Hong Kong law firm Tanner De Witt Wins 8 Leading Lawyer Titles

Eight Hong Kong solicitors from the Tanner De Witt team have been named in the 2014 edition of Asialaw’s Leading Lawyers. According to the publication, Ian De Witt, Robin Darton, Mark Side, Kim Boreham, Eddie Look, Tim Drew, Russell Bennett and Jeff Lane are among “the most highly acclaimed legal experts in the Asia-Pacific region”.

Seven of the eight mentioned lawyers are Partners at Tanner De Witt Solicitors: Robin Darton and Ian De Witt co-head the Insolvency and Restructuring practice; Mark Side leads Dispute Resolution; Kim Boreham and Russell Bennett are the firm’s dedicated Employment Partners; while Eddie Look and Tim Drew are Corporate and Commercial Partners. Jeff Lane, formerly of King and Wood Mallesons joined Tanner De Witt Solicitors as a Consultant in January 2014. He is an experienced litigator and focuses on Fraud and Asset Tracing.

Below was what Asialaw Profiles said about Tanner De Witt Solicitors:

‘Tanner De Witt maintains a reputation for being an “excellent” local firm in Hong Kong for restructuring and insolvency work.

The firm has ten partners, and was founded in 1999 by the now-retired Richard Tanner and Ian De Witt. The latter is still active at the firm, and heads the R&I practice. “He is good on both contentious and non-contentious matters,” acknowledges a peer. As an independent firm in Hong Kong, Tanner De Witt receives referral work from a number of international firms in need of local law advice.

The corporate practice’s key partners are Eddie Look and Tim Drew. The team has worked for private equity funds on China acquisitions, for a listed company on a stake acquisition in the hotel management field and on the establishment of joint ventures in Hong Kong.

The disputes resolution team is led by commercial litigator Mark Side. Recent cases the team on which the team has been engaged involve breach of contract claims in a labour dispute, a commodities dispute, fraud and white-collar crime litigation.

Litigators Kim Boreham and Russell Bennett head the labour and employment department, advising on both contentious and non-contentious matters in Hong Kong. Recent mandates involve the enforcement of restrictive covenants and claims of misuse of confidential information. The firm also helps clients on contract negotiations and termination agreements.

Robin Darton co-heads the firm’s esteemed restructuring and insolvency practice. The firm acts on Hong Kong law aspects of major global bankruptcy cases. A sample of the practice’s clients include KPMG, PwC, Standard Chartered Bank, FTI, RSM Nelson Wheeler and Briscoe Wong Ferrier.’

Asialaw’s research material comes from a combination of sources including law firm surveys and in-depth interviews with lawyers and clients. The publication is part of Euromoney’s Legal Media Group, which boasts other well-known legal titles such as IFLR 1000.

Many of the solicitors at Tanner De Witt are also ranked as top Hong Kong lawyers by other leading industry publications, including Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners.