the HIP talks

Hosted by Hugill & Ip Solicitors

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Jun 2026

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A series of discussions about current legal issues in Hong Kong.

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June 3, 20261 hr 33 min

The Ability Bridges Seminar: Know Your Rights, Protect Your Family

For families raising a child or caring for a family member with different abilities in Hong Kong, the law can feel like a maze — full of critical protections and planning tools that are rarely explained in plain terms. Too often, parents, guardians and carers discover their rights only when a crisis has already arrived. That is precisely the gap that The Ability Bridges was designed to help close. Launched in late 2025 as a six-month pro bono initiative, The Ability Bridges is a collaborative campaign dedicated to bringing accessible, practical legal knowledge to individuals with disabilities and their families across Hong Kong. The campaign is run in partnership with three community organisations at the heart of the special needs sector — the Love21 Foundation, The Nesbitt Centre, and Sensational Foundation — and reflects the firm's deep commitment to ensuring that access to justice is a right, not a privilege. The campaign has already made a tangible difference. In March 2026, Hugill & Ip hosted an intimate evening at its offices, gathering families, carers, and NGO workers for a focused session on estate planning for families with special needs. Led by Alfred Ip, the discussion tackled the questions that keep parents and carers awake at night — from structuring discretionary trusts to understanding guardianship. Today, the campaign has taken a broader step with a free, community-facing seminar at Café 8 in Hong Kong. Three of the firm's leading practitioners — Adam Hugill, Raphael Wong, and Polly Chu — addressed a distinct area of law that directly affects families living with disability: anti-discrimination protections, divorce and child arrangements, and long-term housing and estate planning.

March 16, 2026Episode 327 min

Understanding the Role of Parenting Coordinators in Hong Kong

In this podcast episode, Raphael Wong and Maureen Mueller delve into parenting coordination (PC), a crucial service for separated or divorced parents. Maureen defines PC as a neutral third-party aid that helps parents resolve disagreements concerning their children's arrangements, especially when initial plans or court orders prove insufficient. SHOW NOTES:02:15 PC vs. Mediation vs. Legal Representation: Key differences 07:00 "PC Light" vs. "PC Proper": Two different approaches 10:20 PC's first introduction in Hong Kong 15:10 Advice for parents: Prioritising children and Collaborative Law

November 10, 2025Episode 244 min

Empowering Families: The Case for Mediation

In this podcast featuring Caroline McNally and family mediator Giles Surman, the duo champions family mediation as a superior alternative to litigation for resolving family disputes. Giles Surman, drawing on his extensive legal career spanning criminal and family law, defines mediation as a collaborative, non-adversarial process designed to help individuals craft their own agreements regarding children and finances. This approach empowers parties, offering tailored and flexible solutions that court orders often cannot provide. A cornerstone of mediation is confidentiality, which creates a secure environment for open discussion, protecting proposals from being used in court. SHOW NOTES: 03:30 - What is Family Mediation? 04:49 - Empowering individuals to craft their own solutions 06:36 - The cornerstone of Confidentiality 11:21 - Mediation in high-conflict situations 35:39 - The binding nature of Mediation Agreements

October 28, 20251 min

60 seconds with Caroline McNally

Caroline advises on all aspects of family law and is a highly sought-after practitioner when it comes to high value, complex financial claims and high-conflict children matters. Caroline also regularly advises on pre and post nuptial agreements. Find out more: https://www.hugillandip.com/solicitors/caroline-mcnally/

July 7, 2025Episode 150 min

Navigating Financial Complexities in Divorce with Forensic Accountants

Kajal Aswani dives into the critical role of forensic accountants in family law with guest Tavish MacLean. The conversation explores how forensic accountants untangle financial disputes, uncover hidden assets, and provide clarity in high-stakes divorce proceedings. Kajal shares personal anecdotes from her 20 plus years in family law, highlighting the importance of financial transparency and early professional intervention in divorce cases. Tavish emphasizes that forensic accountants bring clarity during emotionally charged times, leveraging investigative tools and valuation techniques to ensure fair outcomes. Key topics include the importance of financial awareness, challenges in identifying hidden assets, and the nuances of valuing private companies and other assets during divorce. The discussion also touches on the evolving risks of fraud, including the use of AI tools for falsifying financial documents, and the critical need for accurate financial disclosure. The episode concludes with practical advice for those navigating divorce, emphasizing the value of assembling the right professional team to streamline this challenging process. SHOW NOTES: 05:13 The Role of Forensic Accountants Exploring how forensic accountants identify hidden assets and provide clarity during divorce proceedings. 11:26 Preparing for Divorce: Financial Awareness Kajal and Tavish discuss the importance of gathering financial documents and understanding family finances before separation. 23:27 Valuing Private Companies and Complex Assets Insights into valuation methodologies and challenges in assessing corporate and tangible assets. 46:43 AI and Fraudulent Financial Documents How evolving AI tools pose new challenges in financial disclosure and fraud detection.

