Human Resources and Pensions

Why choose Deacons for human resources and pensions advice?

Regional advice

Services offered include

Human Resources and Pensions

Deacons' Human Resources and Pensions practice group has a dedicated team of specialists advising clients on a wide range of human resources and pensions law including the Employment Ordinance, employees' compensation, employment visas, labour disputes, and retirement schemes and provident funds.

Why choose Deacons for human resources and pensions advice?

Deacons' Human Resources and Pensions practice is designed to meet client needs at every stage of an employment relationship.  We are used to working across all human resources and pensions issues advising both employers and employees of enterprises both large and small. The practice group has language skills in English, Cantonese and Putonghua (Mandarin).

Our Human Resources and Pensions practice is regularly cited and recommended in guides to Asian commercial law firms.  Cynthia Chung, the head of the group, was listed in the Guide to the World's Leading Labour & Employment Lawyers in 2005.  Cynthia has also been acknowledged three times as a recommended lawyer in the area of Labour & Employee Benefits by PLC Which Lawyer? (2005, 2006 and 2007 editions).  In the same publication, Deacons has been acknowledged twice as a recommended law firm in the area of Labour & Employee Benefits (2006 and 2007 editions).

Regional advice

Our Human Resources and Pensions practice works closely with other Deacons offices throughout Asia to provide Pan Asian legal advice. The group also works extensively with our China Trade and Investment group, and the firm's representative offices in China to advise clients investing in the People's Republic of China on legal requirements, visas, work permits and rights and liabilities of employers under the various PRC corporate structures, in order to facilitate PRC investments. We provide our clients with comprehensive one-stop legal advice on highly complex cross-border employment issues.

Services offered include:

Human Resources related issues

Our human resources practice group covers all aspects of employment law. Our comprehensive services offered include:

• Drafting, negotiating and advising on employment agreements and executive benefit packages

• Advising on all aspects of employment law in Hong Kong including employee protection, benefits, maternity leave and sickness allowance requirements, severance and long service payments and termination requirements

• Advising on employment matters upon mergers and acquisitions of companies, transfers of business undertakings and restructuring of corporate entities

• Advising on the various discrimination ordinances (Sex Discrimination Ordinance, Disability Discrimination Ordinance and the Family Status Discrimination Ordinance) applying in Hong Kong and on claims at the Equal Opportunities Commission

• Advising on employment disputes, including preparation of documents relating to Labour Tribunal actions and employee compensation claims

• Obtaining employment visas both for Hong Kong and the People's Republic of China

• Advising clients in relation to industrial disputes

• Advising on rights and obligations under the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance, and access to employee data

Pensions related issues

Deacons' pensions practice group is particularly well known for its advice on the Mandatory Provident Fund and ORSO schemes, where clients include trustees, service providers, managers and employers. We assist clients in:

• Advising and drafting documentation for employees stock option plans

• Advising and developing retirement schemes and provident funds, including mandatory provident funds, and all aspects of advice in relation thereto