Profile

Dantes Leung specialises in commercial litigation, international arbitration and contentious regulatory matters. He has extensive experience in advising and representing multinational corporations and high-net-worth individuals in a wide range of cross-border commercial disputes, such as international contractual disputes, joint venture and shareholder disputes, probate and trust disputes, intellectual property disputes, fraud and debt recovery. He also has substantial experience in dealing with various regulators such as the Securities and Futures Commission, the Independent Commission Against Corruption and the Trade and Industry Department.

Dantes is accredited as a Solicitor Advocate in respect of civil proceedings by the High Rights Assessment Board appointed by the Chief Justice of Hong Kong. As such, he is one of 100 solicitors who have rights of audience before the Court of Final Appeal in Hong Kong.

Dantes accepts appointments as arbitrator and mediator.

Dantes is also a trusted legal advisor on commercial transactions. With his litigator’s mindset, he helps clients identify major risks in transactions and provides practical insights on the interpretation and enforcement of commercial terms and on mitigating risks of potential disputes.

Dantes has been appointed by the University of Hong Kong as a Part-time Lecturer in Equity & Trusts in 2010, 2015-2016, and in Contracts in 2019-2023. He regularly conducts legal training sessions at financial and legal institutions and publishes widely on commercial law topics and arbitration.

Prior to joining this Firm, Dantes has practised with various international law firms for over a decade, half of which time was spent with Magic Circle and Wall Street law firms.

COMMUNITY APPOINTMENTS

• 2017 – 2020 | HKU Court Member
• 2017 – 2020 | HKU Convocation Standing Committee Member

Admissions and Memberships

Education

Notable Cases

ARBITRATION/MEDIATION

• Acting as sole arbitrator in an insurance arbitration in Hong Kong
• Acting for a Taiwanese listed company in a UNCITRAL arbitration in Hong Kong and in multiple Hong Kong Court proceedings to seek third party evidence in support of arbitration and committal against non-compliant parties
• Acting for investment companies from BVI, Cayman Islands, and State of Delaware in HKIAC-administered arbitrations on multiple disputes concerning breach of subscription agreements and disclosure of portfolio documents
• Advising a US client on global enforcement of HKIAC arbitral awards in excess of US$110 million
• Acting for a Taiwanese textile company in an international trade claim involving a US company in Chapter 11 administration and a HK buying agent
• Acting for private clients in mediation in a multi-million-dollar dispute
• Advising a Hong Kong statutory body on state immunity issues in arbitration
• Advising a subsidiary of an Austrian listed company on a consultancy agreement with arbitration clause
• Acting for a private client in seeking a stay of Court proceedings in favour of arbitration

LITIGATION

• Coordinating defence of probate/trusts claims in excess of US$80 billion in Bermuda, the US, Hong Kong and Taiwan
• Defending a crypto exchange in a discovery application
• Acting for a German company in an action claiming breach of contract against a Hong Kong textile manufacturer in excess of EUR30 million and seeking a case management stay
• Acting for a Chinese state-owned company in registering and enforcing in Hong Kong a Mainland Chinese judgement debt of RMB 100 million
• Defending an investment manager and a BVI company in a fraud claim
• Defending the former director of a company in a claim for Quistclose Trust
• Acting for a shareholder and director of a century-old famous cake shop in shareholders and contract disputes
• Defending a payment processing agent in a proprietary claim on grounds of fraud, constructive trust and unjust enrichment
• Defending a listed group of companies against an injunction application and a winding-up petition on grounds of unfair prejudice
• Acting for the liquidators in a fraudulent preference claim in excess of HK$500 million up to the Court of Final Appeal
• Acting for clients in recovering funds transferred due to cyberfraud and email scam
• Defending a listed company against a bonus claim of HK$30 million and in pursuit of injunction against a former legal adviser
• Advising listed companies and banks on employment issues
• Advising a Chinese bank on debt recovery and receivership
• Advising a high net worth individual on defence of a money lending claim

REGULATORY

• Acting for a Hong Kong company in an application to the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the US Treasury Department for release of blocked funds in excess of HK$40 million
• Acting for a French bank in an ICAC investigation
• Acting for a listed bank in SFC/HKMA notifications
• Acting for a director in an SFC investigation for allegedly unlicensed activities
• Advising a listed company on dawn raid strategy
• Acting for a major airline in applying for licences for import/export of strategic commodities and radioactive substances

External Publications and Speeches

• Exploring the Landscape of Arbitration in Hong Kong – Lecture at Shenzhen Lawyers Association, December 2024
• Mediation and Arbitration in School Context – Seminar at Alliance Church, December 2024
• Reconciling Conflicting Arbitration Clauses: Try to Make the Worst Seem Better – Hong Kong Lawyer, November 2024
• Arbitration Law Update: Insolvency, Illegality and Conflicting Arbitration Clauses – Webinar at Hong Kong Academy of Law, September 2024
• Winding-up Without a Debt: Should the Hong Kong Courts Run Around in Circles with The Privy Council? – Hong Kong Lawyer, August 2024
• Making Sense of Jurisdiction-Admissibility Distinction: When Day Becomes Night – Hong Kong Lawyer, April 2023 (cited in C v D [2023] HKCFA 16, §132)
• The Arbitrator’s Duty of Disclosure: A Duty Without a Remedy? – Asian Dispute Review, April 2022
• Unveiling and Managing Risks in Multilingual Contracts – Webinar at Hong Kong Academy of Law, August 2021
• Recovering in Arbitration Costs of Ancillary Court Proceedings Revisited Remedy – Hong Kong Lawyer, April 2021
• The Hong Kong Chapter of International Commercial Arbitration (2nd Edition; Beck · Hart · Nomos), co-authored by Dantes Leung and Amy Lo, January 2021
• Lasmos and Beyond: Have the Cake and Eat it Too? – Hong Kong Lawyer, May 2020 (cited in (2021) 137 LQR 34)

Languages

English, Cantonese and Mandarin

Awards