Category Archives: Spotlight Feature

Spotlight Profile – Dr. Ken Fung, Clinical Psychologist

In this spotlight profile, we are speaking to Dr. Ken Fung, a clinical psychologist and a relationship therapist from the Jadis Blurton Family Development Center in Hong Kong. Dr. Fung was formally trained in California, USA and earned accreditation in Hong Kong, Australia and New Zealand.

As a Clinical Psychologist, Dr. Fung focuses on assisting individuals, couples and families with relational and emotional issues. Dr. Fung uses the Gottman Method, Psychodynamic, CBT and Systemic approaches in his practice which we will dive in more deeply with Dr. Fung below.

Dr. Fung, thank you for taking the time to speak with us today.

Can you tell us a little bit about your background and training?

I am a Clinical Psychologist and Relationship Therapist. My work is focused on relationships and treating or working with couples who are going through relational and/or emotional problems.

In terms of my background training and education, I earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology in New Zealand and a Master of Social Sciences in Criminology in Hong Kong at The University of Hong Kong and also earned a Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology at the California School of Professional Psychology in USA.

Your practice focuses on the Gottman Method, Psychodynamic, CBT and Systemic approaches. What is this, can you explain what this means and how this is incorporated into your clinical practice?

So, the Gottman Method is the main method of therapy of which I focus on. This method was developed by a pair of renowned psychologists and therapists based in Seattle. This method is based on more than 40 years of research experience as to why couples work and why they don’t work. The Gottman Method focuses heavily on emotions and how people connect. This is how I frame my clinical approach – many times couples in Hong Kong do not know how to express their emotion and rather they talk cognitively and intellectually with each other with very little emotion expressed. The Gottman Method embraces a lot of emotion and that aspect of a relationship. It’s a very comprehensive model and I embrace a lot of the techniques used in the Gottman Method.

The Psychodynamic Method is one that has a very long history. This approach focuses heavily on previous life experience and on the understanding of the intra-psychic conflict and hence defenses and different attachment and relations which we have with our parents and other significant others. This method emphasizes the unconscious processes and it is a complicated and complex approach.

CBT is Cognitive Behaviour Therapy and is one of the most commonly used approaches in modern psychotherapy. It is vastly symptom-oriented and the aim is to help clients alleviate their presenting symptoms and identify the factors maintaining the problems. The focus tagline of CBT is that if we change how we think, we can change how we feel.

Many individuals who are going through divorce are challenged with the emotions associated with divorce. What are some of the central themes you are experiencing in your clinical practice with those going through a divorce?

Many individuals seek counseling and psychotherapy as a last resort. It is a last resort after trying everything else. In a divorce process, there are a lot of emotions including, but not limited to anger, frustration and depression. My approach is to try to help them understand where they are in the relationship. A lot of couples think that my role is to help them get back together. However, couples’ therapy is more than that. Yes, getting back together may be one of the goals, but a key goal is to try to help individuals see what they really want in the relationship and so they could be more informed in deciding their future. Couples therapy is a tool/platform to create a safe, comfortable and natural platform for them to communicate with each other. It is a way for couples to connect emotionally because many couples have been talking intellectually but that didn’t work out so in my sessions, I help them connect emotionally.

What practical exercises can individuals do to emotionally connect and get through times of distress (eg. divorce and the Covid-19 pandemic)?

One of the key exercises I suggest to couples is to engage in “stress reducing conversation” – This requires couples to take turns to be the speaker and the listener and the key is to talk about their feelings about anything other than the relationship and relationship issues. This exercise allows the listener to emotionally engage with the speaker and vice versa. This exercise helps couples connect emotionally rather than get caught in the loop of discussion where the focus is only on the relationship and relationship issues. By talking about other things, the couple can start to rebuild healthy conversation. I also suggest that couples use “I” statements when talking about things rather than “you.” Couples should practice this every day for 15 to 20 minutes and try to make some peaceful conversation so the brain can learn that they are each capable of creating non-stressful conversation. This creates the basis for the couple to talk about something more serious.

What advice do you have for parents who are trying to co-parent amidst a divorce? What do you recommend for parents so that they can successfully navigate healthy parenting post-divorce?

