Deirdre is a partner in the private client and tax team.
She focuses on trust and succession planning, and advises high-net-worth individuals and institutional trustees on wealth protection structuring as well as the importance of planning for incapacity. She also advises on taxation in Hong Kong for individuals and family investment holding vehicles, and related planning opportunities. She has also advised corporations on the set up of employee share trusts.
Deirdre is listed as an 'up and coming' private wealth practitioner in Chambers' HNW Guide 2021-2023. She has been recommended as a pre-eminent private client lawyer and a highly regarded practitioner in Mainland China, Hong Kong SAR and Macao SAR in Who's Who Legal. Furthermore, she has been recognised in Legal 500 Asia-Pacific 2019-2023; Citywealth's 2019 Powerwomen List, Citywealth's 2019-2024 Leading Private Client Lawyers list and Citywealth's 2024 Leaders List. She has also been recognised as a 'leading talent of foreign-related lawyers in Guangzhou' in 2024 by the Guangzhou Lawyers Association.
She passed the STEP diploma on International Trust Management with Distinction in 2014. She was a Lecturer for the University of Hong Kong, Department on Professional Legal Education, on the Trust and Estate module from 2019 to 2023. She is qualified in England & Wales, Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area of China.
Recent recognition
Me in a minute
I constantly learn from my clients while helping them achieve peace of mind
Having graduated from Cambridge, I also enjoy intellectual challenges. The intellectual demands of getting to grips with trust laws and cases, the ever changing tax regimes in countries like US, PRC and UK, the increasing regulatory and reporting requirements - the diversity and academic side of the private client practice always intrigues me.
I also love the practice because I get to know people who are successful and have their own interesting perspectives of life. I constantly learn from my clients while helping them achieve peace of mind through financial and succession planning. Clients appreciate my patience and personable style when assisting them through the planning exercise which may be tedious.
My main interest areas are 'trust and divorce' and 'family business succession'. It is my goal to be able to help Chinese families develop better succession mechanisms to pass on family and business assets through generations.
My other passion in life is ballet. I still take adult ballet classes once a week and sits on the board of various ballet organisations in Hong Kong. The discipline and attention to detail that ballet has taught me transcended into my approach to work. Ballet and law are indeed a great combination!