Bernard Siu

Principal Lecturer

B.Com (Accounting & Finance) (UNSW), LLB (University of London)
Solicitor of the High Court of Hong Kong
Solicitor of the Senior Courts of England & Wales (non-practising)
Certified Practising Accountant (Australia)
Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants (non-practising member)


Biography

Bernard Siu is a Principal Lecturer in the Department of Professional Legal Education at the University of Hong Kong.  Prior to joining the Faculty of Law and the Department in 2010, Bernard practised as a solicitor in the dispute resolution and the business restructuring and insolvency departments of international law firms in Hong Kong.  In furtherance of his professional career, Bernard joined the Hong Kong office of a prominent US law firm and was appointed leader of the office’s dispute resolution practice.  In his role as head litigator and dispute resolution lawyer, Bernard worked with and managed an elite team of lawyers and paralegals acting for and advising Hong Kong and international clients on all aspects of dispute resolution in Hong Kong.  Bernard is now practising as a consultant to a boutique law firm in Hong Kong specializing in all aspects of dispute resolution work and regulatory investigations as well as contentious Hong Kong tax matters.

Bernard mainly focuses his practice on civil and commercial litigation, including contractual disputes, shareholders’ disputes, directors’ misfeasance, company law matters (including but not limited to winding up of companies), employment disputes, breach of trust matters, banking litigation, libel litigation and Hong Kong tax disputes.  Being one of his specializations, Bernard has a wealth of experience in insolvency practice, including acting for and advising liquidators in compulsory and voluntary liquidations, and acting for receivers in receivership matters.  Another arm of Bernard’s specialist practice is regulatory investigations work which requires him to act for and defend clients who are under the investigations of law enforcement agencies in Hong Kong, such as the Securities and Futures Commission and the Hong Kong Monetary Authority.  Bernard also has experience in conducting arbitration under different sets of arbitration rules and advising clients on Hong Kong competition law matters.

Before qualifying as a legal practitioner, Bernard was a senior tax consultant in one of the big four accounting firms, and remains a qualified accountant in Australia and Hong Kong under a non-practising membership. He mainly teaches Civil Litigation and Commercial Dispute Resolution on the PCLL course, and Principles of Hong Kong Taxation on the LLB course.