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Third-Party Funding for Hong Kong Arbitration: Operational Models and Risks of Arbitration Financing
In July 2025, the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC) recorded a 22% year-on-year increase in new case filings, with the total amount in dispu…
Power Imbalances in Family Mediation: Are Domestic Violence Cases Suitable for Mediation
The Hong Kong Judiciary’s Practice Direction 31 (PD 31) mandates that all family proceedings in the District Court and the Court of First Instance be referre…
Community Mediation Scheme: ADR in Practice for Neighbourhood Disputes and Building Management
In the 2025-2026 financial year, Hong Kong’s Building Management (BM) and Owners’ Corporations (OCs) face a rising tide of disputes. The Home Affairs Departm…
ADR Applications in Intellectual Property Disputes: Arbitration Advantages for Trademark and Patent Conflicts
Hong Kong’s Intellectual Property Department recorded 14,574 trademark applications in 2024, a 6.2% increase year-on-year, according to the department’s annu…
Enforceability Comparison Between Mediation and Arbitration: Cross-Border Enforcement of Mediated Settlements and Arbitral Awards
On 1 August 2025, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region ratified the United Nations Convention on International Settlement Agreements Resulting from Me…
Fee Models for Arbitrators: Hourly Rates, Ad Valorem Fees, or Fixed Fees
The 2025 revision to the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC) Administered Arbitration Rules introduced a new Schedule of Fees based on capped…
Choosing the Seat of Arbitration for International Commercial Disputes: Why Hong Kong Is the Preferred Venue in Asia-Pacific
The Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC) reported a record 500 new arbitration cases in 2024, a 27% increase from the previous year, with over…
Confidential Mediation in Labour Disputes: How to Prevent Workplace Disputes from Damaging Company Reputation
**Disclaimer:** This does not constitute legal advice. Consult a solicitor for your specific case.
The Legal Relationship Between ADR Stocks and Hong Kong Shares: Shareholder Rights Protection for Dual-Listed Companies
A dual-listed company — a corporation whose shares trade on both the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKEX) and a U.S. exchange via American Depositary Receipts (AD…
Tax Implications of Settlement Agreements: A Legal Analysis of Whether Settlement Sums Are Taxable
Hong Kong’s Inland Revenue Department (IRD) issued Departmental Interpretation and Practice Notes (DIPN) No. 60 in August 2024, clarifying the tax treatment…
Virtual Asset Disputes in Gaming: Arbitration Challenges for NFTs and Blockchain Games
The Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) published its updated “Statement on the Regulation of Virtual Assets” in February 2025, extending licen…
What Is the Abbreviation ADR? Different Definitions Across Business, Medical, and Financial Sectors
On 30 June 2025, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) issued a revised Supervisory Policy Manual module on dispute resolution for the banking sector, mand…
Hotel Management Contract Disputes: Mediation Case Studies Between International Hotel Brands and Property Owners
Hong Kong’s hotel sector is facing a structural shift. The 2024 *Hotel and Guesthouse Accommodation (Miscellaneous Amendments) Ordinance* (Cap. 349) tightene…
Causation Assessment in Adverse Drug Reactions: Burden of Proof and Expert Evidence in Legal Contexts
The Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal’s 2024 judgment in *Wong Sau Ching v. Hospital Authority* ([2024] HKCFA 23) did not merely clarify the law on adverse dru…
The Current State of ADR Legal Education: How Hong Kong Law Schools Train Future Mediators
**Disclaimer:** This does not constitute legal advice. Consult a solicitor for your specific case.
HKIAC Domain Name Dispute Resolution: Arbitration Procedures for Domain Name Cybersquatting in Hong Kong
Hong Kong has recorded over 420,000 registered domain names under the .hk and .香港 ccTLDs as of Q1 2025, according to the Hong Kong Internet Registration Corp…
Financial Dispute Resolution Centre FDRC: Alternative Resolution Channels for Banking and Customer Disputes
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) reported 1,397 banking complaints in the first half of 2024, a 12% increase from the same period in 2023. Individual…
Hybrid Models of Mediation and Arbitration: How Med-Arb Works in Principle and Practice
**Disclaimer:** This article provides general information on court and ADR procedures in Hong Kong. It does not constitute legal advice. Consult a qualified…
Hong Kong Arbitration Cost Transparency: How to Request Fee Disclosure from Arbitrators
In September 2024, the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC) released its 2024 Administered Arbitration Rules, which took effect on 1 January 20…
ADR Applications in Construction Disputes: Hong Kong's Construction Industry ADR in Practice
Hong Kong’s construction industry has been the single largest user of statutory adjudication under the *Construction Industry Security of Payment Ordinance*…
The Role and Limitations of Family Mediators: Mediators Are Neither Judges Nor Counsellors
The number of family mediation cases referred by the Judiciary of Hong Kong rose by 18% between 2021 and 2024, according to the latest statistics from the Fa…
Can a Settlement Agreement Be Set Aside? Fraud, Duress, and Misrepresentation in Hong Kong Case Law
The High Court of Hong Kong set aside a mediated settlement in *Lau Wai Keung v. Chan Kwok Wai* [2024] HKCFI 1823 because one party had concealed a valuation…
Independence and Impartiality of Arbitrators: How to Challenge a Biased Arbitrator
In the second half of 2024, the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC) reported a record 381 new arbitration filings, a 20% increase year-on-year…
Labour Tribunal vs Voluntary Mediation: Which Should HR Try First
In March 2025, the Labour Tribunal recorded 3,874 new claims in a single month—the highest monthly caseload since the 2019 social unrest, according to the Ju…