First and foremost, it is important for parents to talk to each other first to try to understand each other and then to compromise. Healthy parenting post-divorce requires compromise but a lot of people misunderstand what compromise really means. Individuals think that compromise means that you have to sacrifice and give something up to please the other person but that is not compromise. Compromise can be seen as you and your partner each being a part of your own planet but you both have to come out of yours and meet halfway. In our sessions, I assist couples to identify the areas where they are flexible and where they are inflexible. Compromise can only be accomplished in the common areas identified as “flexible.” However, it’s important to recognize that before entering into successful compromise, each person needs to hear why the other person is inflexible in certain areas. A lot of inflexibility stems from a person’s upbringing and it is deeply rooted in childhood experiences so when a partner tries to move something that was so deeply rooted it’s difficult to change and that’s why it’s so important to understand where the inflexibility is coming from. Change comes after understanding.

You also work with children and the complex emotions they may feel during a divorce and the loss of “family” that they may be feeling amidst a divorce. What can parents do to bring healing and help their children communicate the complexity of emotions they may be feeling?

According to research, children as young as 6 months old can sense a parent’s emotions. A child at this young age may not know the reasons behind it but they can feel a parent’s emotions so parents need to be aware of this. What helps a child is when parents are aware of their own emotions. A parent’s emotion can be very intense even if they decide to use silence as a coping mechanism. Silence sometimes hurts more than when parents fight because silence creates a deep sense of confusion in children. My first suggestion is to not assume that the child(ren) do not know what is going on and instead try to be genuine in terms of your emotions. Emotions are powerful and parents can decide the depth of details they wish to share with a child with respect to the problems they are having and wisdom should be used by a parent when it comes to sharing such details. However, when it comes to emotions, a parent should be genuine with the child. If you’re not happy, you can tell your child you are unhappy but not necessarily have to disclose what exactly happened in terms of details.

You created an online platform called “Your Relationship Clinic” on social media. Can you tell us more about this platform and how you are helping individuals through this online platform?

The “Your Relationship Clinic” was a platform I created in 2013 on Facebook. As time went on, I wanted to reach out more to the younger generation in Hong Kong and I switched the platform to run on Instagram. This is a platform where I share a lot of information and thoughts as a psychologist and a relationship therapist on issues related to relationships. Rather than focusing on academic research, I value sentimental and emotional perspective to allow me to interact more closely with my followers. Each day I run a Q & A and am there to listen to those going through difficulties and my role is to help them understand that there are people out there willing to listen. My platform is run in Chinese but English speakers can also reach out to me should they have any questions or concerns or wish to have a listening ear. My Instagram can be found at @yrrelationshipclinic.

About Dr. Ken Fung, Clinical Psychologist:

Dr. Fung is a Clinical Psychologist and focuses on helping individuals, couples and families with relational and emotional issues using the Gottman Method, Psychodynamic, CBT and Systemic approaches.

Dr. Fung graduated with a Doctor of Psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology, USA and he also received a Master of Social Science from The University of Hong Kong and Bachelor of Sciences from The University of Auckland, New Zealand.

Apart from his role as a clinical psychologist, Dr. Fung is the creator of the platform “Your Relationship Clinic”, an interactive channel allowing open discussion and emotional support to traditional Chinese-speaking individuals with relationship issues they may have with partners, family members, friends, colleagues and pets.

Dr. Fung’s practice emphasizes the importance of communication as a tool to meet expectations but also a vehicle to express genuine emotions through the establishment of a “safe space.”

Dr. Fung is based in Hong Kong and his clinic is located at the Jadis Blurton Family Development Center.

Spotlight Profile – Sanam Ramchandani, LCA Solutions

In this spotlight profile, we are speaking to Sanam Ramchandani, Deputy CEO and Founder of LCA Solutions. LCA Solutions is an award-winning multi-family office based in Hong Kong that services its clients overall needs as a “One Stop Solution center”. Originally focused primarily on financial issues they also provide a forum to discuss and source answers to the numerous non-financial issues clients may face including topics such as succession, generational transfer, matrimonial structuring and family governance.

Sanam, thank you for taking the time to speak with us today.

