News Archive 2005
Tanner De Witt won the third annual Herbert Smith Charity Quiz Night in aid of Boona-Baana, held at the Hong Kong Cricket Club. The Tanner De Witt team got off to a flying start with a strong joker played in the celebrity couples second round and never relinquished pole position in the face of a relentless onslaught by a menacing Richards Butler outfit. Tanner De Witt held on to its lead to pip Richards Butler by half a point.
Kudos to the quizmaster for keeping the proceedings moving in spite of having to revert to pre-information-revolution technology in the form of a whiteboard after spilling wine on his IBM laptop keyboard. (We'll overlook the robbing of a point from Tanner De Witt that occurred in the process.)
The Boona-Baana Center for Children's Rights is a small, grass-roots organization located in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Its aim is to create a series of local, sustainable projects which will assist vulnerable children in accessing their rights under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The Tanner De Witt Flying Kukris held their Rugby Festival on 4 December, playing host to 13 clubs from across Hong Kong, who sent 112 teams and an estimated 1600 children. In the Under-12 Boys' competition, the cup was shared by DeA Tigers 1 and Valley Fort, with the plate, bowl and shield going to Football Club 1, Hong Kong U and Monkey respectively. The Under-12 Girls' competition went to Aberdeen.
20 November 2005
Tanner De Witt was one of the sponsors of a car participating in the Porsche Infineon Carrera Cup race in Macau, driven by Nick Thomas. Nick came in 10th overall, despite battling through a scrape with a wall and losing a door. He finished to a loud cheer from the spectators in the Grandstand and Reservoir stand. He also won a prize in class.
Tanner De Witt's Russell Bennett was the winner of the award for Labour Lawyer of the Year, Hong Kong at the 2005 China STAFF Human Resources Awards ceremony held at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Hong Kong, on 27 October.
LexisNexis - Recent Developments in Insolvency Law
Ian De Witt was a speaker at this seminar, which covered recent developments in insolvency and corporate recovery in Hong Kong both at a practical and a legal level.
Hong Kong International Cricket Sixes
Tanner De Witt was a Platinum Sponsor of the Hong Kong International Cricket Sixes tournament held at Kowloon Cricket Club.
Flying Kukris Rugby Football Club Sponsorship
Tanner De Witt has reached an agreement to sponsor the Flying Kukris, a minis and youth rugby club with whom the Nomads, now into their second season of sponsorship, have entered into an agrement to help nurture new rugby talent, and assure a steady supply of new players for the team.
Nicholas Longley was a speaker at a Lighthouse Club seminar entitled Legal Solutions to Construction Problems. The subject of Nick's talk was Onerous Contractual Requirements with regard to Insurance - How can Contractors and Employers avoid Potential Conflicts?
The event raised HK$145,890, 50% of which was contributed to the Lighthouse Club Hong Kong Benevolent Fund and 50% to the Lighthouse Club James Battersby Educational Trust.
We welcome Dorothy Leung to the firm. She is working in the Commercial Litigation department.
"After winning Boutique Law Firm of the Year last year we are delighted that the quality of this firm's work has been recognised again at these awards. Our nomination alongside the best-known firms in the Hong Kong Law Firm of the Year category reflects the substantial growth in our capabilities over the past year," said Richard Tanner.
Ian discussed the various stages of winding up, from the issuing of a written statutory demand for debt repayment through to the final dissolution of the company, examining the relevant sections of the Companies Ordinance and illustrating with recent decisions made in the Courts of Hong Kong and England & Wales.
The 2-hour talk covered post-termination restrictions, contracting out in relation to separation agreements, the importance of signing contracts, accidental waiver of employer's right on summary dismissal and the implementation of OSHO display screen regulations.
In addition to these specific points Russell also talked about several case studies which illustrated the key issues involved in drafting contracts and pitfalls to watch out for.
"Tanner De Witt Nomads' success in winning the Securicor Fourth Division could hardly have been better timed - it was the perfect way to celebrate their 15th anniversary."
On the panel, Paul discussed various aspects of mitigating the risks of doing business in China, including performing due diligence on mainland enterprises, enforcing intellectual property rights, using Hong Kong's arbitration system to resolve business disputes, the dynamics of Chinese laws and regulations, and the importance of knowing your business partners.
For more background on the case of Field v Barber Asia Limited, please refer to TDW's Financial Services Bulletin, July 2004.
Kim has extensive experience advising clients on all aspects of commercial litigation from commencement through to resolution, with emphasis on insolvency, insurance and employment-related disputes. She has appeared regularly in the Courts of both Hong Kong and New Zealand and in an international arbitration in Hong Kong. She was admitted as a barrister and solicitor in New Zealand in 1997, and as a solicitor in Hong Kong in 2001 and England and Wales in 2002.
Eden is experienced in many areas of commercial litigation, and has broad experience in the provision of knowledge and research services. She qualified in Victoria, Australia in 1998, and is applying for qualification in Hong Kong.
Tanner De Witt congratulates The Nomads on their successful season, and looks forward to continuing sponsorship in the next season.
Club Chairman Aric Kay-Russell said, "Delighted with the Club's success over this season - the First XV had some excellent results in a competitive league. The Second XV had a fantastic season, coming second in Division 5 and the Ladies Team having a solid season once again. The development of a number of players this season has been impressive, with at least 5 Second XV players moving up to regular starting positions in the First team. Our relationship with the Flying Kukris Mini Rugby Club has worked extremely well, and we look forward to forging even closer ties with them next year. Of course we'd like to thank our sponsors, Tanner De Witt, for all of their support over the last season, and hope to have greater success next year."
