The 'very responsive, proactive and knowledgeable' team at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner advises developers, investors and contractors on the full-scope of matters occurring throughout a construction project life-cycle, from procurement and contractual drafting, through to ongoing compliance, as well as on any disputes that should arise. Ilan Freiman  has 'extensive knowledge of construction contracts', including New Engineering Contracts (NEC), ensuring that he is a popular choice among public and private sector stakeholders, including in relation to master planned urban development and integrated infrastructure projects. Glenn Haley  co-heads the team alongside Freiman and is best-known for his contentious expertise, regularly advising clients bringing or defending claims, both in arbitration and in conventional litigation, relating to, inter alia, alleged defects, payment and delay.

The ‘exceptionally strong and experienced’ team at Johnson Stokes & Master ‘consistently delivers high-quality work’ to developers, employers and contractors on contentious and non-contentious matters, including those with multi-jurisdictional issues (where the team is particularly well-positioned to act by virtue of its expansive network of international offices). ‘Highly experienced’ team head Geoffrey Chan has ‘great strategic vision’, which he effectively draws upon to ensure clients receive ‘practical and commercial solutions’ across a range of contentious construction work, including legal proceedings, arbitration and alternative dispute resolution in Hong Kong, China and Macau. Menachem Hasofer has a ‘strong ability to analyse complex facts and difficult areas of law’, including complex judicial review proceedings as well as conventional arbitration proceedings. Mei Ling Lew ‘is very good at handling large-scale complex disputes’ for Hong Kong-based public and private bodies, while Tom Fu, who splits his time between Hong Kong and Beijing, has vast experience in China-related construction work.

The 'well-resourced and vastly-experienced team' at King & Wood Mallesons provides 'very commercially astute' advice to public and private sector participants throughout the lifecycle of their construction and projects work. Drawing upon 'unparalleled knowledge of construction law', Paul Starr 'delivers exceptional strategic insight' to clients defending or bringing arbitration claims relating to high-profile construction projects in Hong Kong, China and throughout Asia Pacific, where he is very effectively able to mobilise the firm's international resources. Appreciated by clients for his ability to 'stay cool, collected, objective and reasonable through heated moments', Donovan Ferguson 'brings a level-headed objective approach' to construction disputes which ensures a high success rate across a range of high-profile matters. Ferguson also has a vibrant transactional practice, including on renewable energy-related construction projects, and alongside Sam Farrands he recently advised CLP Power Hong Kong on the structuring and procurement of its proposed development of the Hong Kong Offshore Wind Farm Project. 'Polished, unflappable and courageous', Edmund Wan is also a key member of the team as a result of his vast construction contract knowledge and his ability to resolve cross-border construction disputes. The 'elegant, sharp and dedicated' Lucinda McPhee  and Gisele Vanderweerden, who were both recently promoted to counsel, are recognised as 'stars of the future' in relation to construction disputes.

Co-headed by Alvin Ho and Dean Lewis , the 'highly collaborative and hands on' team at Pinsent Masons works well with in-house counsel, other relevant firmwide practice groups and construction practitioners throughout its international offices to provide an 'excellent service' for clients, including SOE contractors, in disputes and investment projects in Hong Kong, across APAC and beyond. Splitting his time between Beijing and Hong Kong, Mark Hu  has excellent traction among Chinese contractor SOEs, which he regularly advises on large-scale outbound infrastructure projects, including his contract review and negotiation work in relation to the large-scale NEOM smart-city project in Saudi Arabia. Nicholas Turner and Bernard Ang 'have a detailed and focused approach' to dealing with construction projects throughout APAC, from procurement through to operational issues, with Turner having niche expertise advising major Korean contractors on energy and infrastructure projects. For contentious work, Mohammed Talib  and Hinson Cheung , who are both qualified solicitor advocates in Hong Kong, continue to enhance their reputation in the field, including in relation to large-scale international arbitrations.

‘Very knowledge about construction industry best practice’, Deacons provides ‘good practical advice’ to developers, employers and contractors across a myriad local and pan-Asian construction projects and disputes. The team is abreast across the full range of contractual documentation governing construction projects, including NEC and BIM contracts that are increasingly being favoured in the context of public sector projects. Under the guidance of the ‘knowledgeable’ KK Cheung, the team is, however, best-known for its contentious expertise, where it is able to combine ‘technical proficiency with a pragmatic, client-centric approach, consistently delivering favourable outcomes’. Joseph Chung  has an outstanding reputation for handling construction arbitrations, and is one of only a handful of solicitor advocates in Hong Kong with admission to also appear in the Singapore International Commercial Court. The ‘very proactive and client-centric’ Justin Yuen also excels at contentious construction matters, while consultant Stanley Lo  has vast experience across both contentious and non-contentious mandates, including in the context of heavy civil engineering, railway and other infrastructure projects in Hong Kong, Macau and Mainland China.

