What is International Child Abduction?
According to the Report on International Parental Child Abduction published by the Law Reform Commission of Hong Kong in April 2002, international child abduction is when a child has been wrongly removed or retained across an international border. It usually occurs when there is a relationship breakdown between the parents.
The cautious and prudent approach for distressed companies pursuing a Hong Kong scheme of arrangement is to simultaneously pursue a parallel scheme in their home jurisdiction, even if most if not all of its debts are governed by Hong Kong laws. The rationale is to prevent hostile creditors from disrupting the implementation of the scheme in another jurisdiction, thereby better insulating the distressed company.
At present, same-sex marriages and civil partnerships are not recognised under the laws of Hong Kong. This means that same-sex couples do not currently enjoy the same parental rights as opposite-sex couples in Hong Kong. Consequently, same-sex parents are not attributed equal parental rights.
When a dispute over rights and obligations between two parties arises, the parties may commence a civil litigation. At the end of litigation, the Court will determine whether and to what extent a party's rights have been infringed, and the appropriate remedy or compensation that party is entitled to.Commencing civil litigation may not be as straightforward as one would think though, and the road from commencement to judgment can be long and complicated. In this Q&A, partner Evelyn Chan and Trainee Solicitor Adriel Wong provide a general overview of Hong Kong's civil litigation process so prospective litigants can be more informed before commencing proceedings.
Hong Kong has been trying for over a decade to grow the commercial space’s appetite for mediation as an alternative dispute resolution (ADR) mechanism to resolving commercial disputes. Hong Kong first introduced mediation as a voluntary resolution process under the Civil Justice Reform (CJR) on April 2, 2009.
Gall recently obtained a proprietary injunction over misappropriated crypto tokens on an urgent basis to prevent the dissipation of funds. In addition to the proprietary injunction, Gall also obtained a Mareva injunction against the Defendant’s cryptocurrency wallet by identifying the wallet address.
The Employment Ordinance, Cap. 57 was amended with effect from 11 December 2020 to increase statutory maternity leave from 10 weeks to 14 weeks. Once the maternity leave pay (“MLP”) for the entire period is paid, employers are entitled to apply for reimbursement capped at HKD80,000 for the MLP corresponding to the 11th to 14th weeks under the Reimbursement of the Maternity Leave Pay Scheme (the “RMLP Scheme”). The RMLP Scheme announced by the Labour Department is now open for application.
The rise in Covid-19 cases has left many employers in Hong Kong contemplating whether they can lawfully require their employees to undergo testing for Covid-19. In times like these, employers find themselves trying to balance their business interests and continuity on one hand, with employees’ concerns and sensitivities on the other. In this article we discuss factors that employers should consider when requesting or directing employees to undergo Covid-19 testing.
Remote working arrangements have become prevalent in response to the challenges posed by the pandemic such as risk of infections, travel restrictions and quarantine requirements in Hong Kong and elsewhere. Many employers are also considering remote working as ‘the new normal’ given the reduced operational costs. For some employees, remote working may mean working overseas. In this article, we discuss the legal implications that employers in Hong Kong should have regard to before allowing their employees to work overseas.
The Hong Kong government has commenced implementation of a COVID-19 vaccination programme intended to cover all Hong Kong residents across the territory. Vaccinations are offered free of charge with the stated aim of safeguarding public health and helping to allow further easing of restrictions and a gradual return to normal life and activities. At this stage, the rollout is prioritising vaccination of individuals within vulnerable and high-risk groups, such as the elderly and healthcare workers, but should extend to all groups during the course of this year.