July 4, 20250 min

Season 6 Family Matters Coming Soon

Hugill & Ip presents Series 6 of the HIP talks "Family matters", a compelling podcast collection delving into the complexities of family law in Hong Kong. This season, our expert solicitors engage with preeminent professionals, psychologists, financial advisors and mediators to explore the real stories behind divorces, custody battles and financial disputes. Hugill & Ip brings you this series as part of our commitment to modern, client focused legal services, whether you're navigating family law issues or simply interested about the system. Family Matters delivers sharp analysis without the jargon.

June 25, 202542 min

Different Colours, Same Love: Kathryn Weaver

Raphael Wong and Kathryn Weaver explore her family's transformative journey through the adoption of Max and Roxie. Kathryn offers profound perspectives on adoption, drawing from her experience both as a mother and an employment lawyer. After fifteen years together, Kathryn and her husband Alex deliberately chose adoption as their preferred path to parenthood. She champions the fundamental right to choose adoption whilst challenging the misconception that adoptive parents are merely couples unable to conceive naturally, believing family creation should reflect individual choice with society respecting diverse paths to parenthood. She observes how considerably more straightforward their adoption journey proved compared to challenges faced by single applicants or same-sex couples. Their process proceeded remarkably swiftly, with a successful match emerging from their first panel hearing, leading to welcoming Max and meeting him at his foster placement. Kathryn reflects on how perceptions of family dynamics and interracial adoption have evolved over time, taking pride in how she and her husband established themselves within their Peng Chau community simply as "Max and Roxie's parents." The discussion examines complex considerations surrounding parental age, extended family expectations, and the Hong Kong legal system and Social Welfare Department's outdated policy requiring primary caregivers to share their adopted child's gender. Kathryn advocates for increased dialogue about adoption across society, including mainstream media, legal circles, and employers. Examining interracial adoption complexities, she describes how their family's composition occasionally leads to scrutiny at international borders, though these experiences provide opportunities to celebrate diversity when children express curiosity about their biological origins. Drawing upon her legal expertise, Kathryn provides insights into how businesses and government should reconsider parental leave policies, advocating for comprehensive shared parental leave arrangements. Adoptive parents face additional burdens as their journey proves more complex than biological parents', making supportive employers and robust governmental frameworks crucial. Psychological challenges intensify particularly when welcoming older children. Kathryn concludes by advocating for Hong Kong to facilitate adoption opportunities for single individuals and same-sex couples, enabling them to fulfil parenting aspirations whilst providing deserving children with loving, accepting homes. Love is love! Every family deserves recognition and respect, regardless of how it's formed. This Pride Month, we celebrate rainbow families who enrich our community with their love and resilience. Their journeys remind us that family bonds transcend conventional definitions, and their strength inspires positive change towards a more inclusive society.

