About Warren
Warren is a dual-qualified barrister and registered architect. He is an arbitrator listed on the joint panel of the Hong Kong Institute of Architects (HKIA) and Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors (HKIS). As sole advocate or led junior, Warren appears before various levels of courts and tribunals in Hong Kong. His practice encompasses a broad spectrum of civil and commercial matters, with particular expertise in construction law, commercial disputes, land and building management matters, and international arbitration. In respect of criminal proceedings, Warren regularly defends main contractors and subcontractors in industrial summonses, and he has been instructed by the Department of Justice to prosecute. He also accepts instructions in relation to judicial review, disciplinary proceedings, and hearings before statutory boards/bodies.
Warren completed his Master of Laws (LLM) at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), specialising in arbitration, conflict of laws, and international business law. He completed his legal training through pupillage under Mr Simon Wong, Mr Calvin Cheuk, Mr Benny Lo, Mr Jeffrey Tam, Ms Amanda W M Li, and Mr Solomon Lam. During this period, he was awarded the Society of Construction Law Hong Kong Scholarship.
Warren's construction sector expertise is attributable to his architectural practice. He graduated from the esteemed Manchester School of Architecture on scholarship. His professional experience includes significant roles in international architecture firms, where he was involved in and managed large-scale building projects across Hong Kong, Mainland China, and the Middle East. Recently, he served as the chairman of the HKIA's Contracts and Dispute Resolution Committee.
In public service, Warren holds a number of appointments, such as positions with the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC), the Occupational Safety & Health Council, Administrative Appeals Board, and Criminal and Law Enforcement Injuries Compensation Boards. As a committee member under the Construction Industry Council (CIC), he regularly sits on the panel of regulatory proceedings concerning contractor misconduct.
Warren maintains substantial involvement in alternative dispute resolution (ADR), an interest developed during his studies at LSE, where he represented the institution in the Willem C Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot and received the Pieter Sanders Award. He formerly served as a director of the Joint Mediation Helpline Office (JMHO) and currently represents the HKIA in matters concerning the Construction Industry Security of Payment Bill. As a member of the HKIAC Appointment Advisory Board and the Joint Dispute Resolution Committee of the HKIS and HKIA, Warren advises on and participates in the appointment of arbitrators.
Warren has professional fluency in English, Cantonese, and Mandarin, with additional proficiency in Taishanese.
Appointment
- 2023 – Present: Appointment Advisory Board (HKIAC)
- 2024 – Present: Administrative Appeals Board (Administration Wing, Chief Secretary for Administration's Office, the Government of the Hong Kong SAR)
- 2022 – Present: Committee on Registered Specialist Trade Contractors Scheme (CIC)
- 2023 – Present: Appeal Board Panel under the Construction Workers Registration Ordinance
- 2024 – Present: Criminal and Law Enforcement Injuries Compensation Boards
- 2024 – Present: Working Committee on Reviewing the Applications for Greater Bay Area Mediator Accreditation (Hong Kong Mediation Accreditation Association Limited (HKMAAL))
- 2023 – Present: Construction Industry Safety & Health Committee (Occupational Safety & Health Council)
- 2022 – Present: Legal Affairs Committee (ARB)
- 2021 – Present: Joint Dispute Resolution Committee (JDRC) (HKIS and HKIA)
- 2022: Chairman of Contract and Dispute Resolution Committee (HKIA) 2022: Chairman of Taskforce on Adjudicator Nominating Body (HKIA)
- 2021 – Present: Board of Practices (HKIA)
- 2021 – Present: Lecturer and Examiner on Professional Assessment (HKIA/ARB)
- 2020: Task Force on Mediation and Legal Services (HKIA)
