Sherlynn Chan

Partner | Family & Private Wealth

sherlynn.chan@deacons.com
+852 2825 9328
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"Sherlynn Chan is a good private wealth specialist."

"Sherlynn Chan is vastly experienced in family law. I have a long-standing working relationship with Sherlynn; she is knowledgeable, meticulous and efficient. Despite being the head of this team, she remains very hands-on for her cases."

Sherlynn, Head of Family, Mental Capacity and Vulnerable Client practice, is a seasoned family lawyer, fellow of the International Academy of Family Lawyers and an accredited family mediator. She handles complex and sensitive matrimonial cases including divorce, separation, cohabitation, financial claims as well as children matters (access, custody, relocation, and international child abduction) and injunctive relief for preservation of assets.

Her family practice includes trust and probate disputes and applications for financial provisions under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Ordinance (Cap 481) as well as advisory work in relation to trusts, succession planning and wealth protection. She previously sat as a Deputy Family Court Judge in Hong Kong.

Sherlynn is also a leading lawyer in mental capacity law, frequently acting for vulnerable clients. She has been appointed by the High Court on multiple occasions as Professional Committee for Mentally Incapacitated Persons to manage their property and affairs, partnering with reputable bankers, accountants and property consultants. She also advises Committees and represents applicants in contested and non-contested applications under Part II of the Mental Health Ordinance (Cap 136).

She works closely with international trust corporations when advising high net worth clients and family offices on complex probate and family disputes. Sherlynn is the Winner of the 15th Annual STEP Private Client Awards – Vulnerable client Advisory Practice of the Year.

Sherlynn is the author of “A Practical Guide to Mental Health Law in Hong Kong” and chair of the Mental Health Law Committee of the Law Society of Hong Kong, and co-chair of the Society of Trusts and Estate Practitioners (STEP) HK’s Mental Health, Elderly and Capacity Law sub-committee. She is also the Chairman and co-founder of a charity, MIP Care Resources Connect.

Sherlynn’s experience includes:

  • Advising on matrimonial matters including financial claims under the Matrimonial Proceedings and Property Ordinance (Cap 192)
  • Advising on children matters, including access, custody, relocation and child abduction cases under Hague Convention (Cap 512) and the Guardianship of Minors Ordinance (Cap 13)
  • Advising on pre-nuptial and post-nuptial agreements
  • Resolving complex family, probate and trust disputes
  • Advising on financial claims by family members and dependents of deceased estates under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependents) Ordinance (Cap 481)
  • Acting for litigants under disability in high value litigation

Highlights

Family Cases

  • Acted for a spouse in a high net-worth post nuptial agreement involving assets worth over HK$2 billion including property settlement and setting up of trusts for the children
  • Acted for the Hong Kong husband in a cross-border matrimonial financial dispute, where the wife has substantial assets in Mainland China and was allegedly not the beneficial owner of the multi-billion RMB assets which consist of properties and companies.
  • Acted for a Mainland Chinese mother in a maintenance claim under the Guardianship of Minors Ordinance against a Hong Kong father in respect of a child born out of wedlock in Hong Kong. The case involved challenges to paternity and DNA testing.
  • Represented the Japanese spouse to a British citizen living in Hong Kong in a highly contentious custody access and relocation application. This case involved assistance from both local and international social investigation officers and liaising with UK and Japanese lawyers.
  • Acted for a Hong Kong spouse married to a Japanese citizen with one child in the family. Advising the spouse on the safe return of the child to Japan under the Hague Convention which involved liaising with the Central Authority of Hong Kong and the divorce lawyer in Japan in relation to the corresponding divorce proceeding there and securing a mirror order to ensure a smooth transition for the return of the child to Japan under the Hague proceedings.
  • Acted for a Venezuela and Hong Kong couple in relation to child custody and access applications as well as issues involving jurisdiction and relocation matters.

Mental Capacity and Vulnerable Clients Cases

  • Appointed by the Hong Kong High Court as the Professional Committee to administer and manage the properties and affairs of a matriarch who is a mentally incapacitated person, with an estate worth over HK$600 million.
  • Appointed by the Hong Kong High Court as the Professional Committee to administer and manage the properties and affairs of a childless widow with various landed properties in Hong Kong and highly contentious family members making claims against her properties. In her capacity as the Committee, Sherlynn was also appointed as the administratrix of the widow’s late husband for the benefit of the widow.
  • Acted for two of the five siblings in relation to their parents’ estate, including contentious probate proceedings over the estate of their late father, contentious proceedings under Part II of the Mental Health Ordinance (Cap. 136) and contentious proceedings under the Enduring Power of Attorney Ordinance (Cap.501).
  • Advised trustee company of a family trust set up by the patriarch in a highly contested divorce proceedings of his son involving financial disclosure and related applications.
  • Advised Court appointed professional administrators of a wealthy entrepreneur’s estate in a highly contentious probate proceedings involving disputes in control over a large mainland business, investigation into complicated transactions and alleged loans of over HK$600 million.

