John Leung
John Leung
Call: 2019 (HK)
Education
- PCLL, Chinese University of Hong Kong
- BCL, University of Oxford (Distinction) (Magdalen College)
- LLB (Hons), University College London (First Class Honours, Top of Class)
Contact
| Email: | jleung@templechambers.com |
|---|---|
| Tel: | (+852) 2523 2003 |
Secretary
| Name: | Aki Lee |
|---|---|
| Email: | aki@templechambers.com |
| Tel: | (+852) 2248 1841 |
mentions
Solicitors “Put on Inquiry” in Mortgage Frauds?
Recent Judgments • 30 June 2025
Landmark Judgment in Shanshui Cement Saga
Recent Judgments • 23 May 2025
Mozambique Mining and Interim Receivers
Recent Judgments • 14 February 2025
New book launched: The 2025 edition of Securities and Futures Ordinance: Commentary and Annotations
Chambers News • 10 February 2025
Court of Appeal on IO Powers to Waive or Acquiesce to DMC Breaches
Recent Judgments • 10 January 2025
languages
English, Cantonese, PutonghuaPractice Areas
Appointments And Public Office
Publications And Articles
Scholarship And Prizes
Profile
John joined Chambers in 2019 following completion of pupillage with Mr Abraham Chan SC, Mr Jin Pao SC, Mr Laurence Li SC, and Mr Tony Li SC.
Before being called to the Hong Kong Bar, John was a Judicial Assistant at the Court of Final Appeal where he provided assistance to the judges in substantive appeals, leave applications, and various publications.
John also worked as an intern at the Office of the President in the United Nations International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals in The Hague, where he assisted in the cases of both the Mechanism and the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia.
John completed his Bachelor of Laws degree at University College London as the top graduate of his class. He then obtained his postgraduate Bachelor of Civil Law degree at the University of Oxford with distinction.
John is developing a broad civil practice and has been instructed in cases relating to judicial review/human rights, civil fraud, arbitrations, injunctions, securities and regulation, and disciplinary proceedings. He has appeared before the Court of First Instance, the Court of Appeal and the Court of Final Appeal. He accepts instructions in all areas of Chambers’ work.
Experience
Public Law / Judicial Review
Whether Article 4 of the Bill of Rights includes a prohibition against human trafficking and imposes a duty of specific criminalization (led by Lord Pannick KC, Stewart Wong SC, and Jin Pao SC)
Whether gender-based appearance codes in prison are discriminatory (led by Stewart Wong SC and Jin Pao SC)
Whether excluding same-sex couples from public rental housing is discriminatory (led by Monica Carss-Frisk KC, Abraham Chan SC)
Arbitration
Resisting the enforcement of a USD194m Taiwan award against an international private bank on jurisdictional and procedural fairness grounds (led by Bernard Man SC, with Justin Ho)
Defending an award in a s.81 AO setting aside application made under procedural fairness grounds (led by Victor Joffe KC, with Justin Ho)
Acting against a sovereign state in a s.34 AO review of an investor-State jurisdictional award involving the interpretation of a bilateral investment treaty under public international law (led by Paul Shieh SC)
Tax / Revenue
Whether a payment made to an employee to compensate for the loss of his contractual entitlements to rest days and holidays as a result of being required by his employer to work on those days is “income from employment” under s.8 IRO (led by Eugene Fung SC)
Liability of corporate officers for additional tax assessment for signing on corporate taxpayer’s incorrect returns under s.82A(1)(a) IRO (led by Eugene Fung SC; appearing as amicus curiae)
Whether lump sum “spectrum utilisation fees” paid upfront by the taxpayer to the Telecommunications Authority is capital or revenue expenditure for the purpose of s.17(1)(c) IRO (led by Kevin Prosser KC and Eugene Fung SC)
Insolvency
Concerning the correct application of the principles on validation under s.182 of Cap 32 where agency is involved (led by Charles Manzoni SC)
On the anti-deprivation principle, the pari passu principle, and the scope of s.182 Cap 32 (led by Linda Chan SC)
Resisting a winding-up petition involving issues of subrogation and collateral purposes (led by Victor Joffe SC, with Justin Ho)
Securities & Regulation
Acting for the SFC in an application for review of the SFC’s disciplinary decision regarding an investment banker’s conflicts of interest and breaches of the SFC Code of Conduct (led by Laurence Li SC)
Commercial
Whether limitation periods are applicable to claims against fiduciaries in respect of their acquisition of unauthorised profits from third parties; s.20 Limitation Ordinance (led by Bernard Man SC at first instance, and Paul Shieh SC on appeal)
Successfully defending a former company director at a 41-day trial concerning claims for breach of directors’ duties and unlawful means conspiracy (led by Raymond Leung SC)
Discharged a s.729 Cap 622 statutory injunction and an application for committal (led by Victor Joffe KC, with Justin Ho)
Professional Liability
Appeal and trial of a solicitors’ negligence action concerning mortgage fraud and the borrower’s loss of title deeds (led by Eugene Fung SC)
Mental Health
Acting for the Committee of a mentally incapacitated person (MIP) in opposition to a relative’s application directing the Committee to sell assets of the MIP to himself (led by Eugene Fung SC, and by Jin Pao SC at the hearing)
Disciplinary
Property & Conveyancing
[2021] 5 HKLRD 457 (CA); [2023] 1 HKLRD 1073 (CA); [2024] HKCA 1179; [2025] 1 HKLRD 532 (led by Abraham Chan SC, with Lawrence Ng and Henry Cheng)
Probate / Succession
Propounding will in solemn form, and removal of executor under s.33 of the Probate and Administration Ordinance
Ad colligenda bona application to preserve value of the estate
