17 Asian Legal Business | December 2024 Heidi Chui is a partner at Stevenson, Wong & Co. (in association with Allbright Law (Hong Kong) Offices LLP), where she leads the firm’s litigation and dispute resolution department and banking and finance department. She also co-heads the FinTech practice group, overseeing a talented team of lawyers and dedicated legal support team in Hong Kong. She had previously served as in-house legal advisor of several Chinese banks. With over 2 decades of experience as a solicitor in Hong Kong, Heidi handles high stakes matters in commercial litigation, international arbitration, banking and finance (both contentious and non-contentious), cross-border enforcement, insolvency, and restructuring matters, often involving Chinese enterprises and private parties. As a Greater Bay Area lawyer, she is qualified to practice PRC law in nine cities within the Greater Bay Area of Mainland China, enabling her to serve clients across multiple jurisdictions. One of Heidi’s most significant recent accomplishments was securing a landslide victory in a high-profile arbitration case for Sina Hong Kong, a prominent online media company. This case involves a US$116 million plus interest Netherlands Arbitration Institute award (“NAI Award”) in favour of a Dutch software developer against Sina Hong Kong. Heidi led an all-star Hong Kong legal team in resisting enforcement of the NAI Award in Hong Kong. This case spread beyond the Netherlands, with enforcement actions pursued in Hong Kong and the British Virgin Islands (“BVI”), alongside related litigation in the United States (“US”), alluding to the global ramifications of the dispute. Each jurisdiction offered a unique lens through which the case was examined, from adjourned enforcement actions in Hong Kong to stayed proceedings in the BVI, and dismissal of related fraud complaints in the US due to jurisdictional and substantial issues. Heidi and the Hong Kong legal team succeeded in resisting enforcement of the NAI Award in Hong Kong without payment of any security. The Hong Kong Court expressed the view that Sina Hong Kong has a reasonable prospect of success in the setting aside proceedings in the Dutch Court. She collaborated and coordinated with legal teams across the BVI, US, Netherlands, and Mainland China and eventually secured triumph in setting aside the NAI Award in the Netherlands and dismissing the application for enforcement of the NAI Award in Hong Kong. This case underscores the complexities and challenges of navigating international legal disputes, especially in intellectual property and technology transfer matters. It also highlights the strategic considerations companies must weigh in enforcing arbitration awards across different jurisdictions and the intricacies between arbitration and court proceedings in various legal systems. Beyond her legal practice, Heidi is also dedicated in nurturing the next generation legal talents. She has taken on teaching roles at several prestigious institutions, including Peking University, Fudan University, East China University of Political Science and Law, Renmin University of China and the University of Hong Kong as lecturer in international arbitration courses. Her commitment to education reflects her belief in the importance of sharing knowledge and grooming the young blood for the international arbitration community. She often participated as moot court judges in VIS EAST Moot and various mock arbitration events across the region. Heidi is also committed in advocating arbitration as a means of dispute resolution. She is currently a Council member of the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC), a committee member of the Women in Arbitration Committee (WIA) of HKIAC. Additionally, she is a member of The Law Society of Hong Kong’s Arbitration Committee. She also serves as a Council Member of The Law Society of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Federation of Women Lawyers. She is also a mediator of HKIAC and eBRAM. Heidi has handled arbitrations conducted under various institutional and ad hoc rules, including those of the ICC, HKIAC, CIETAC, SCIA, BIAC, SHIAC, SIAC, LCIA, SCC, and UNCITRAL. She also frequently serves as tribunal chair or co-arbitrator in matters before major arbitral institutions. In addition, she advises clients in commercial litigation and cross border enforcement matters, involving private equity, infrastructure, energy, intellectual property, e-commerce, corporate affairs, and financial services, as well as green energy projects. She is assisting major Chinese enterprises in their undertakings to go global, assisting them to map out strategies in risk management and control. She is frequently invited to speak at international conferences organized by various institutions including the UNCITRAL, HKIAC, CIETAC, SCIA, AIAC, leading universities and Chinese Bankers Association. Heidi Chui Partner, Stevenson, Wong & Co. Hong Kong Tel: (852) 2533 2540 Fax: (852) 2157 5550 Email: heidichui.office@sw-hk.com ALB Litigators of Asia 2024
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