Wilkinson & Grist 高露雲律師行 is one of Hong Kong’s oldest and most established law firms with a long tradition of excellence. Its history is traced back to 1883 when the firm was founded by Mr Daniel Edmund Caldwell. In 1886 he was joined by Mr. Charles David Wilkinson and the firm’s name was changed to “Caldwell & Wilkinson”. When Mr. Caldwell left the firm in 1891, Mr. Wilkinson was joined by Mr. Edgar James Grist and the firm’s name was changed to Wilkinson & Grist. However, the firm’s Chinese name, “高露雲律師行”, has always remained the same.
Both Mr Wilkinson and Mr Grist were very active in Hong Kong in business, public service and social circles.
Mr Wilkinson was a keen sailor and a member of the Hong Kong Corinthian Sailing Club. Professionally he was involved in maritime cases and co-authored the book “Navigation of Ships in Fog”. Patent and trademark law practice in the Far East region was also a major area of his practice. In 1907, he published a book entitled “History and Law of Trademarks in Hong Kong”. This book was well received and a second edition of the book was published. Intellectual Property has therefore always been a very important part of the firm’s practice and this, of course, continues to this day. We pride ourselves on working closely with many multinational and local corporations, the Government of HKSAR, major institutions and universities in relation to their intellectual property matters.
Mr Wilkinson made significant contributions to The Law Society of Hong Kong. He was one of the subscribers to the Memorandum of Association when the society was incorporated in 1907. When the Law Society celebrated its centenary in 2007, special tribute was paid to Mr. Wilkinson as being one of the seven lawyers who met with the then Governor of Hong Kong to request for the incorporation of The Law Society of Hong Kong.
Mr Grist was a keen cricketer and golfer. He was a Chairman of the Hong Kong Golf Club and one of the pioneers of the Fanling Golf course complex in Hong Kong. The complex is where the Hong Kong Open is played each year.
Our firm is mentioned often in the old Hong Kong law reports and we acted in many of the leading cases in the early legal history of Hong Kong. Built on this tradition, dispute resolution remains one of our main practice groups today.
Beginning as a fishing village, Hong Kong has developed into a world city and major financial centre in just more than 150 years. Our corporate / commercial and real estate practices have grown with the development of Hong Kong. Today, our firm’s very active corporate / commercial and real estate teams act for major international and local clients.
Following the opening in 2000 of our office in Beijing, we set up our own IP agency in Beijing in 2004. The agency was the first foreign wholly owned IP agency approved by the PRC State authorities.
Due to our reputation, our firm has attracted invitations from many international and leading law firms for mergers with them. However, our wish to remain independent to best serve our clients’ interests has outweighed other considerations. We therefore continue to be one of Hong Kong’s leading independent law firms.
Many of the solicitors and staff in the firm have served their whole career with us. They have enjoyed the friendly working environment and the spirit of camaraderie in the firm.
Set out below are some of the important milestones in the firm’s history:
1883 Daniel Edmund Caldwell commenced his firm Caldwell & Co. at 50 Queen’s Road Central.
1886 Charles David Wilkinson joined the firm and the name of the firm was changed to “Caldwell & Wilkinson”.
1891 Daniel Caldwell left the firm and Charles David Wilkinson was joined by Edgar James Grist. The firm’s name in English was changed to Wilkinson & Grist but the Chinese name “高露雲律師行”, remained the same.
1905 The firm moved to 9 Queen’s Road Central.
1931 The firm moved to 2 Queen’s Road Central.
1965 The firm moved to Jardine House (later known as Wheelock House) at Pedder Street
1982 The firm moved to Prince’s Building at Chater Road where it still is
2000 The firm opened an office in Beijing
2004 Wilkinson & Grist (Beijing) Intellectual Property Agency Limited was incorporated
Founded in 1883
50 people in their team
Our Company and Commercial Practice Group has for the past decades been providing services to our clients in different industries in relation to their corporate and commercial matters. Our clients consist of multi-national corporations, international and local banks, listed companies, as well as private companies.
Services provided by us include:
Our Dispute Resolution Practice Group has for some years been rapidly growing and is now the largest group in the firm. We are honoured that we have received a number of awards in recognition of our remarkable performance in the legal profession. Our clients consist of well-known corporations, banks, individuals and regulatory bodies. Due to our substantial experience with regard to the Nina Wang litigation, we have become very well-known in the probate litigation field and are involved in many cases in this area.
Moreover, we handle a wide spectrum of litigation and arbitration cases including commercial and shareholders’ disputes, defamation, employment, professional negligence, as well as administrative cases. We act for many local and international banks in Hong Kong and are involved in a wide range of banking and finance disputes. We also have extensive experience in dealing with cases involving sizable claims and complex legal issues, including cross-border multi-jurisdictional cases.