June 25, 20251 hr 3 min

Different Colours, Same Love: Joshua Blue

Raphael Wong talks to Joshua Blue about the adoption journey of him and his same-sex partner in the United States and Hong Kong. Joshua and his partner Taka carefully evaluated various family-building options, including single-parent adoption in Hong Kong and surrogacy, before deciding to pursue adoption in the United States whilst maintaining their Hong Kong residency. They engaged American Adoption Professionals Abroad in 2014, initiating a comprehensive process that would eventually lead to their son's adoption. The journey involved rigorous home study assessments, domestic private adoption procedures in Illinois, and extensive documentation preparation. They created profiles for birth parent(s') consideration, secured legal representation through an Illinois-qualified lawyer, and completed mandatory adoptive parent training. Despite initial optimism, the matching process extended beyond the initially expected time, necessitating documentation renewals and managing the emotional complexity of waiting. A significant breakthrough came in September 2017 when they connected with Karen, the birth mother. With noteworthy employer support, Joshua and Taka were present in Chicago for their son Isaac's birth in October 2018. They successfully navigated the legal requirements, securing the Adoption Decree, name change documentation, updated birth certificate and other necessary paperwork. While their return to Hong Kong proceeded smoothly, some administrative coordination was required between the Immigration Department and Social Welfare Department before Isaac's dependent visa was granted. Their experience highlights the evolving landscape of international adoption and cross-border family recognition. Their family structure exemplifies modern kinship networks, maintaining connections across continents with both partners' extended families and Isaac's birth mother and her family in Mexico. As an educator, Joshua offers valuable perspectives on rainbow families' integration within Hong Kong's educational environment, noting generally positive experiences despite opportunities for systemic improvement. This is another case illustrates the complex interplay of international adoption law, cross-cultural family building, and the gradual normalisation of diverse family structures in Hong Kong's professional and social spheres. Love is love! Every family deserves recognition and respect, regardless of how it's formed. This Pride Month, we celebrate rainbow families who enrich our community with their love and resilience. Their journeys remind us that family bonds transcend conventional definitions, and their strength inspires positive change towards a more inclusive society.

June 25, 202553 min

Different Colours, Same Love: Megan Richardson & Jo Hull

In a compelling conversation with Raphael Wong, Megan Richardson and Jo Hull share their remarkable journey to parenthood through adoption, navigating the complexities of Hong Kong's adoption system as a same-sex couple. Initially contemplating fostering, the couple ultimately pursued adoption despite recognising the additional challenges they would face. Their account details extensive interactions with the Social Welfare Department (SWD), including 26 matching panels and numerous setbacks. The period between approval as prospective adopters and matching with their children, Freddie and Luna, proved particularly challenging as they balanced hope with uncertainty. Despite the profound joy of becoming parents, their experience highlighted persistent systemic barriers. The couple faced additional scrutiny during the adoption order proceedings, reflecting outdated institutional perspectives. Though the legal process encountered several delays, it ultimately concluded successfully with the granting of the adoption order. Looking ahead, the couple plans to marry in the UK this summer and pursue co-parent adoption through the British legal system for Jo. They warmly acknowledge the invaluable support received from family, friends, and particularly the Shek O community, whose embrace of their new family dynamic has been heartening. The discussion also explored employment-related responses to diverse family structures, revealing varying levels of workplace policy inclusion. While some employers have implemented equitable benefits and protections for all family types, others lag behind in acknowledging modern family compositions. Their story concludes with reflections on systemic discrimination and the hope that pioneering same-sex couples might catalyse positive change within Hong Kong's legal framework, paving the way for greater acceptance and equality. Every family deserves recognition and respect, regardless of how it's formed. This Pride Month, we celebrate rainbow families who enrich our community with their love and resilience. Their journeys remind us that family bonds transcend conventional definitions, and their strength inspires positive change towards a more inclusive society.

January 14, 2025Episode 640 min

A Legal Journey with Elizabeth Herbert

Elizabeth Herbert, a barrister and co-founding member of Pegasus Chambers, discusses her career journey with Adam Hugill. They reflect on their history of working together, as well as other high-profile cases like the landmark internet defamation case, Oriental Daily vs Fevaworks which she worked on with fellow Partner, Alfred Ip. Elizabeth shares how she was drawn to the advocacy and courtroom aspects of law, rather than the more transactional work of solicitors. She advises junior barristers to gain broad experience early on, as it helps develop their own unique style. The conversation explores the challenges of discrimination cases in Hong Kong, including the reluctance of employees to come forward and the limited damages available. They also discuss internal investigations and the need to navigate non-legal decision makers. She also shares insights into her criminal defense practice and the personal toll of representing clients facing serious charges. Lastly, Elizabeth offers advice to aspiring barristers, emphasizing the importance of self-care and not being overly critical of one's performance. Show Notes02:00 Starting a career in law 05:38 Oriental Daily vs Fevaworks case 07:16 Discrimination cases 21:55 Criminal cases 27:39 Cross examination in civil vs criminal courts 34:29 Setting up Pegasus Chambers Transcript and more of the Barrister Series: https://www.hugillandip.com/2025/01/the-barrister-series-s5e6-a-legal-journey-with-elizabeth-herbert/