Samuel Fung is a Special Counsel of Karas So LLP. He is an experienced litigator whose practice focuses on regulatory investigations and enforcement and civil and commercial disputes.
As a former in-house counsel at the Securities and Futures Commission, Samuel is particularly well-positioned to help guide clients through the civil, criminal and disciplinary proceedings and investigations conducted by the SFC. He is also experienced in handling investigations conducted by other local and foreign regulatory bodies, including the Hong Kong Independent Commission Against Corruption, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, the US Securities and Exchange Commission, and the Singapore Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau. Samuel also has a broad dispute resolution practice, encompassing, in particular, complex commercial disputes, employment disputes, shareholder disputes, mis-selling disputes, and defamation disputes.
Samuel is dually qualified to practice in Hong Kong and England & Wales. He is fluent in Cantonese, Mandarin and English.
Key Experience
Regulatory investigations and enforcement actions
- Acted for and advised a leading investment bank in respect of an investigation by the US Securities and Exchange Commission into a Mainland Chinese company listed in New York, in relation to which the bank was a joint underwriter.
- Acted for and advised a major hedge fund on criminal insider dealing proceedings brought against it by the SFC.
- Acted for and advised a Hong Kong businessman in respect of an investigation by the SFC into his involvement in a suspected scheme to defraud minority shareholders of a Hong Kong listed company.
- Acted for and advised a global insurer on an investigation by the Singapore Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau into past dealings between its ex-employee and external medical service providers.
Anti-bribery and compliance investigations
- Advised and handled an internal investigation by a global pharmaceutical company into bribery allegations in Mainland China.
- Advised and handled an internal investigation by a multinational oil and gas company into alleged facilitation payments made to government officials in Mainland China.
- Advised and handled an internal investigation by the Hong Kong vehicle dealership business of an international conglomerate on alleged kickbacks received by an employee from vehicle modification businesses and related falsification of documents.
Civil and commercial disputes
- Acted for a high net-worth individual in a mis-selling claim against a Hong Kong securities firm for equity swaps valued at more than HK$100 million.
- Acted for a major investment management firm in a dispute with its ex-employee over carried interest payments and other benefits exceeding HK$15 million.
- Acted for a world leading electronics manufacturing group in a breach of confidence claim against a Mainland China competitor.
- Advised a US-based media group on the obtaining of documentary and oral evidence in Hong Kong for use in US court proceedings.
- Acted for various members of wealthy Hong Kong family in a minority shareholders’ dispute involving property worth in excess of HK$2 billion.
- Acted for a prominent Indian businessman residing in Hong Kong in a defamation claim brought against him by a compatriot.
- Acted for two Hong Kong construction industry organisations in a defamation claim brought against them by the concrete production arm of a Hong Kong listed company.
Career History
- Special Counsel, Karas So LLP (2024)
- International Counsel, Debevoise & Plimpton (2022)
- Assistant Counsel to Counsel, Securities and Futures Commission (2019)
- Trainee solicitor to Senior Associate, Mayer Brown (formerly Mayer Brown JSM) (2010)
- University of Warwick, LLB (2009)
Admissions
- Hong Kong, 2013
- England & Wales, 2021
Articles and Publications
- Anti-Corruption 2024 Guide (HKSAR) by Chambers & Partners