Head of Litigation

Responsibilities:1. Litigation and Dispute StrategyLead the strategy and management of contentious matters, including civil and commercial litigation, arbitration, pre-action disputes, regulatory inquiries, enforcement actions, and settlement negotiations.Assess claims, defenses, evidence, remedies, jurisdictional issues, cost-benefit considerations, and commercial impact; provide clear recommendations to senior management.Drive matters from early case assessment through pleadings, evidence management, hearing or trial preparation, settlement, enforcement, and post-case review.2. External Counsel and Case ManagementSelect, instruct, and manage external law firms, counsel, investigators, and other advisers across relevant jurisdictions.Review key legal submissions, correspondence, opinions, settlement documents, and court or arbitration materials to ensure consistency with the company’s position and objectives.Monitor litigation timelines, budgets, risks, and deliverables, and ensure matters progress in a controlled and commercially sensible manner.3. Litigation Risk Management and Early EscalationIdentify and assess potential dispute, enforcement, and reputational risks arising from business operations, transactions, products, customer or vendor relationships, employment matters, and regulatory communications.Develop practical mitigation strategies, escalation channels, legal hold procedures, evidence preservation protocols, and dispute response plans before matters escalate.Provide dispute-focused legal advice to executives and business leaders to support informed and timely decision-making.4. Regulatory and Internal InvestigationsLead or support internal investigations, regulatory requests, complaints, fraud-related matters, asset recovery, and other sensitive contentious issues.Coordinate fact-finding, document collection, witness interviews, privilege management, reporting, and remediation planning with relevant internal and external stakeholders.5. Commercial, Contractual, and Employment DisputesAdvise on high-risk commercial, contractual, vendor, customer, employment, and partnership disputes, with a focus on resolution strategy rather than general contract ownership.Support settlement negotiations and dispute-related documentation, including settlement agreements, releases, undertakings, notices, and pre-action correspondence.6. Litigation Governance, Reporting, and Process BuildingMaintain a clear litigation and disputes tracker covering case status, key risks, next steps, budget, ownership, and management decisions required.Prepare concise case updates, risk reports, and executive summaries; build practical processes for matter intake, risk assessment, external counsel engagement, budget approval, and lessons-learned review.7. Team Leadership and Cross-Functional CoordinationLead, supervise, and mentor in-house litigation or disputes team members, legal assistants, and project support staff where applicable.Coordinate effectively with legal, compliance, finance, HR, operations, product, and business teams to ensure disputes are handled with both legal rigor and commercial practicality.Requirements:Qualified lawyer with at least 10 years of legal experience, including substantial hands-on experience in litigation, arbitration, regulatory investigations, enforcement, or other contentious legal matters.Strong knowledge of Hong Kong legal framework; admission or legal qualification in other jurisdictions would be a plus.Previous experience in financial services, fintech, Web3, digital assets, investment banking, or other highly regulated sectors is preferred.Proven track record of setting case strategy, managing external counsel, controlling litigation budgets, and handling complex disputes from first response through resolution.Excellent legal analysis, judgment, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to translate complex legal risks into practical business recommendations.Strong legal drafting and review capabilities, including pleadings, legal opinions, pre-action correspondence, settlement agreements, instructions to counsel, and executive case summaries.Ability to work independently, manage multiple urgent matters across jurisdictions and teams, and remain composed under pressure.Excellent written and spoken English; Mandarin fluency is highly desirable for regional and cross-border matters.