Can you tell us a little bit about your background and why you decided to create your own Multi Family Office?

For the last 30 years, I have been in the financial industry and actively participated in growing the Asian Private Banking space that we see today. Before founding LCA Solutions in 2010, I had been in senior management roles within international banks directly servicing the needs of High-Net-Worth clients but also answering the requirements of the bank itself.

Following the financial crisis, I felt that a boutique approach was more conducive to offering the style of services I felt was needed for clients and hence started LCA Solutions, which combines the quality of the process driven models of leading international banks with the attention and tailor-made approach that only a boutique can afford to provide by servicing a limited client base. Quality and Passion is not easily scalable.

Can you expand on the link between your service offering and the need for succession and family planning advice?

We believe too much focus is put on investment related topics by Asian families while communication and succession issues are not appropriately dealt with, thus increasing the risk of future destabilisation within the family.

As human beings going through life, we all face issues and sometimes are overwhelmed by them thus procrastinating on our reply.

By facilitating discussions, we provide a forum to source answers recognising that starting the process is not always easy without external help.

In your line of work, you need to take into account various family issues, one of which being marriage and potential divorce; How do you approach these situations with your clients?

Many patriarchs and matriarchs are extremely worried about their sons or daughters getting married to individuals that may be less wealthy than themselves. From our experience, they most commonly ask about trusts, prenuptial agreements or postnuptial agreements to protect their children from potential “gold-diggers”; but also protect the overall family assets from future issues arising through the actions of a specific family member (like Divorce).

This might sound really “unromantic” but parents, especially wealthy ones, will always have a legitimate concern about the intentions of their children’s future spouses.

Our advice is hence to always start these types of discussions early with all family members and not when they bring someone home for whom they have serious feelings or are in the process of divorcing. You need to discuss concepts without a specific person, or event, in mind in order to avoid being perceived as targeting that specific individual or issue.

We advise the family that to succeed, such discussions must rely on the buy-in of all those concerned and must be perceived as transparent and fair (or at least with adequate explanations on the reasoning behind the potential contentious decision) in order to have the highest chance of long-lasting success and avoid future destabilizing issues within a family.

Specifically speaking, I know you focus on assisting women with their respective financial issues. Can you explain more about what you’re seeing especially in Hong Kong and how you’re trying to empower your women clientele to take charge of their lives and give them financial freedom?

During my career, I noticed that many women in general leave financial matters to their spouse as they feel that it is a world that is too complex for them. Many times, women feel that their time is better spent in either raising a family or advancing their career and really burrowing down doing so. That is why women do very well in general.

Although I do not focus on women as such, I have come across various situations and have noticed a common thread of anxiety that women seem to have when they have to deal with financial issues.

It is with this is mind, that I feel that being a woman myself who has been in the financial arena for over 30 years, my experience may be valuable to other women. As a wealth manager, I see my job as someone who can definitely minimize the anxiety as a result of the “unknown”.

Financial freedom stems from the fact that you know you will be able to continue a certain lifestyle that is comparable to what you were used to.

Why do you think it’s especially important to educate women about financial freedom especially in Hong Kong?

Whether it is in Hong Kong or elsewhere, women should feel comfortable when discussing financial issues. To achieve that, it is important that they have the opportunity to understand the various concepts at hand in the financial markets and not be taken aback by the “jargon” used that makes it look more difficult than it is.

As mentioned before, most believe that financial freedom is obtained when your financial income provides enough to cover the needs of your lifestyle.

Since you should not spend what you do not have, it is important to be honest and realistic about financial expectations and hence the most important element is to have the client understand when the capital amount at their disposal is not enough to generate their required cashflow.

Hong Kong is one of the most expensive cities in the world so when talking about the financial impact of divorce, the hardest talks are often the most important ones to have. Discussions such as moving to a less expensive city or, in the case of a housewife, re-entering the workforce in one way or another should always be discussed as a potential solution; even if not the preferred choice for some.

But it is important to have an honest and realistic discussion; only then can someone feel they can make the right decision for them and regain control.

What tips can you provide women who are going through a divorce and how to uncouple in a way that brings financial freedom and independence?

When heading towards a divorce, you sadly need to prepare for the worst and hope for the best; thus, I advise clients to map their assets, so they know what they could expect from the proceedings.

