Provides an accessible guide to company law in Hong Kong. The text is based on the latest provisions of the Companies Ordinance and cases decided since the summer of 1998, in both the Hong Kong and English jurisdictions.
As Hong Kong enters its third year under Chinese rule, the prognosis for the common law remains uncertain. Can the improbable doctrine of 'one country, two systems' be made to work? Will the political controversies that continue to bedevil the territory undermine the rule of law and the integrity of the legal order? The 21 essays in this important new collection consider these, and many other, questions. The first part examines several problems that lie at the heart of the Basic Law's promise of legal continuity. Hong Kong's economic order and its legal buttresses are analysed in Part 2, while the essays in Part 3 trace the shifts in social values as reflected both in Chinese and Hong Kong law. Though they embrace a wide area, the contributions to this volume suggest that, while many problems lie ahead, Hong Kong's law and legal system seem adequately entrenched to endure well into the future. Raymond Wacks is Professor of Law and Legal Theory at the University of Hong Kong. He is an international authority on the legal protection of privacy, and has also published widely in the field of legal theory. Professor Wacks has edited several books on Hong Kong law and human rights. His recent books include Privacy and Press Freedom (1995). The fifth edition of his text, Jurisprudence will appear in early 2000. “(B)y far the most comprehensive study of the post-1997 legal order I have come across, covering nearly all the subjects which the Basic Law touches upon... (I)t contains much insightful analysis of the historical development and future issues surrounding each topic... A very valuable contribution to scholarship... Far more importantly, there is no collection that comes close to such an array of good analysis on so many topics.” — Anthony Neoh, SC, Visiting Professor, Peking University
Focusing on the Main Board Listing Rules, Hong Kong Listed Companies: Law & Practice explains what the key rules require and how those requirements fit into practice in the context of the underlying policy behind the rules. The step-by-step approach taken by the authors - both experienced corporate finance lawyers in Hong Kong - features case studies, diagrams and flowcharts to illustrate the rules and give examples of their application. The presentation details the ins and outs of the main issues arising from such aspects as the following: the process and documentation required to get a company listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange; ongoing obligations of listed companies under the Listing Rules; and ongoing obligations of listed companies and their shareholders under other relevant legislation, primarily the Securities and Futures Ordinance (such as market misconduct and disclosure of interests). As a practical, quick and easy-to-use guide to how the rules and legislation relating to listed companies apply, this is the ultimate guide. In addition to its usefulness as a standard reference, ready to consult at a moment's notice, it will be of enormous value as a guide to in-house counsel, company secretaries, and other practitioners and students who require an understanding of the legal background and practical application of the rules and legislation that apply to listed companies.
With the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong’s Listing Rules being subject to constant review and revision, the author offers important updates on amendments and fresh regulations introduced since the first edition. Beginning with the basics – What is a public company? What is a stock exchange? Hong Kong Listed Companies: Law & Practice 2nd Edition works its way methodically through the SEHK’s many provisions for regulation and compliance. It is a volume of depth and substance which sets the standard for financial industry reference books. Key Benefits For participants and stakeholders engaged in stock market activities, this second edition of Hong Kong Listed Companies: Law & Practice 2nd Edition is an essential companion, providing the ultimate guide with regard to the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong’s (SEHK) exhaustive regulatory regime. Easy to follow, with information presented in logical order and plain language, this publication, expertly updated by experienced corporate finance lawyer Julia Charlton serves as an invaluable guide for seasoned practitioners, in-house counsel, chartered governance professional, accountants, other practitioners and students who require an understanding of the legal background and practical application of the rules and legislation that apply to listed companies. Other benefits included but not limited to: - Reduces time wastage and increases productivity by serving as a step-by-step guide to the understanding of the Listing Rules, the Securities and Futures Ordinance and the Companies Ordinance - Provides concise commentary on the law to aid readers in determining the best approach to adopt in line with their business needs - Case studies, diagrams, flow charts ease the company secretary’s day-to-day workflow, by illustrating the rules and giving examples of their application. Key Features The new 2nd Edition delivers more than 400 pages of new, and up-to-date commentary in relation to the Hong Kong Listing Rules: - These include but not limited to extensive changes to the sponsor regulatory regime introduced in 2013 and the major listing reforms in 2018 which added three new chapters (Chapter 8A, 18C and 19A) to the listing rules aimed at attracting the listing of Pre-revenue Biotech and Innovative Companies, including those with Weighted Voting Rights (WVR) structures and providing a new secondary listing route for companies primary listed on certain Qualifying Exchanges. - More recent listing reforms in 2021 – covering the listing regime for overseas issuers, Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPAC), the SEHK’s new Corporate Governance Code and the new requirements in relation to Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) – are also highlighted. - How to handle ongoing obligations on listed companies under the Listing Rules. - Ongoing obligations on listed companies and their shareholders under other legislation, primarily the Securities and Futures Ordinance Cap. 671 (such as market misconduct, insider dealing, disclosure of interests).
