One of the oldest firms in the market and having returned to its original branding following its recent spin-off from Mayer Brown, Johnson Stokes & Master has excellent connections with domestic employers, developers and contractors, ensuring it picks up a raft of contentious and non-contentious construction work throughout Greater China. ‘Highly experienced’ team head Geoffrey Chan is well-versed in handling conventional litigation as well as regularly utilising ADR methods to elicit favourable results for clients as respondents and plaintiffs in high-stakes disputes. Chan is also skilled at handling public inquiries, while on the advisory front can draw upon a deep well of experience for clients throughout the project life-cycle. Appreciated for his ‘strategic mindset and sharp legal skills’, Menachem Hasofer has niche expertise in relation to the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) Government Procurement Agreement (GPA), as well as regularly advising clients on judicial review proceedings concerning town planning, environmental and land lease decisions. Noted for both his front-end expertise and litigation nous, Tom Fu is particularly adept at handling mandates with a nexus to Mainland China; alongside Chan he continues to advise the Hong Kong Jockey Club on its HK$3bn construction of a facility for the training of Hong Kong’s thoroughbred racehorses in Guangdong, China. Noted for her ‘practical insight and proactive management’, Mei Ling Lew is a key member of the team as a result of her skilful representation of public and private sector clients across a myriad contentious and non-contentious matters. At a more junior level, the ‘sharp and insightful’ Jason Leung also continues to gain market traction since being made partner in 2023 and has strong visibility in the construction engineering and real estate development industry in Hong Kong, Mainland China and overseas.

The ‘energetic and very responsive’ team at King & Wood Mallesons provides ‘commercially astute’ advice to contractors, SOEs and developers across the full swathe of their construction needs, at the front-end and throughout the life-cycle of a project, as well as in any pursuant litigation. The team has a collaborative approach which manifests itself internally through a close working relationship alongside other adjacent practice groups, and externally alongside in-house counsel, as well as – in the context of litigation – with counsel and experts. Under the guidance of the ‘efficient and hardworking’ team head Paul Starr, the group is well-placed to handle projects/disputes in Hong Kong as well as across Mainland China and throughout Asia Pacific, where it can marshal and mobilise the firm’s very impressive international resources. Starr himself combines ‘exceptional strategic insight with an uncanny knack of identifying winning strategies’, and is one of many in the team with extensive arbitration skills in the sector. ‘Always prepared to go the extra mile’, Donovan Ferguson is another very accomplished litigator who achieves a high success rate for clients through his ability to combine a ‘level-headed objective’ approach to disputes with an ‘in-depth level of contextual and situational awareness’. The ‘polished, unflappable and courageous’ Edmund Wan also regularly handles arbitrations, mediations and conventional litigation in the construction sector, alongside more general construction-based commercial contracts prowess. On the non-contentious front, Sam Farrands is very well-versed at advising stakeholders on the front-end of infrastructure and energy projects, and has also been involved in every Hong Kong-based PPP transaction in the past four years. Other key practitioners include Scott Gardiner , for renewables and data centre construction matters; the ‘elegant, sharp and dedicated’ Lucinda McPhee ; and Gisele Vanderweerden.

With a strong presence in Hong Kong, the PRC, and other large international economic centres, Pinsent Masons is well-positioned to advise local and foreign stakeholders engaged on inbound and outbound construction projects. Under the leadership of the ‘responsive and pragmatic’ Alvin Ho, the team has a very strong reputation among Chinese SOE contractors, which are particularly active in relation to construction matters originating in Hong Kong. Much of this work is of a contentious nature, with both Ho and Hinson Cheung , the latter who adds value to clients through his higher rights of audience accreditation, noted for their skill at handling international arbitrations. Although recently retired from the partnership and now employed in a consultancy role, vastly experienced solicitor/advocate Dean Lewis  has also been key to solidifying the firm’s market-leading construction litigation reputation and excels at representing contractors in arbitrations governed by ICC and HKIAC rules. Mohammed Talib is also gaining increased visibility as an international arbitration construction lawyer through his work with Lewis as well as in matters which he heads up by himself. Bernard Ang and Isabelle Chan are other key team members.

With a team that includes a raft of seasoned litigators, many of whom also serve as arbitrators from time-to-time, Deacons is particularly well-positioned to represent domestic and China-based clients in disputes arising from public and private sector projects throughout Hong Kong and the broader APAC region. One of only a handful of construction-focused solicitor-advocates in the country, ‘creative and strategic’ team head Joseph Chung parlays this accreditation to good effect for developers, contractors and consultants engaged in litigation across a myriad issues, including as it relates to delay, defects and the withholding of payment. The vastly experienced KK Cheung stepped down from the partnership in January 2025 but still effectively serves clients in his role as consultant, handling engineering defects and contractual claims, as well as cross-border disputes. Cheung also adds practical insight as a result of his qualification as a chartered quantity surveyor, as does Stanley Lo, who has considerable knowledge of public sector construction projects utilising New Engineering Contracts (NEC). Justin Yuen is also recommended.

