Kieran Humphrey

• Commercial Litigation
  • Acting for a leading financial institution in Hong Kong litigation to recover US$50M in losses from a fraudulent investment scheme.
  • Acting for a major contractor in Hong Kong litigation to resolve a long-running and high-value dispute with an Asian mining company.
  • Acting for a state-owned enterprise in an application to challenge an arbitration award in the English High Court.
  • Acting for a leading professional services firm in Hong Kong appellate proceedings relating to alleged professional negligence.
  • Representing a listed company in a dispute against a competitor arising from alleged corporate espionage.
  • Acting for a global insurance broker in Hong Kong litigation to resolve a multi-party claim arising from a complex insurance placement.
  • Representing a leading telecommunications company in Hong Kong litigation against a major contractor.
  • Acting for an international insurance company in complex insurance proceedings in the High Court of Hong Kong. This case involved a successful challenge to jurisdiction, including to overturn an ex parte order on the basis of material non-disclosure.
  • Acting for various financial institutions, multi-national corporations and professional services firms to resolve Hong Kong and regional employment disputes. This includes acting for various clients in Hong Kong litigation relating to high-value and complex claims brought by senior executives.
• International Arbitration
  • Acting for Hong Kong investors in HKIAC administered arbitration proceedings against a PRC listed company for breach of a share purchase agreement.
  • Acting for a global professional services firm in ICC arbitration proceedings against a Hong Kong company to resolve various contractual and tortious claims.
  • Representing a state-owned enterprise in LCIA arbitration relating to a US$30M asset acquisition. This case involved complex questions of capacity and authority arising from alleged misfeasance.
  • Advising a US software company on SIAC administered arbitration against a PRC investment company arising from the failure of a JV business.
  • Advising a major film distribution company on HKIAC administrated arbitration against an international counterparty arising from alleged breach of contract and misleading conduct.
  • Advising international insurance brokers against high value claims for professional negligence arising from the placement of insurance programs. The contracts were governed by Hong Kong or Singapore law and were subject to either HKIAC or SIAC administered arbitration under the corresponding rules.
  • Acting for and advising financial institutions on various commercial disputes subject to HKIAC, ICC or SIAC arbitration.
  • Advising international insurance brokers against high value claims for professional negligence arising from the placement of insurance programs.
• Regulatory
  • Acting as investigation and prosecution counsel for a Hong Kong regulator. This included prosecuting non-compliance before a regulatory tribunal and appeals tribunal as advocate.
  • Advising Hong Kong directors and officers on contentious SFC and SEHK investigations and other complex regulatory enquiries.
  • Representing a well-known financial institution in relation to SFC investigations into alleged non-compliance.
  • Acting for various international companies, financial institutions and intermediaries to advise on and make complaints to SFC and Hong Kong law enforcement relating to alleged fraud and other wrongful acts committed against the client or third parties.
  • Acting for a multi-national corporation in relation to contentious Hong Kong law enforcement and regulatory investigations.

• Nominated for the “Rising Star” award at the Benchmark Litigation Asia-Pacific Dispute Resolution Awards in 2016 and 2018 (formerly known as the AsiaLaw Dispute Resolution Awards).
• Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and other regional arbitration institutes.
• Chair and Vice-Chair of the Inter-Pacific Bar Association’s Insurance Committee (2017 to 2022).
• Director and Founding Member of ARIAS Asia (AIDA Reinsurance and Insurance Arbitration Association) (2018 to 2022).
• Contributing author to various legal textbooks including “Bullen & Leake & Jacob’s Precedents of Pleading” (Hong Kong Ed.), “International Arbitration in Hong Kong: A Practical Guide (4^thand 5^thEd.), “Hong Kong Civil Procedure (The White Book)” (2016 to 2025 Ed.), “Emden’s Construction Law” (Hong Kong Ed.), “Civil Litigation in Hong Kong” (5^thand 6^thEd.) and “LexisNexis’ Employment Practical Guidance.”
• Presented to academic and professional audiences across various forums including at universities (as a guest lecturer), professional conferences (including the Inter-Pacific Bar Association’s Annual Conferences and Asset Recovery Asia Conference), professional institutes/bodies (including the Chartered Insurance Institute of Hong Kong, Malaysian Bar Association and ARIAS Asia) and client seminars.