Too often we see that the wife has limited knowledge of the intricate details of the couples’ financial situation. Hence it is important for them to obtain that information, or at least gather as much as possible of the available information.

Emotions, by definition, are always going to be high and as financial advisors, it is important for us to try to defuse the situation as much as possible so the client can focus on the financial facts.

Staying calm and objective, is easier said than done, I know. Once the decision is made then it is imperative to look at the situation objectively and “keep calm and carry on”.

The emotional toll of going through a divorce is bad enough without having to worry about how to manage your finances. But it is important to always remain realistic about financial issues.

Our goal is to ease part of that burden by answering four action points for our clients: understand what level of financial freedom they can expect from their divorce settlement, open new private bank accounts for them to start afresh, formulate the investment strategy that will be required to achieve their financial objectives and finally implement it while reporting back to them in full transparency so they can have peace of mind to focus on other issues.

Independence is also a frame of mind which can only be achieved if one feels at ease and in control. To know exactly how much you have, and how much you can spend, is definitely a big part of that control.

About Sanam Ramchandani:

Born in Hong Kong, Sanam has over 30 years of experience in the International Financial Industry. She co-founded LCA Solutions, an award-winning Hong Kong multi-family office, whose primary focus is providing wealth management services to individual clients, families and their family businesses. As an SFC regulated multi-family office, LCA Solutions provides a complete range of investment services but also a forum to discuss non-financial issues such as family governance, succession planning, matrimonial structuring etc. Through her own experience and network, Sanam can answer all your financial needs as well as help source answers to issues such as prenuptial or postnuptial agreements, divorce proceedings or family matrimonial structuring.

For more information about Sanam Ramchandani and her company, LCA Solutions, you can visit their website: https://www.lcasolutions.asia/

Spotlight Profile: Madeleine Booth, Barrister at Bernacchi Chambers

In this Spotlight Profile, we are talking to Madeleine Booth, Barrister at Bernacchi Chambers in Hong Kong. Madeleine was recently named as one of the leading family and divorce law barristers in Hong Kong for 2021 by Doyles Guide.

Over the next year, we will touch base with Madeleine to discuss various hot topics in the area of matrimonial law and delve deeper into each subject and gain insight from her, as a barrister with expertise in the family law arena.

Madeleine, we spoke to you in September 2019 (pre-Covid) and you gave us a great rundown and overview of your work as a barrister in Hong Kong, pointing out the differences between a barrister and solicitor and the work that you do. Can you tell us how you have been since pre-Covid days and whether you have seen any changes in the matrimonial sector since the Covid-19 pandemic?

Since the last occasion, there’s certainly been a shift in the matrimonial sector as a consequence of the pandemic. To give just two key examples, there’s firstly been an unforeseeable, dramatic impact to various industries, which has had a knock-on effect on people’s income and perhaps even resulted in one or both spouses losing their job. Due to this, there’s been a marked increase in applications for variation of maintenance (monthly sums payable from one spouse to another, and/or for the benefit of the children of the family), as payments are no longer affordable or sustainable, either because of the loss of a job or a dramatic cut to an individual’s income.

Secondly, the situation caused by the pandemic has generally been a stressful, demanding time for families; both parents and children alike in many respects, and for a drawn out, extended period of time. Tensions and frustrations, exacerbated by limitations on travel and economic pressures, have led to fractures in marriages and co-parenting difficulties that have reportedly led to an increase in applications to the Family Court, whether it be for divorce, custody applications, relocation applications, or other relief. Unfortunately, the rise in cases coupled with the Family Court’s reduced operations for several months due to Covid-19 has resulted in an increase in delays for hearings. However, the judiciary is now working harder than ever to help clear the “backlog” caused.

What types of matrimonial disputes are you seeing more of with the changing social and economic climate in Hong Kong with the Covid-19 pandemic? Do you anticipate any changes post-Covid?