With an already solid litigation-focused construction offering in Hong Kong and afforded greater bandwidth and resources with which to lead on domestic and international mandates following the arrival in May 2024 of a seven-strong team from Minter Ellison, HFW is an increasingly compelling offering to contractors and employers seeking representation in large-scale domestic and pan-Asian mandates. Longstanding team head Martin Downey has an excellent reputation among contractors and employers, and is regularly instructed by public sector clients as well as international stakeholders in litigation/arbitration relating to construction projects in Hong Kong and throughout APAC. Steven Yip and Malcolm Chin are the senior members of the team that joined from Minter Ellison, with both being well-versed in handling large-scale international arbitration proceedings, including in relation to power plants, rail and other transportation infrastructure.

'Familiar with construction industry best practice', Hogan Lovells provides 'highly efficient and effective' advice to developers, contractors and consultants throughout the  life-cycle of a project, from contractual drafting, project management and litigation. Leveraging his skills as a chartered engineer, Damon So  is 'able to speak the same language with the clients from the construction industry', ensuring that he regularly elicits excellent results for clients in arbitration proceedings relating to a myriad disputes, including with regard to alleged defects and delays. Counsel Joyce Leung regularly works alongside So on matters, and is a key member of the team that also includes recently promoted partner Janice Cheng , who co-heads the team alongside So.

Led by vastly experienced name partner Ian Cocking, independent boutique firm Cocking & Co LLP maintains a strong reputation among Hong Kong-based developers, employers, contractors and surveyors, as a result of its ability to provide 'efficient and practical' advice throughout the construction project life cycle. Both recognised as 'knowledgeable and seasoned' practitioners, Dennis Wong and Justin Lo  can 'provide practical solutions as well as industry insights', with the former noted, in particular, for his arbitration skills and ability to resolve disputes arising from final accounts, delay, liquidated damages, defects and other construction issues.

With ‘a fantastic level of knowledge and attention to detail’, as well as being able to draw upon a ‘deep familiarity of local language and culture’, DLA Piper is well-versed at advising international, domestic and China-based stakeholders on work throughout the construction lifecycle. Key to the firm’s success is the work of ‘fantastic’ team head May Ng, whose versatile offering includes advice on contractual drafting to facilitate large-scale infrastructure projects, as well as in contentious matters, where she is appreciated for her ability to ‘deliver the best possible solution in a cost-effective manner’.

Now solely focused on disputes work, following the separation with the corporate team at legacy Georgiou Payne Stewien, the newly configured Georgiou Partnership provides a focused offering to local and international clients across a myriad litigation and arbitration in the sector. In this regard, clients benefit from a cost-effective service, in part due to the firm's willingness to provide staged fixed-fees as well as its ability to represent clients, at times without recourse to counsel as a result of higher rights of audience among many senior team members. A 'talented litigator and advocate who can stand toe-to-toe with any of the top litigators in town’, team head Phillip Georgiou is key to the firm's success in the market and 'possesses extensive knowledge in the construction and engineering fields'. Georgiou's contentious construction work has recently included a spike in work from Russian stakeholders on Hong Kong-seated arbitration/litigation (as they are now seeking firms with English law qualifications outside of the UK) as well as a continued flow of work for Korean stakeholders on litigation as well as those involved in construction and engineering projects in the Middle East.

Under the expert leadership of Christopher Tung  from Hong Kong and also able to lean into an extensive international network of offices, should the need arise, K&L Gates is well-positioned to advise local (including Hong Kong and Chinese entities) and international clients across a range of inbound and outbound construction mandates. Much of this work has a contentious angle, whether from a project risk assessment or in conventional litigation/arbitration. Tung takes the lead on much of this, and as well as his extensive knowledge of international arbitration procedures (governed under a myriad rules), also adds value on matters involving environment and climate change issues. Sacha Cheong  also regularly handles contentious  construction matters as a function of his broad-based litigation offering, and is adept at handling matters with highly technical issues by virtue of his civil engineering qualification.

Leveraging 'substantive and procedural law knowledge' as a result of many years' experience in the field advising Hong Kong and China-based private and public sector clients, Li & Partners has developed a particularly strong reputation successfully representing clients in conventional litigation and Hong Kong-seated arbitrations. Key to the firm's success in the area is 'very seasoned and experienced' team head Man Sing Yeung, whose 'ability to dissect complex technical issues and translate them into compelling legal arguments is truly impressive'. Stephanie Lau  is also a key member of the team and excels at advising on construction-related disciplinary matters.

Led by Kevin Hong, Norton Rose Fulbright‘s contractor-focused Hong Kong team handles a range of Greater China-related construction work, as well as possessing the capability to utilize extensive international resources for cross-border mandates when required. Much of this work is of a contentious nature, with Hong and Alfred Wu  (who also regularly acts as an arbitrator) regularly engaged in high-value international arbitrations. Although it is less prominent on the transactional front, the team has also recently handled some advisory/contractual work with regard to social infrastructure developments and on construction issues associated with data centre projects.