Recognized and praised by the leading legal directories as follows:

Chambers Asia-Pacific says:

- “Kieran is very responsive and competent.” (2025)

- “Kieran is the perfect combination of being an excellent lawyer, client-focused and intensely service-oriented. He is our contact for all relevant matters in the region. He is always willing to help.” (2025)

- “Kieran is a fantastic lawyer and a trusted adviser.” (2025)

- “Kieran is incredibly skilled." (2024)

- "Kieran is always the lawyer that I go to for advice. He is responsive and understands our needs. We are impressed with his service and will continue to engage him." (2023)

- "Kieran is an excellent disputes lawyer with deep knowledge and commercial nous. I have no hesitation in engaging Kieran to lead and navigate us through difficult, document-intensive and legally complicated disputes." (2023)

- "Kieran is hard-working, client-focused and extremely pragmatic." (2023)

- Kieran Humphrey continues to advise on a diverse selection of disputes work, including product liability claims, employment disputes and joint venture disputes. A client says: "He was very hard-working and resourceful, and powered through a mountain of work without anything being too much a problem; he was able to take on everything we gave him, and was very good at delegating when necessary. He was extremely important to the process." (2022)

- Kieran Humphrey continues to advise on a diverse selection of disputes work, including product liability claims, employment disputes and joint venture disputes. One client considers him "extremely intelligent and hard-working." (2021)

- Kieran Humphrey received “extensive praise for his broad commercial dispute resolution practice”. Clients say: "he is responsive, insightful and provides commercially astute advice. He's a trusted adviser and a valued sounding board on legal and risk-related matters." (2020)

- Kieran Humphrey is commended by clients for being “very responsive and offering a personal touch on mandates." One client concludes: "I have always been impressed with how thorough he is. He is very detailed and he considers every possible angle and dimension that anyone could think of." (2019)

- Kieran Humphrey is praised by clients: “He is very responsive and is able to decode complex matters into understandable language." (2018)

- Kieran Humphrey impresses market observers, who single him out as "a safe pair of hands and a very good operator". (2017)

- Kieran Humphrey inspires "a strong degree of confidence" in his clients who praise him as "a solid performer" who "does a lot of the heavy lifting on cases." (2016)

Legal 500 says:

- “Kieran Humphrey was amazing. He was able to demonstrate his expertise confidently and was very hands-on. Whilst remaining professional, he made things easy for us, as clients, to understand. He was willing to listen to our needs, and thought through how to meet our needs by providing cost-effective and practical advice.” (2025)

- Kieran Humphrey is “recommended for commercial disputes, professional negligence, insurance and employment disputes.” (2025)

- “The team is very responsive, practical and commercial. I usually work with Kieran Humphrey…” (2023)

- Kieran Humphrey is a “trusted counsellor and sounding board, and can be relied upon to give clear and practical advice, based on his extensive experience across a number of key markets and industries. He has always been focused on understanding and meeting our needs.” (2022)

- One client says: “I would recommend Kieran Humphrey… I have been impressed in the past at how [he is] able to dissect the problem and provide very strong strategic advice to get to a desired outcome.” (2022)

- Kieran Humphrey has “a strategic and pragmatic mindset with an innate ability to quickly understand client needs”. (2020)

Benchmark Litigation says:

- “[Kieran] Exhibits excellent client communication skills. Possesses great strategic and tactical acumen, enabling the identification of options that might otherwise be overlooked. Displays excellent legal knowledge across a wide range of areas and industries." (2023)

- "[Kieran] Always responsive and maintains a pleasant demeanour in all interactions." (2023)

- “Kieran Humphrey, in particular, is an outstanding lawyer and a key contact for achieving successful resolutions in contentious matters." (2023)

- “[Kieran] listens carefully and then provides answers and solutions which show a thorough understanding of the law, but which also take into account the relevant circumstances and what is possible. We always feel highly confident with his advice and feel he has understood what we are trying to achieve.” (2022)