As I alluded to earlier, there’s been an increase in variation of maintenance and interim maintenance applications, meaning requests by one spouse to (generally) reduce the amount of periodic payments made by them to the other spouse and/or paid for the benefit of the children of the family. This is usually due to a change in the applicant spouse’s earnings or sudden loss of work. Hand in hand with this is the rise in enforcement procedures as, when one party can no longer afford to pay, they begin defaulting on payments as they fall due. As a result, the other spouse may take out an application to enforce these arrears of payments, whether it be by an Order 45 Rule 6 application, judgment summons procedure, or seeking a prohibition order (which prevents a party from leaving Hong Kong until the sum owed is paid).

I would also say that there’s been a rise in relocation applications, where one spouse wishes to leave Hong Kong and relocate to another jurisdiction with the children of the family. Again, these cases are on the rise because of the global shift in socio-economic environments caused by the pandemic. A party may need to relocate because of the loss of work opportunities in Hong Kong and the better prospects of work in another country. If a party loses their job, Hong Kong may no longer be affordable and they may need to relocate back to their country of origin to seek familial support, or where costs of living are lower, or for education opportunities/better quality of life for their children.

It’s been predicted that Covid-19 is here to stay for the foreseeable future. It is uncertain at present what changes will occur once the pandemic is brought under control, but hopefully greater stability for families in Hong Kong.

We want to continue our discussions with you on several hot topics in the area of matrimonial law, which we will do over the course of this upcoming year. To begin our series discussing hot topics in matrimonial law, let’s first tackle an area of great interest for those living in Hong Kong: marital agreements.

In Hong Kong, marital agreements are taken into consideration by the courts, but it’s not a guarantee that it will be followed. Do you see that changing going forward, especially as other jurisdictions rely heavily on these types of agreements?

There have been no developments that would suggest that the interpretation of marital agreements in Hong Kong will change in the foreseeable future. Hong Kong often looks to other commonwealth jurisdictions, predominantly the United Kingdom, when considering evolutions in the law. The shift in Hong Kong’s approach to marital agreements followed the 2010 landmark decision of Radmacher v Granatino [2010] UKSC 42, in the UK (adopted in Hong Kong in the Court of Final Appeal decision SPH v SA (2014) 17 HKCFAR 364).

Currently, the approach to marital agreements in Hong Kong is that, whilst the Court is not obliged to give effect to nuptial agreements, they should give weight to them in circumstances where it is fair to do so. What will be considered “fair” depends on the facts of the particular case. In appropriate cases, the Court will hold the parties to their agreement and will not impose terms that it would otherwise have ordered were it not for the agreement. This is consonant with the current approach of the Courts in England.

Do Hong Kong courts take into consideration cross-jurisdiction agreements? For example, what happens if an individual who is married overseas, moves to Hong Kong and subsequently gets divorced in Hong Kong and a marital agreement prepared and signed overseas is at the center of the dispute?

The same considerations would apply to a nuptial agreement whichever jurisdiction it is made in. The Hong Kong Family Court will consider whether it is fair to give the agreement weight in accordance with the principles set out in Radmacher, including but not limited to (1) whether the parties to the agreement were properly advised; (2) whether there was full financial disclosure prior to the signing of the agreement; (3) whether there was any duress exerted on one of the parties to sign the agreement; and (4) whether any unforeseen circumstances have arisen since the agreement that would render it unjust to hold the parties to it.

Have you ever had to argue before the Courts in Hong Kong regarding a marital agreement dispute? In order to avoid future disputes with respect to marital agreements, what tips or advice can you give to those entering into these types of marital agreements?

Yes, I have been involved in cases regarding marital agreement disputes. A nuptial agreement is generally more likely to be accorded weight if it can be shown to be both substantively and procedurally fair. Three foundational suggestions in respect of pre-nuptial agreements would be as follows:

Discuss the terms of the nuptial agreement well in advance of the marriage date (at least 28 days if not longer), which will assist in demonstrating that there was no duress or pressure on either party to sign the agreement in a hurry before the wedding date.
Both parties should receive independent legal advice (the parties cannot share one lawyer to advise them) on the agreement and should enter into it with full understanding and appreciation of its terms.
There should be sufficient disclosure to illustrate that the agreement was an informed decision.

It is very important to seek legal advice for a nuptial agreement from a qualified solicitor to ensure that its terms are substantively fair to both parties.