We are thankful for the continuous recognitions and awards given to our Practice Group by many international publications, including:
Services provided by us include:
Administrative and Constitutional Law
Arbitration and Mediation
Banking and Finance
Commercial
Defamation
Probate and Trusts
Professional Negligence
Our Employment Practice Group handles both contentious and non-contentious employment related matters for both corporate clients and employees. We regularly advise on employment contracts, service contracts, confidentiality agreements and termination contracts.
Our Employment Practice Group also advises on employee benefits and award schemes, employee protection, legislation against discrimination, provident funds, data protection, employee handbooks, restrictive covenants, termination and redundancies, employee misconduct and regulatory compliance matters.
Services provided by us include:
General Employment Advice
Court Proceedings
Preventive Planning and Training
Employees Compensation
First foreign IP Agency approved in Mainland China
Being a forerunner in the practice since its inception more than 100 years ago, our IP Practice Group has continued its leadering status through our commitment to providing first class legal work. With the opening of our Beijing office in 2000 and our wholly owned PRC IP Agency established in 2004, our practice has expanded substantially to the Greater China region. Our group now has a headcount of about 100, with over 26 professionals including Hong Kong and PRC legal counsel, PRC patent agents and PRC trademark agents, and executives, technical specialists, translators and other support staff serving our office in Hong Kong and working on the ground at our office in Beijing.
Our members are at the forefront of legislation making and are very active both in the international and local IP fields. We are thankful for the continuous high recognition given to our Practice Group and our individual lawyers by many international publications, including:
“The World’s Leading Patent Practitioners” by iam 1000
“The World’s Leading Trademark Professionals” by World Trademark Review 1000
“IP Stars Handbook - The Definitive Guide to Leading IP Firms and Lawyers” by Managing Intellectual Property
“Annual IP Survey” by Managing Intellectual Property
“Asia Pacific Top Tier Firm and Leading Individual – The Client’s Guide to the Asia Pacific Legal Profession” by The Legal 500
“Chambers Asia Pacific Guide”
“Chambers Global Guide”
“Asia IP Copyright/Trademark/Patent Survey” by Asia IP
“AsiaLaw Leading Lawyers”
“The Guide to Asia Pacific’s Leading Domestic Law Firms” by Asialaw Profiles
“Guide to the World’s Leading Trade Mark Lawyers” by Expert Guides
“Expert Guides Patent The World’s Leading Practitioners” chosen by their Peers by the Legal Media Group Expert Guide
“50 Patent Lawyers You Should Know” by Asia IP
“The Best of the Best Expert Guides” by Legal Media Group
“Who’s Who of Business Lawyers, Patent and Trademarks” by WHO’s WHO LEGAL
“China Business Law Journal”
“Legal Awards for Top Tier Trade Mark Law” by Corporate LiveWire
“Global Awards for Intellectual Property – Hong Kong” by Corporate LiveWire
Wilkinson & Grist (Beijing) Intellectual Property Agency Ltd., setup in 2004, was the first IP agency approved by the State authorities to a foreign party, we have been filing and working directly with the China Trade Mark Office as well as the Copyright Bureaus and also handling all other areas of IP work from protection and enforcement to commercialization of IP. With our professionals Mainland China joining forces with our HK lawyers, we are pleased to have been able to attain numerous notable successes with many being unprecedented.
Our expertise covers all areas of intellectual property law in particular cross border protection, with different teams specializing in different areas.
Portfolio management
Enforcement and dispute resolution of IP rights
Transactional and commercial IP
Domain name, information technology and Internet-related issues
Regulatory issues
Our Private Client Practice Group assists individual clients in their personal matters, such as protection of assets, preparation of wills and enduring powers of attorney, establishment of trusts, estate planning and administration of estates and trusts. We represent clients in administration of the estates of mentally incapacitated individuals. Our lawyers in the Private Client Practice Group understand that clients have different needs depending on their personal circumstances and manage special needs in ways that best serve their clients’ interests.
Services provided by us include:
Asset Disposition
Trusts
Asset Preservation in Special Circumstances
Real estate remains one of Hong Kong’s most important and valuable assets. Real estate transactions often involve substantial amounts and require timely and top quality professional services. Our strong Real Estate Practice Group provides consultation and legal services in a wide range of real estate related matters, including government grants and modifications, project developments and pre-sales, town planning applications, real estate management, real estate disposals and acquisitions, disposals and acquisitions of real estate holding special purpose vehicles, project and real estate finance and mortgages, leases and tenancies. The lawyers in our Real Estate Practice Group also regularly advise on joint ventures and development agreements, special purpose leases, service level agreements, resumptions and compulsory acquisitions and enforcement and realization of security involving real estate.
Services provided by us include:
Property Developments
Acquisitions and Disposals
Property Finance and Mortgages
Leases
Others
