International law firm Withers further strengthened its litigation and international arbitration practice in Asia with the hire of a new partner and commercial litigator, Joseph Chu. Joseph joins Withers in Hong Kong from Simmons & Simmons.

Joseph has over 20 years of experience in cross-border commercial litigation and international arbitration. He represents institutional and individual clients, particularly Greater China-based and multi-national companies, executives or boards involved in high-value disputes. Joseph’s areas of expertise include regulatory investigations and compliance issues, contract and shareholder disputes, trusts, and restructuring and insolvency. He also advises private clients on family and estate disputes.

Joseph has gained global recognition for his prolific work and has been recognized for his expertise in international arbitration by Chambers Global and Chambers Asia Pacific. He was also named one of the top rising lawyers in the PRC by Asian Legal Business.

As a thought leader, Joseph contributed to Sweet & Maxwell’s ‘Arbitration in Hong Kong: A Practical Guide’ 2nd edition and was a contributing editor of Hong Kong Civil Procedure. He is fluent in Mandarin and Cantonese; and is a qualified practitioner in Hong Kong, the UK and the PRC.

Rita Ku, dispute resolution partner in Hong Kong, comments: “Hong Kong is one of the top locations for cross border litigation and arbitration as it offers parties a transparent and user-friendly platform, coupled with reciprocity with Mainland China. Joseph’s joining adds to our capabilities to serve our clients in Greater China and beyond.”

Peter Wood, global head of litigation, also comments: “Joseph’s commercial litigation and arbitration practice adds greatly to Withers’ global dispute resolution offering and expertise. We are delighted to continue growing our capability in Asia to deliver high quality international commercial litigation and arbitration services for our clients.”

Joseph adds: “I am excited to be part of Withers’ international dispute resolution practice. The firm’s robust global network of expertise will allow me to provide my clients with a full-service offering that will undoubtedly prove to be invaluable.”

Joseph’s joining further complements the growth of the dispute resolution practice as the litigation and international arbitration team has grown significantly over the course of last year as it welcomed six additional partners across Asia, Europe, and the US, offering our clients skilled specialists that can deliver global advice from all of the key arbitration centres of the world.