
  • SFC Enforcement and Financial Fraud Investigations;
  • Healthcare Fraud;
  • Domestic and International Antitrust & Competition Violations; and
  • Drug Related Offences.

In short, when the future of a company hangs in the balance, many high profile senior executives and corporations choose Robinsons, Lawyers to represent them.

Through our extensive experience, we aim to deliver an effective, practical and cost effective defence from investigation all the way through to trial, and if necessary to the appeal stage.

Understanding that being charged with criminal offence is a stressful affair, our mission includes providing our clients with the best practical advice and representation, confidentially and discreetly together with the emotional support necessary to help our Clients getting through the ordeal intact.

We have successfully defended our Clients from prosecution for major White-Collar crimes (being charged by Independent Commission Against Corruption (the “ICAC”), the Securities and Futures Commission and Commercial Crime Bureau (the “CCB”) as well as various other indictable offence (i.e. drug related offence, etc.).

Lastly, our results are not achieved through the individual efforts of a single practitioner, rather, they are usually achieved through good team work with the Client themselves also considered being an integral part of the Defence team.

Personal Injury Practice

Injuries associated with medical treatment can be life-altering for both the patients and their loved ones. Our lawyers at Robinsons, Lawyers understand the lasting physical and emotion impact that medical injuries can have on the victims (which includes both the patient and their families).

Robinsons, Lawyers have since developed a seasoned and renowned Personal Injury Department that specializes in medical legal claims and complex injury cases (hereinafter “Personal Injury Claims”). Our firm offer clients compassionate counsel and aggressive legal advocacy in the courtroom. Clients of Robinsons, Lawyers can expect:

  • Outstanding Credentials;
  • Individualized Attention;
  • Exceptional Medical Expertise; and
  • A History of Success.

Having serviced a wide range of Clients, our Personal Injury Department is here to provide legal assistance to those who need it the most– those suffering catastrophic injuries. Regardless of who our Clients were, what our clients have in common is that their lives have been deeply affected due to the negligence of others.

No matter what kind of injury you or your loved one are suffering due to the negligence of others, Robinsons, Lawyers understands your situation and will like to help you get your life back together once again. We will fight for your rights and handle the insurance companies for you and work to get you the highest compensation for those injuries.

China-Appointed Attesting Officer Services

We provide China Attesting services (中國委托公証人服務) for attesting and certifying documents emanating from Hong Kong for use in Mainland China.

China-Appointed Attesting Officers are qualified Hong Kong lawyers who have been appointed by the Ministry of Justice of the People’s Republic of China after passing the prescribed qualifying examinations.

Our team of lawyers includes China-Appointed Attesting Officer(s) appointed by the Ministry of Justice of the PRC.  This enables us to provide service by attesting and verifying documents of companies or individuals for use in mainland China.  Typically, documents/situations requiring attestation services includes but not limited to the following:

  • Certification of Original and Duplicate Documents;
  • Declarations (i.e. Marital Status);
  • Declaration for Succession or Waiver of the PRC Estate of a Deceased Person;
  • Certifications (i.e. Hong Kong Identity Card and Home Return Permit);
  • Witnessing the Execution of Legal Documents (i.e. Power of Attorney);
  • Certification of Legal Facts (i.e. particulars of Companies); and
  • Documents required for the Service Supplier of the Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (“CEPA”)

Incidental to our attesting services, we have a team of professional legal translators to do translation of the legal documents to be used in mainland China.

Cybersecurity & Privacy

Robinsons, Lawyers advises companies across a broad range of industries on data protection and privacy laws. In addition, our Cybersecurity Practice Group regularly help companies formulate or revise Privacy Policies, Terms of Services and etc. to comply with new laws or take account of new technologies or changes in business operations. We also advise companies on the data privacy and security implications of mergers and acquisitions, outsourcing arrangements, and other transactions. This is made possible by working with our Technology Practice Group.

Data Breach Prevention, Quick Reactionary Response, and Dispute Resolution

Our Cybersecurity Practice group works to protect our Clients both before and after a data breach which includes assisting our Clients with the development and/or improvement of data privacy practices and Quick Reactionary Response Plans (“QRP”).

We, together with our Client, achieve this objective through privacy and security assessments with the primary objective to minimize the risk of a data breach and to put the company in the best position to respond if a breach occurs.

With a view to provide our Client in assessing their QRP preparedness, we have prepared a QRP Toolkit. Our Clients are welcome to use the QRP Toolkit on their own or with our input, which is designed to review their internal Private Data Policies and take appropriate follow-up work to improve their QRP preparedness so that our Client will be in a position to:

  • Be in the best position to Prevent a Breach (where possible);
  • Conduct Efficient Quick Reactionary Response;
  • Minimize or mitigate potential damages from breaches that may occur.

Together with our Litigation Team, Robinsons, Lawyers stands ready to represent our Clients in the regulatory investigations and civil litigation that increasingly follow the occurrence of a data breach.