Mr LAI, Adrian JP

Deputy Secretary-General and Co-Convenor of the Advisory Board

Asian Academy of International Law

Barrister

Des Voeux Chambers

Adrian is a practising barrister, arbitrator, accredited mediator and certified public accountant. He is instructed as Counsel in a wide range of civil contentious matters, with particular focuses on arbitration, professional negligence and disciplinary matters. He sits as arbitrator – sole arbitrator, co-arbitrator or presiding arbitrator – in international commercial arbitrations conducted under various rules including those of HKIAC, CIETAC, ICC and UNCITRAL. He is named on the panels of many arbitral bodies. In addition to international commercial arbitrations, he has also participated in investor-State arbitrations and State-to-State arbitrations.

Adrian is a designated national correspondent of China to the UNCITRAL, reporting on the Hong Kong SAR’s implementation of the New York Convention and the UNCITRAL Model Law (as adopted in the Arbitration Ordinance). He also sits on the Advisory Committee on Promotion of Arbitration of the Department of Justice of the Hong Kong SAR.

Adrian has keen academic interest in international law, which is beneficial to his handling of cases involving points of international law. In his capacity as the Deputy Secretary General of Asian Academy of International Law, Adrian participates as an observer in the work of the UNCITRAL Working Group III on Investor-State Dispute Settlement Reform.