New Zealand based firm, K3 Legal has made its international debut with the launch of services in Hong Kong. This venture is in association with local practice Fred Kan & Co. According to K3 Legal director Margaret Chen, the choice of location was due to Hong Kong’s pivotal role in China, its status as an international financial and dispute resolution center, and the long-standing relationship with Fred Kan and Co. (Full Article)
To serve its clientele better in mainland China, Hong Kong, and Australia, the firm saw a synergistic opportunity in the Greater Bay Area projects. Hence, this was another key reason for choosing Hong Kong as their first international location.
The newly minted K3 Legal Hong Kong plans to hire lawyers who have experience in New Zealand and are trilingual in English, Mandarin, and Cantonese. Offering legal, consulting and accounting services, the K3 Group fields a team of approximately 30 lawyers from their Auckland base.
Chen, a corporate advisor and litigator, will head the Hong Kong operations from Fred Kan’s office. With seven years of experience at K3 Legal in Auckland and previous stints at New Zealand firms like Kirkland Morrison O’Callahan and Focus Law Ltd., she brings considerable expertise to this new venture.
Partner firm Fred Kan, notable for its construction litigation offerings, was chosen for its broad experience and potential to help New Zealand clients make inroads into the Hong Kong and China markets, and vice versa. The firm, established in 1981, has a staff of 20 lawyers including six partners, and advisory roles in corporate, commercial, finance, real estate, employment, and private client matters.
With the K3 Hong Kong’s launch and its association, the firm will focus on advising investors, private equity funds, family offices, and high net worth individuals on investments in China, Japan, and New Zealand. It plans to provide legal advice on employment matters, corporate and commercial requirements as well as dispute resolution.
While K3 Legal’s immediate plans are centered on Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area, the firm is also considering expansion into other Asian countries such as Singapore.