A handy guide to the Companies Act 2006, packed full of helpful features, including checklists, section by section commentary and appendices of useful materials and extracts, this book provides detailed commentary on the new Companies Act.
Whether the corporate form is used to avoid liabilities or cover illegal acts, or whether abuse is practised to obtain certain advantages, the subject of this first-ever in-depth survey and analysis garners more attention every day – both in legal literature and in popular media. Taken together, the authoritative contributions in this book clearly and comprehensively reveal typical situations where abuse may take place and how company law and other areas of law have tackled these incidents and practices in a variety of key jurisdictions. Focusing on Europe but with global implications, the topics raised include the following: how group structures may be used by multinational enterprises to escape regulation and avoid taxation; whether the decision to incorporate a company in a particular jurisdiction may be abusive; companies set up for the purpose of money laundering; letterbox companies formed as a front to allow a company to benefit from one legal regime and avoid others; ex post transfers of seats such as cross-border mergers and conversions; when the use of phoenix companies may constitute an abuse of the corporate form; how corporate mobility is used to circumvent worker participation; and how online company formation and technological innovation may foster abuse. This book helps to explain how the line is drawn between abuse and (creative) use of the corporate form. Remedies covered include restricting the use of bearer shares, setting minimum capital requirements, piercing the corporate veil, ensuring transparency of beneficial ownership, using insolvency law to lodge claims against directors and shareholders and recover assets, and applying the general principle prohibiting abuse. There is no other book on the market focusing on abuse of companies and giving such a comprehensive analysis of the topic. Practitioners will get guidelines on how to avoid becoming involved in activities that may constitute abuse and how to address instances where abuse has occurred, and interested academics, legislators, and enforcement authorities in Europe and beyond will find this book’s perspectives invaluable.
The landscape of shareholder dispute resolution in Hong Kong has changed vastly since the launch of the Civil Justice Reform in 2009. Key initiatives - the voluntary court-connected scheme and reform of the statutory unfair prejudice provisions - were employed to promote the greater use of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) in shareholder disputes. While the Hong Kong government and judiciary introduced such schemes to prove the legitimacy of extra-judicial over court-based litigation processes, their success is still uncertain. In this book, socio-legal theory and sociological institutionalism are used to develop a theoretical framework for analyzing the key stages of institutionalization. The author analyzes how procedural innovations could acquire legitimacy through different types of legal and non-legal inducement mechanisms within the institutionalization process. Recommendations on codifying and innovating ADR policy in Hong Kong shareholder disputes are also made with comparison to similar policies in the United Kingdom, South Africa and New Zealand.
13. Walking a Tight Rope: Hong Kong's Media Facing Political and Economic Challenges Since Sovereignty Transfer -- 14. Postcolonial Cultural Trends in Hong Kong: Imagining the Local, the National, and the Global -- 15. Conclusion: Crisis and Transformation in the Hong Kong SAR-Toward Soft Authoritarian Developmentalism? -- The Editors and Contributors -- Index