- 2020: Young Members Committee (HKIA)
- 2022: Task Group on the Automatic Suspension of Registration on Fatal Accidents Mechanism (CIC)
- 2021 – 2022: Director of Joint Mediation Helpline Office (JMHO)
Selected Cases
- Chan Yee Tak Rachel & Anor v DSM Interior Design Limited [2023] HKCFI 311 – Appeared as sole advocate in the High Court on behalf of the successful landowners in their HK$9M+ claim against a building contractor
- Ko Pui Yee & Ors v Jones Lang Lasalle Management Services Ltd [2023] 2 HKLRD 1382 – Led by Mr Simon Wong appearing on behalf of the successful appellant in a Small Claims Tribunal Appeal application concerning a car park flooded during typhoon signal no. 10
- The Incorporated Owners of Grenville House v Wong Tak Keung Stanley and Another [2024] HKLdT 69 – Led by Mr Anthony Chan SC, appeared for the owner’s corporation in the hearing of the apartment owners’ application for leave to appeal
- The Incorporated Owners of Grenville House v Wong Tak Keung Stanley and Another [2024] HKLdT 40 – Appeared as sole advocate in a 5-day trial in the Lands Tribunal on behalf of the successful owner’s corporation in its claim against and defending the counterclaim of owners of an apartment in relation to the breach of DMC and Building Management Ordinance (Cap 344)
- The Incorporated Owners of Grenville House v Keen Joy Enterprises Ltd [2024] HKLdT 39 – Appeared as sole advocate in a 4-day trial in the Lands Tribunal on behalf of the successful owner’s corporation in its claim against and defending the counterclaim of a flat owner and for breach of DMC
- 孫名林 對 劉開展 [2023] HKCFI 2739 – Appeared as sole advocate in a 4-day trial in the High Court in respect of a dispute concerning the transfer of shares of a company developing an electrical engineering product
- Xiao Yueqiong v The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Ltd & Anor [2023] HKDC 1535 – Appeared as sole advocate on behalf of a fraud victim in obtaining a Norwich Pharmacal Order against 2 banks
- Sim Chang Min v CMB Wing Lung Bank Ltd & Ors [2023] HKDC 1536 – Appeared as sole advocate on behalf of a victim of telephone fraud in obtaining a Norwich Pharmacal Order against 3 banks
- WKS 5679-5680/2022 (Industrial Summonses (Labour Department) – Appeared as sole advocate on behalf of the successful subcontractor in securing acquittal of two industrial summonses in respect of Factories and Industrial Undertakings Ordinance (Cap 59) offences
- ESS 4517-4519/2023 (Industrial Summonses (Labour Department) – Appeared as sole advocate on behalf of the successful main contractor in securing acquittal of three industrial summonses in relation to offences under Construction Sites (Safety) Regulations (Cap 59I)
- ESS 20453-20454/2023 (Industrial Summonses (Labour Department) – Appeared as sole advocate on behalf of the successful main contractor in securing acquittal of two industrial summonses in relation to offences under Construction Sites (Safety) Regulations (Cap 59I)
Professional Qualifications
- Arbitrator (Joint Panel of the HKIA and HKIS)
- Registered Architect (Architects Registration Board, Hong Kong (ARB))
- Member of the HKIA
- Chartered Architect (Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA))
Scholarships and Prizes
- 2020: Society of Construction Law Hong Kong Scholarship
- 2020: Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot – Pieter Sanders Award
- 2020: Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot – Honourable Mention for Respondent Memorandum
- 2019: Philip C. Jessup International Moot Court Competition – Honorable Mention (Oralist) in Hong Kong Round
- 2018: Outstanding Performance in Mooting Competitions Award
- 2018: Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Court Competition – Second Best Memorials in Asia-Pacific Regional Final
- 2012: Vice-Chancellor Merit Award Scholarship
Education
- Master of Laws (London School of Economics and Political Science)
- PCLL (City University of Hong Kong)
- JD (City University of Hong Kong)
- Master of Architecture (The University of Manchester & Manchester Metropolitan University)
- Bachelor of Arts in Architectural Studies (The University of Hong Kong)