    More about Sherlynn Chan

    Individual:

    • Recognised as a leading lawyer for Family/Matrimonial (International Firms) by Chambers Greater China Region (2024)
    • Recommended as a key lawyer in the area of Private Client and Family (Hong Kong) in Legal 500 Asia Pacific (2023 – 2024)
    • Recommended as a Leading Family & Divorce Lawyer – Hong Kong by Doyle’s Guide (2024)
    • Individual Awards – Gold Award winner in the Law Society of Hong Kong Pro Bono and Community Work Recognition Programme (2020; 2023)
    • Awarded Future of Legal Services in Asia-Pacific by Lexology Legal Influencers Q1 2024

    Firm:

    • Recognised as a leading law firm in the area of Private Client and Family by Legal 500 Asia Pacific (2023 – 2024)
    • Recommended as a Leading Family & Divorce Law Firm – Hong Kong by Doyle’s Guide (2024)
    • Recognised as a Notable Family and Matrimonial Law Firm by Benchmark Litigation Asia-Pacific (2022 – 2024)
    • Won “Family and Matrimonial Firm of the Year” at Benchmark Litigation Asia-Pacific Awards 2023
    • Recognised as the Vulnerable Client Advisory Practice of the Year in the 15th Annual Step Private Client Awards (2020/21)

    • Chairman of the Mental Health Law Committee, the Law Society of Hong Kong (LSHK)
    • Member of Guardianship Board (2023-2026)
    • Member of Legal Aid Committee, LSHK
    • Full STEP member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) since February 2020
    • Co-chairman of the Mental Health, Elder and Capacity Law Sub-committee, STEP HK
    • Member of STEP’s Mental Capacity, Philanthropy, Contentious Trusts & Estate Special Interest Groups
    • Fellow of IAFL (the International Academy of Family Lawyers)
    • Depute District Judge in the Hong Kong Family court (2014)

    • LLB, University of Hong Kong
    • PCLL, University of Hong Kong

    Sherlynn has authored (and co-authored) a number of significant publications and given numerous presentations about Mental Health Law in Hong Kong, including:

    Publications

    • Author, “FamilyFocus@Deacons Series (2022-2024)
    • Author, “A Practical Guide to Mental Health Law in Hong Kong“, Hong Kong University Press (2019)
    • Co-author, “Compulsory Mental Health Treatment and the Way Forward”, Hong Kong Lawyer (April 2020)
    • Co-author, “Managing the Property and Affairs of Persons with Mental Incapacity”, Hong Kong Lawyer (February 2020)

    Speaking Engagements

      Hong Kong Trustees’ Association Webinar (May – August 2023)

      • Guest speaker – “How families can make financial plans for special needs children?”
      • Guest speaker – “Who really owns your family assets? Third party interests in Family Proceedings”
      • Guest speaker – “Highlight on Mental Capacity Law in Hong Kong”

      MIP Care Resources Connect Symposium (March 2023)

      • Guest speaker – “Where to Store the 3 Instruments of Peace? Proposed establishment of a Central Depository”

      Kowloon East Cluster & Hospital Authority – KEC Clinical Ethics Forum (February 2023)

      • Guest speaker – “Enduring Power of Attorney, Advance Care Planning & Advance Directives”

      InvestHK Investment Promotion Week – Financial Services, Business Professional Services and Fintech Day held at HKCEC (October 2022)

      • Guest speaker – “Importance of Communication in Succession Planning”

      The Law Society of Hong Kong Webinar (October 2022)

      • Guest speaker – “RME Elective – Risks in Preparing Enduring Power of Attorney and Mental Capacity Issues”

      STEP Global Congress 2022 held at the Hilton London Metropole in London, UK (July 2022)

      • Guest speaker – “Supported decision-making: here to stay?”

      InvestHK & Deacons Webinar (June 2022)

      • Speaker – “How families deal with new trend in Crypto Assets”

      Special Needs Trust Office (SNTO) of the Social Welfare Department (January 2021)

      • Panel speaker – “Living Will, Living Well? Advance Directives Across Asia” international conference Centre for Medical Ethics and Law (University of Hong Kong) in association with the Ethox Centre (University of Oxford) in Hong Kong (September 2020)
      • Panel speaker – “Practical Considerations on Managing Wealth and Assets of Vulnerable Clients” webinar

      Private Wealth Management Association (September 2020)

      • “Li 1 And Qin (李1、欽某某等遺囑繼承糾紛) Judicial Recognition of Testamentary Trusts in China” webinar

      Hong Kong Trustees’ Association (August 2020)

      • Guest speaker for the Zonta Club of Victoria on mental health law and succession planning (July 2020)
      • Guest lecturer – On the topic of mental health law

      The University of Hong Kong (March 2020)

      • Speaker – On the topic of mental health law

      Civil Law Talk organised by the Department of Justice of HKSAR (January 2020)

      • Speaker – On the topic of mental health law, succession planning, and probate and estate administration

      The Brain Health Initiative (October 2019)

      • Speaker – On the topic of mental health law, estate and succession planning

      Polytechnic University in association with Institute of Active Ageing (June 2019)

      • Presenter – On the topic of mental health law and the management of property and affairs of mentally incapacitated persons

      LexOmnibus CPD course (June 2019)

      Pro-Bono Engagements

      • Chairman of the Mental Health Law Committee, The Law Society of Hong Kong
      • Member of Guardianship Board, Hong Kong
      • Member of Legal Aid Committee, The Law Society of Hong Kong
      • Full STEP member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) since February 2020
      • Co-chairman of the Mental Health, Elder and Capacity Law Sub-committee, STEP HK
      • Member of STEP’s Mental Capacity, Philanthropy, Contentious Trusts & Estate Special Interest Groups
      • Fellow of IAFL (the International Academy of Family Lawyers)
      • Deputy District Judge in the Hong Kong Family court (2014)
      • Chair and Founding Member, MIP Care Resources Connect (MIPCRC) (a charitable organization incorporated in Hong Kong)
      • Board of Director, The Hong Kong Children’s Choir

      "Sherlynn Chan is a good private wealth specialist."

      "Sherlynn Chan is vastly experienced in family law. I have a long-standing working relationship with Sherlynn; she is knowledgeable, meticulous and efficient. Despite being the head of this team, she remains very hands-on for her cases."

      Sectors

      Languages

      • English
      • Cantonese
      • Mandarin

      Jurisdictions

      • Hong Kong

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