Since it was established in September 2024, following the recruitment of the experienced duo of Alfred Wu and Philip Nunn, Dentons Hong Kong has quickly made inroads into the market, effectively transplanting their contractor-focused client base to their new platform. The ‘exceptionally hardworking’ Wu, handles a good mix of front-end work as well as a considerable volume of contentious matters.

Now headed by Steven Yip , following Martin Downey's recent retirement from the partnership to become a consultant, HFW has a core focus on public and private sector construction disputes in Hong Kong for contractors, consultants and employers. As part of his wide-ranging practice, Yip regularly represents clients on large-scale transport-related construction disputes, and is also well versed at handling cross-border litigation/arbitration matters, where he is able to leverage the firm's broader APAC and Middle East international network, in particular. Malcolm Chin , who joined the firm in May 2024 with Yip from Minter Ellison, is also a key member of the team and excels in handling contract and engineering-related construction disputes.

Led from Hong Kong by Damon So and aided by a sizeable presence on Mainland China and throughout APAC, Hogan Lovells is well-positioned to advise stakeholders on domestic and pan-Asian work throughout the life-cycle of a construction project, from both a contentious and non-contentious angle. So has excellent insight into both the legal and commercial aspects of work in the space, regularly advising developers, contractors and consultants in high-profile contractual and advisory matters as well as in any subsequent litigation on major projects in Hong Kong and the region, in particular Macau. As part of her wide-ranging contentious and non-contentious construction offering, Janice Cheng  regularly teams up with the office’s strong restructuring offering to provide the construction law-related advice in the context of insolvency disputes in the sector. Joyce Leung is also recommended and is noted for her ‘proactive approach to problem-solving’.

Led by litigator Patrick Perry, Clyde & Co LLP has a core focus on contentious construction matters for a varied array of stakeholders, including contractors, sub-contractors and developers. Perry also handles professional negligence claims brought against construction clients, including surveyors and architects, while the firm's insurance expertise also informs some mandates, including as it relates to advice on coverage issues.

‘Fully conversant with the Hong Kong market’, construction boutique firm Cocking & Co LLP provides ‘sound advice’ to clients across a myriad construction law-related issues, from environmental impact assessment studies, procurement and contract drafting, through to risk management and dispute resolution advice. On the contentious front, the firm is perhaps best-known for its skill at resolving disputes utilising ADR techniques, with vastly experienced team head Ian Cocking appreciated for his ability to achieve victories for developers, contractors and surveyors in ‘complex disputes through lateral thinking’. Dennis Wong has ‘extensive knowledge in construction law and arbitration law’ and is skilled at handling a wide array of disputes relating to final accounts, delay and defects.

DLA Piper ‘s construction team is praised as ‘a strong all rounded practice in the construction disputes space’. The practice is led by May Ng, who excels in handling complex construction disputes throughout Greater China and has a ‘keen mind toward strategies for mutual settlement rather than drawing out disputes longer than they should be’. She also has niche expertise in relation to the regulatory and public law aspects of construction matters.

Praised for 'delivering legal solutions for unique construction projects', Georgiou Partnership is led by founding partner Phillip Georgiou, one of several senior lawyers with higher rights of audience accreditation. The firm is particularly skilled at handling arbitrations,  including for contractors, subcontractors and construction companies.

The 'very efficient' team at Ince & Co provides 'high-quality advice' to contractors, sub-contractors and developers across a range of construction disputes, including as it relates to payment and delay. 'Outstanding' team head Ian Lo is 'sharp, strategic, and deeply dedicated to his clients'.

With a ‘client-centric’ approach, Li & Partners continues to generate a considerable volume of construction-related litigation business from Hong Kong and PRC-based developers, contractors and suppliers. ‘Seasoned and experienced’ team head Man Sing Yeung is at the forefront of the highest-profile work handled by the team, leveraging his legal and quantity surveying skills to good effect to provide nuanced advice on complex construction matters. With an impressive ability to ‘dissect complex technical issues and translate them into compelling legal arguments’, Yeung is particularly noted for his ability to achieve excellent results for clients in domestic and international arbitration cases.

Under the leadership of Kevin Hong, Norton Rose Fulbright’s Hong Kong-based team manages a broad spectrum of construction matters across Greater China for contractors, developers and architects, while also drawing on extensive global resources for cross-border assignments as needed. Hong is noted, in particular, for his aptitude at representing clients in arbitration proceedings, including as it relates to cross-border, multi-stakeholder social infrastructure development disputes. Alfred Wu  and Philip Nunn joined  Dentons Hong Kong in September 2024.