Hong Kong losing edge to Singapore as legal hub? No major shift, ‘stable and robust’ judiciary still strong, says lawyer in John Lee’s delegation to Asean countries
- Law Society council member Ronald Sum says he will fend off criticism of Hong Kong’s legal system during week-long trip, which he faced on previous overseas visit
- Veteran arbitration lawyer Christopher To dismisses claims that city is losing out to rival Singapore
On a mission to promote Hong Kong as a place for business and professional services, his first stop is Singapore, where he is expected to meet Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Monday.
Lawyer Ronald Sum Kwan-ngai, who is among about 30 top business representatives and professionals included in the delegation, said he was prepared to fend off criticism of Hong Kong’s legal system, something he had faced on a previous overseas visit.
“On one occasion, someone asked me right on stage whether Hong Kong still had a safe legal system,” he recalled. “As a lawyer, I hope I can help other representatives address such questions.”
A council member of the Law Society of Hong Kong and partner at global law firm Baker McKenzie, Sum said while he had seen clients switching their arbitration venue from Hong Kong to Singapore, the shift had not been significant.
“People are having doubts because geopolitics has been a factor … many people who have never been to Hong Kong reach their conclusions after reading the news,” he said.
He intends to highlight Hong Kong’s stable and robust judiciary to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) businesses during the trip.