Thank you so much Madeleine for all your insight into this important topic. We look forward to speaking to you again to discuss other key topics of interest!

About Madeleine:

Madeleine’s practice encompasses both civil and criminal law, with a particular specialization in matrimonial work. Madeleine was recently named as one of the leading family and divorce law barristers in Hong Kong for 2021 by Doyles Guide.

In the Family Court, Madeleine has experience in contested financial and child related matters, and family related company and trust cases.

Having represented clients at Financial Dispute Resolution hearings, Children’s Dispute Resolution hearings, as well as at trial for preliminary issues (third party interests/property/companies), financial issues (MPS applications, ancillary relief trials) and child related matters (such as custody disputes, and applications under the Guardianship of Minors Ordinance), Madeleine’s experience is broad.

Madeleine is often called upon to make applications under s.17 of the MPPO, setting aside dispositions or applying for injunctions, on an urgent basis.

Madeleine also has experience in a number of other areas of legal practice, including civil litigation and criminal law. She has assisted senior counsel, and acted as sole legal counsel, in multiple hearings and trials at each level of court in Hong Kong, from its magistracies to the Court of Final Appeal. Madeleine appears in the High Court of Hong Kong regularly with respect to civil litigation matters, including trust related cases, injunctions, torts of harassment, intimidation, and unlawful means conspiracy, as well as summary judgment applications.

Madeleine’s experience extends beyond advocacy to include providing written opinions and legal advice, as well as assisting in mediations and arbitrations.

Spotlight Feature: Interview with Gordon Oldham – Senior Partner of Oldham, Li & Nie Solicitors

We believe it is of utmost importance to provide you with as much useful information as possible to assist you through the divorce process in Hong Kong. This includes information on the matrimonial experts in Hong Kong and the services they provide to support you through your divorce.

It is for this reason we are starting a new feature series called Spotlight Feature. In Spotlight Feature, we will be interviewing key individuals and law firms with experience and expert knowledge in matrimonial law in Hong Kong. We hope these feature articles will provide you with useful information and excellent resources for your divorce journey.

In our first Spotlight Feature, we focus on Oldham, Li and Nie (“OLN”), a well-known Hong Kong law firm established in 1987 by Founder Gordon Oldham. The firm is located in St. George’s Building in Hong Kong’s central business district and has a team of nearly 40 lawyers.

OLN services range from corporate and commercial law, to employment and intellectual property law. OLN also has a highly regarded divorce and family law practice headed by Partner Stephen Peaker. Stephen’s team focuses on matrimonial disputes, children issues, ancillary relief and pre and post-nuptial agreements.

To discuss the firm’s matrimonial practice, we met with Gordon Oldham the Senior Partner and Founder of OLN, who besides having a heavy commercial practice also deals extensively on matrimonial matters, especially on their financial aspects.

Q: Mr. Oldham, thank you for taking the time to speak with hongkongdivorce.com. Can you tell me more about yourself and your background?

A: I am British and have been practicing law in Hong Kong for 40 years. I was originally with a larger firm but subsequently established OLN in 1987. In the past 30 years OLN has carved out a space in litigation practice which of course includes matrimonial law. It also has its focus on commercial aspects which of course for people living in Hong Kong is a very real consideration. Regretfully the main focus of divorce proceedings is on the financial and commercial aspects. We have created what I believe is rather unique in Hong Kong i.e. a business department where we have a number of qualified accountants and lawyers, who have showed themselves invaluable when considering the parties’ finances and unlocking value and location of assets. Regretfully most lawyers still have trouble reading a balance sheet and a lot of this forensic work in the past has been farmed out (at great expense to clients) to outside accountants). We believe in keeping it in-house and developing expertise within our own team.

Q: You have such a unique set of skills and expertise which you bring to your firm. So let’s talk about OLN. Why do you think your firm is considered to be one of the leading matrimonial law firms in Hong Kong?

