Clyde & Co Team
Ik Wei Chong
Partner and Managing Director, Asia*
Ik Wei’s main areas of practice are in shipping, insurance, international trade and energy, with a particular focus on commercial and investment disputes connected with China and the ASEAN region.
He has extensive experience in advising and representing clients in international and regional arbitrations, including at the ICC, LCIA, LMAA, SIAC, SCMA, HKIAC, CMAC and CIETAC.
Ik Wei is a Senior Accredited Specialist in Maritime and Shipping Law appointed by the Singapore Academy of Law. He sits on the Singapore International Arbitration Centre Users’ Council and chairs the Appointments Committee of the Singapore Chamber of Maritime Arbitration. He is also a Supporting Member of the Hong Kong Maritime Arbitration Group, and an arbitrator of the China Maritime Arbitration Commission, Hainan International Arbitration Court, Wuhan Arbitration Commission and Asian International Arbitration Centre. Ik Wei sits on the Accreditation Committee of the Singapore Institute of Legal Education. He is a member of the Advisory Board of the Singapore Management University School of Law. He also serves on the Board of Governors of Raffles Institution, Singapore’s premier educational institution.
Ik Wei is recommended and recognised by various legal directories including Legal 500 Asia Pacific, Chambers Asia Pacific and Legal Media Group’s Guide to Leading Practitioners (China) as one of the leading individuals for shipping, insurance and dispute resolution work.
Chambers Asia Pacific compliments Ik Wei as “one of the best lawyers” in the shipping litigation area. He is described as a “leader in the field” and a “go-to name for difficult cases” by Legal 500 Asia Pacific. Ik Wei was a winner of Lexology Client Choice Awards’s insurance (China) category. Ik Wei is also recognised and honoured as “Lawyer of the Year” by Best Lawyers® in the Shipping and Maritime Law category for China and Singapore. Ik Wei has also been named by Legal 500 as Insurance Lawyer of the Year for China.
In addition to England and Wales, Ik Wei is also admitted to practise in Hong Kong and Singapore. He is fluent in English, Mandarin, Chinese dialects and Bahasa Malaysia.
Fei Kwok
MANAGING Partner, Hong Kong & Head of Banking & Finance Greater China*
Fei is the Managing Partner, Hong Kong and Head of Banking and Finance Greater China. Fei is a recognised specialist in complex financing transactions and leading expert in energy projects in particular in relation to LNG value chain.
Fei’s areas of practice include advising on finance and energy transactions with a special focus on energy, logistics and infrastructure projects including investments in oil and gas exploration and development, LNG and gas production, transportation and procurement, and development and operation of petrochemical complex and power projects. She has many years of experience acting as outside counsel for commercial corporations and financial institutions. Fei also advises private clients on wealth management and family trust arrangements.
She is recommended by leading legal directories including Who’s Who Legal, Chambers Global, Chambers Asia Pacific and Legal 500.
Fei has been recommended in three categories in Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2016 foreign firms directory (banking and finance; projects and energy; and shipping) and been named as Tier One leading individual by Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2018 and 2019.
Fei was admitted as a solicitor in England and Wales. She is fluent in Mandarin, Cantonese and English.
Nicholas Lum
Partner*
Nicholas spearheads our China offices’ cross-border dispute resolution efforts. He frequently advises and represents clients in international and local arbitrations conducted under various institutional and ad-hoc arbitration rules including those of SIAC, HKIAC, LCIA, LMAA, CIETAC, ICC and UNCITRAL. Nicholas also has extensive experience in advising on issues relating to the enforcement of Court judgments and arbitral award in various jurisdictions across Asia and Europe. Nicholas is a member of the Promotion Committee for Singapore Chamber of Maritime Arbitration (SCMA). He is also an arbitrator of the China Maritime Arbitration Commission (CMAC), the Hainan International Arbitration Court (HIAC), the Shanghai Arbitration Commission (SHAC), the Wuhan Arbitration Commission (WIAC) and the Shanghai International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (SHIAC). Nicholas is recognised and recommended by various legal directories including Legal 500 Asia Pacific and Chambers Asia Pacific for his leading work in shipping, litigation and dispute resolution.
Nicholas has close to two decades of experience working in the Mainland China market and combines a deep understanding of the Chinese business environment with his strong international background and multi-lingual skills. This accounts for his reputation amongst Mainland China-based clients, comprising state-owned enterprises and large private entities, whom he advises on all aspects of dispute resolution, including international arbitration and complex cross-border litigation. Having practised at the Singapore bar before relocating overseas, Nicholas, who is qualified as an advocate and solicitor in Singapore, continues to spend significant time in Singapore assisting China-based and international clients on Singapore-related matters.
Nicholas is also qualified as an Associate Mediator of the Singapore Mediation Centre. His experience in mediation means that he is able to provide vigorous reality testing where appropriate and at the same time remain pragmatic towards the contesting parties’ commercial needs.
Nicholas is regularly invited to speak at international conferences and seminars and has been invited to speak in London, Hong Kong, Singapore, Germany and in major Chinese cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Xiamen, Hangzhou and Dalian.
Apart from English, Nicholas speaks fluent Mandarin Chinese, Cantonese and Fujianese.
Christian Liu
Legal Director*
The focus of his practice has been on marine and non-marine insurance matters involving pursuit of cargo and hull recovery claims, as well as defending claims involving liability insurance. He is an expert in general insurance law and insurance contract and policy terms and has extensive experience in policy coverage issues regarding marine insurance, property insurance, liability insurance and reinsurance.
Christian is a Member of the Chartered Insurance Institute and holds the Diploma in Insurance issued by the Chartered Insurance Institute (“Dip CII”). He is also qualified in Insurance Brokerage and Insurance Adjustment by the China Insurance Regulatory Commission.
Christian is a native speaker of Chinese (Mandarin, Shanghainese and basic Cantonese). He is fluent in English and also speaks basic French.
Flora Tang
Legal Director*
Flora specialises in a wide range of areas, both contentious and non-contentious. She focuses on dry shipping and insurance/reinsurance litigation and arbitration as well as international trade. She has a particular expertise in matters relating to cargo claims, bills of lading, charterparties, and international trade.
She regularly advises and represents large state-owned and international traders, energy companies and insurance/re-insurance companies. She also provides contract review services and advice for trading companies on a regular basis.
Flora is a graduate of Dalian Maritime University on Maritime Law and she obtained her Master’s degree on Common Law at the University of Hong Kong. Flora is named as one of the Rising Stars by Legal 500 APAC on a year on year basis.
Flora speaks fluent Mandarin, Cantonese and English.
Yang Liu
Senior Associate*
Yang regularly advises Chinese and foreign banks on cross border financing including acquisition finance, shipping finance, aircraft finance and lending to foreign financial institutions. She also represents Chinese leasing companies in leasing transactions with foreign charterers and operators and in refinancing with domestic and foreign banks.
Yang also has experience in LNG sector and she has advised a number of Chinese gas companies in LNG spot cargo sale and purchase transactions.
Prior to joining Clyde & Co, Yang worked with a leading international law firm. She is a native Chinese speaker with professional proficiency in English.
*Clyde & Co legal team is not licensed to practise PRC law.
“Its joint law venture with Westlink Partnership is a major draw, allowing it to provide seamless coverage in China, including in litigation.”