Insights & News
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Lewis Silkin’s Hong Kong team win Immigration Firm of the Year award for the third year running
Press Release
27 November 2020Market-leading employment and immigration law specialist Lewis Silkin has won the ‘Immigration Law Firm of the Year’ award for the third consecutive year at the Macallan ALB (Asian Legal Business) Hong Kong Law Awards 2020.
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Hong Kong: 2020 refresher on Covid-related employment law issues. Kathryn Weaver writes for Human Resources online
Press
24 November 2020The law on mental and physical wellbeing of employees hasn’t changed in Hong Kong as a result of the pandemic, but the emphasis on it certainly has. Never have employers in Hong Kong had to think more about the well-being of their employees than they have in the last year or so.
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When working from home means working abroad
26 October 2020Covid-19 is causing many employees to ask if they can work from “home” for an extended period in an overseas country - for example, because it is their home nation, or their family is based there. This article explains the potential legal issues and how to avoid the traps.
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Lewis Silkin shortlisted for five HK legal awards
Press Release
19 October 2020Market-leading employment and immigration law specialist Lewis Silkin has been shortlisted for five awards in the Macallan ALB (Asian Legal Business) Hong Kong Law Awards 2020.
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Hong Kong Lawyer case summary: Music Holdings Property v. Ooi Lean Choo
Press
13 September 2020In a case summary published by the Hong Kong Lawyer, Catherine Leung looks at a recent case concerning an employee committing fraud.
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Are employees in Hong Kong required to take Covid-19 tests? Key employer considerations
01 September 2020In order to detect and cut any invisible transmission chains of COVID-19 in the community, the Hong Kong Government launched the Universal Community Testing Programme (the “UCTP”) on 1 September 2020, providing one-off free testing services to all Hong Kong residents.
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The Hong Kong Court of Appeal affirms employees’ unfettered statutory rights to be paid their entitlements
26 August 2020In this Court of Appeal case of Xu Yi Jun v GF Capital (Hong Kong) Limited (CACV 502 & 577 / 2019), the Court considered whether an employer can withhold a bonus payment after the payment due date for reasons of alleged gross misconduct that had occurred prior to, and whether an employer can offset its unliquidated claim for damages against the bonus in legal proceedings.
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Legal update: It’s a T8 – should employees have the day off when WFH? Katy Lee and Tanya Mirchandani comment for Human Resources Online
Press
26 August 2020Many employers in Hong Kong follow the Labour Department’s “Code of Practice in Times of Typhoons and Rainstorms”, companies have put in place extreme weather policies that explain what employees are expected to do in the event of an extreme weather warning. Katy Lee and Tanya Mirchandani comment further in this article for Human Resouces Online.
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Lewis Silkin’s Hong Kong team contribute to Financier Worldwide’s Human Capital Strategy and Culture guide
Press
25 August 2020Financier Worldwide’s guide canvasses the opinions of leading professionals on current trends in human capital strategy and culture, particularly in light of Covid-19, across the US, UK, Belgium and Hong Kong.
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Could you be fired in Hong Kong for creating a “negative impression” on social media during your probation period?
25 August 2020Hong Kong’s Civil Service Bureau recently issued an internal memo, which was leaked to the press, that said department heads should dismiss employees on probation if they have been charged on suspicion of taking part in “unlawful public activities targeting specific or general policies, and/or decisions of the government”, e.g. unlawful protests.
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What’s new in employment law - Hong Kong
24 August 2020The first half of 2020 has seen several employment law-related changes in Hong Kong, despite the city being hit by three waves of Covid-19 infections and working life changing as we know it.
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It’s a T8 – should employees have the day off when WFH?
19 August 2020Pre-2020, when there was no Covid-19 and employees generally worked in offices, factories, shops, etc. and not from home, the issuing of a Typhoon Warning Signal No. 8 (“T8”) by the Hong Kong Observatory would have been met with a mixture of concern about falling trees and personal and family safety, together with a little excitement at having an unexpected day off work. But what is the situation now for those working from home?
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Employers duties under the National Security Law from a Data Privacy Perspective
16 August 2020The Law of the People’s Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (the “NSL”) came into force on 30 June 2020 and raises data privacy concerns for businesses operating in the city.
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Further details of new UK visa route for Hong Kongers
03 August 2020From January 2021, the UK will make a new visa route available for British Nationals (Overseas) and their dependants who are usually resident in Hong Kong. The route will lead to settlement after five years’ residence in the UK, with the option to apply for British citizenship becoming available for most participants after a further year.
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Can I “work from home” in another country? Rosie Moore, Colin Leckey, Catherine Hayes, Catherine Leung and Katy Lee write for Lawyer Monthly
30 July 2020COVID-19 is causing many employees to ask if they can work from ‘home’ for an extended period in an overseas country, for example, because it is their home nation, or their family is based there.
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Multinationals gear up following Hong Kong BNO announcement: Kathryn Weaver and Naomi Hanrahan-Soar comment for Law.Com International
Press
16 July 2020A new immigration scheme that could give up to three million Hong Kong residents a path to British citizenship has piqued the interest of both corporate and private clients.
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Employment law issues in Hong Kong following Covid-19 – Catherine Leung speaks to Hong Kong Economic Times
Press
06 July 2020In an article in the Hong Kong Economic Times, Catherine Leung discusses measures employers are taking in Hong Kong to reduce business costs aside from redundancies and the adoption of permanent working from home policies post Covid-19.
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The British National (Overseas) visa scheme and migration from Hong Kong to the UK
01 July 2020On 1 July 2020 the UK government announced its commitment to establish a new visa scheme for all British National (Overseas) persons and their dependants. This will provide a readily available opportunity for millions of residents of Hong Kong to move the UK far more easily than those routes currently open to them.
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A Hong Kong legal perspective: The cost of ignoring employees’ mental health - Kathryn Weaver speaks to Human Resources Online
01 July 2020Kathryn Weaver speaks to Human Resources Online on how employers can manage the mental wellbeing of their employees returning to the office in Hong Kong after months of lockdown isolation.
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15 Lewis Silkin employment lawyers listed in Who's Who Legal 2020
01 July 2020Lewis Silkin is pleased to announce that 15 lawyers are listed in this year’s edition of Who’s Who Legal 2020: Labour and Employment - more than double the number of UK lawyers listed from any other law firm.