A: As I mentioned above, we do have a unique set of skills in so far as the commercial aspects are concerned. We would like to think that no other matrimonial team possesses such in-house expertise. The matrimonial department is headed by Partner Stephen Peaker who has been practicing matrimonial law for almost 30 years. Stephen has a great deal of experience in cross-border matrimonial issues which is of course very often the case in Hong Kong since there are so many expatriates. The first question is always – do I divorce here in Hong Kong or in my own country? Stephen is also a member of the Fellow of the International Academy of Family Lawyers which means that the matrimonial department works with family law experts across the world and has developed a strong reputation in such regard. I believe it is our work ethic and our values. We also believe that life is complicated enough when it comes to divorce with the emotional baggage, stress and worry that this brings, the last thing that a wife or husband needs is a pedantic academic lawyer with little or no empathy, who regards the matter as just another case. This attitude is endemic in Hong Kong especially with lawyers who have been doing it all their life, and so acknowledging and working on this empathy and relating to the parties is all important. Lawyers need to be strong for their clients but they also need to be aware of the human side.

OLN’s matrimonial team is uniquely dedicated to each and every client. Each case is tailored to an individual’s unique circumstances and each member of our team is sensitive to the struggles each client is going through yet also understanding the need to be aggressive when necessary to achieve the desired result for our clients.

Q: What do you think makes OLN stand out from the other matrimonial law firms in Hong Kong?

A: The matrimonial team spirit is in line with OLN’s vision and dedication to service which for us means, on time and no excuses. This means that our matrimonial team is dedicated to an individual’s case as if it were the only one at our firm. This is especially important in matrimonial law because the clients are individuals going through a very difficult and challenging time and these individuals need attention and assistance in walking through each step of the divorce process. The individual care and concern our partners and associates have for their clients is what makes us stand out, not to mention the expertise and experience our partners and associates bring to each and every case.

Q: What advice would you give to an individual going through a divorce in Hong Kong?

A: First and foremost, don’t panic. The whole divorce process can be rather challenging so keep your lawyer informed of everything throughout the divorce process so they are not caught by surprise. There are no dumb questions so don’t be afraid to ask these questions of your lawyer and get precise and clear answers. Always know what this is going to cost. Too many lawyers are happy to just roll on working for a wife or a husband and then at the end present a big whopping bill. Others when acting for the wife sometimes suggest that – it doesn’t matter; your husband is paying for this. The problem is that all of these legal costs come out of the matrimonial pot, so keep costs at the forefront of your mind at all times and do not be shy about it.

Don’t forget that the whole process is rather daunting and calls for staying power because there will be times when you just want to give up and get it over with. That is only human and this is the time when you need to lean on your lawyer. I used to do a lot of marathons and the divorce process is more or less the same, it will be tiring but more importantly it will come to an end. Moving house, a death in the family and divorce are certainly some of the more emotional experiences but thankfully they come and occur very rarely so find a lawyer whose hand you can hold and rely on to get the job done.

Q: What are the common difficulties your clients have faced in the past in divorce proceedings?

A: As I have said a divorce is emotionally draining but I have to say it is more or less like a commercial transaction. By that I mean that it’s a step by step process of separating finances and figuring out new arrangements with respect to children, access, financial support and other key issues in a divorce . As we know, all decisions are based on emotion. It is only afterwards that we find some other justification for our actions. Humans are great at finding reasons for any of their decisions! We will never separate these emotions, but what we can do is get to a place where we treat the whole process as a job and focus on the individual steps that need to be taken to resolve issues without too much scarring on the heart or long-term emotional damage.

Well it is often the case that wives have absolutely no idea about the financial background to the marriage and have no idea as to what can be expected in the future. I believe that is where OLN lead because of our ability to rationally assess the financial picture and make recommendations which are economically justifiable.

Q: What is the best way for someone interested in your services to get in touch with you?

A: If someone is interested in our services, they can easily call us at +852 2868 0696 and set up an appointment for a consultation with one of the leading matrimonial solicitors from our matrimonial department. Individuals can also stop by our offices. We are located at Suite 503, 5/F, St. George’s Building, 2 Ice House Street, Central, Hong Kong. Enquiries can also be sent to info@oln-law.com and we will point you to the right solicitor for your individual needs.

Q: Thank you again for taking the time out of your busy schedule to speak to us!

A: My pleasure- I love what you are doing-bringing the law to us all and getting rid of the mystery!

Spotlight Profile – Dr. Ken Fung, Clinical Psychologist

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