Mark Johnson

Of Counsel

email
vCard

Hong Kong

Tel: +852 2160 9861

Overview

Mark Johnson is of counsel in the Hong Kong office of Debevoise & Plimpton LLP and is a member of the International Dispute Resolution Group. His practice ... Read Full Biography

Experience

- A number of global investment banks, retail banks, brokers, hedge funds and their executives in investigations by the Securities and Futures Commission and the Hong Kong Monetary Authority including in relation to sponsorship roles, mis-selling, insider trading, market manipulation and internal controls’ failures.
- A number of high net worth families or individuals in family disputes or trust/estate issues in Hong Kong.
- A number of international banks in the defence of mis-selling claims brought against them in the High Court of Hong Kong.
- General and Limited Partners in disputes or investigations in relation to private equity funds.
- Numerous corporates and individuals in shareholder or joint venture disputes in Hong Kong and the People’s Republic of China.
- A number of Hong Kong publicly-listed companies or their Independent Boards in investigations by the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, the Securities and Futures Commission, the Independent Commission Against Corruption and other Hong Kong enforcement agencies, as well as in relation to the conduct of internal investigations.
- A number of multinationals and global financial institutions in investigations across Asia, including in the People’s Republic of China, Macau, Taiwan, South Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand and the Philippines.
- The Hong Kong Independent Commission Against Corruption and the then Attorney General’s Chambers in the investigation and subsequent prosecution of Charles Warwick Reid (head of the Commercial Crime Unit) and the private sector lawyers alleged to have paid bribes to him.
- The Listing Division of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in a number of investigations and subsequent disciplinary proceedings concerning various breaches of the Listing Rules as well as the Listing Committee of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in relation to procedural and other issues arising from reviews of Listing Division decisions under the Listing Rules.

Education

University of Bristol, 1983, Bachelor of Laws

Mark Johnson is of counsel in the Hong Kong office of Debevoise & Plimpton LLP and is a member of the International Dispute Resolution Group. His practice focuses on commercial litigation, international arbitration and white collar/regulatory defense matters, particularly in the financial services sector.Mr. Johnson joined Debevoise in March 2015. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Johnson was a partner at a leading international firm in Hong Kong, where for over 25 years, he advised clients on a range of dispute resolution and white collar crime matters in Hong Kong and most of the major financial centres in Asia. During this period, he also oversaw the opening of that firm’s disputes practices in Singapore, Jakarta, Bangkok, Beijing, Seoul, Shanghai and Tokyo. Mr. Johnson has since 2018 also served as convenor on the Financial Reporting Review Panel, an independent body appointed by the Hong Kong Government to uphold the quality of financial reporting of limited companies.Mr. Johnson has built a successful practice advising on large-scale cross-border and domestic commercial disputes in the courts or before arbitral institutions, internal and regulatory investigations and advising clients in relation to inquiries from a range of regulatory bodies, both in Asia and elsewhere. These include matters involving the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and the Independent Commission Against Corruption. Much of his work is in the financial services, private equity and private wealth sectors.Mr. Johnson has become one of Asia’s most respected and experienced litigators. Chambers Greater China (2024) ranks him as a Band 1 lawyer in China for litigation and he is also recommended for financial services: contentious regulatory matters, noting that he is “clever and diligent” and that he offers “all-round superior services and strategies.” He is described as “very hands-on, smart, efficient, professional and reliable.” According to sources, “he not only provides the correct legal analysis, but also provides commercial insight and strategic thinking to the client.” Clients praise his skill, saying that he is a “very experienced” litigator who has “built a decent reputation in the investigations and regulatory space,” and that he is “a terrific lawyer” who is “doing an outstanding job on high-stakes and complex matters.” According to previous editions of the guide, “complex regulatory matters in difficult jurisdictions are his sweet spot,” and he has “very strong judgement, creativity and excellent insight.” Labelled as an “Asia disputes doyen” and “absolute star” by The Legal 500 Asia Pacific, Mr. Johnson is listed in its Hall of Fame for litigation, as well as a leading individual for anti-corruption and compliance, with clients noting his “encyclopaedic knowledge” of this area and his ability to handle “the biggest and most complex cases with real aplomb.” The guide further recommends him for international arbitration. He is also listed in The Legal 500 Asia Pacific – Greater China (2024) and included in The Legal 500 Arbitration Powerlist for Hong Kong (2023). He is ranked in the top tier for Dispute Resolution: Litigation in Chambers Global (2024). The guide has described him as a “very experienced” litigator who has “built a decent reputation in the investigations and regulatory space,” and also noted that he is “very, very knowledgeable.” IFLR1000 (2023) recommends Mr. Johnson for Financial Services Regulatory work, Lawdragon recognizes him as one of the 500 leading global litigators, Benchmark Litigation (Asia-Pacific) names him a Dispute Resolution Star and he is also named by Expert Guides in its “Best of the Best” list for Litigation and White Collar Crime.Mr. Johnson holds a law degree from Bristol University. He is admitted to practice as a solicitor in Hong Kong and England & Wales.庄智宇律师是本所香港分所的合伙人，是国际争议解决业务组成员。他的执业领域侧重于商业诉讼、国际仲裁以及白领/监管辩护事项，尤其侧重于金融服务行业。庄律师于2015年3月加入德普。在此之前，庄律师是香港一家领先的国际律所的合伙人，他就香港及亚洲几乎所有主要金融中心的各类争议解决和白领犯罪事项为客户提供建议，至今已有25年以上的经验。同时他还主持了该律所在新加坡、雅加达、曼谷、北京、首尔、上海和东京争议解决业务的开业。自2018年以来，庄律师还担任财务报告审核委员会（Financial Reporting Review Panel）召集人，该委员会是由香港政府委任的致力于维持有限公司财务报告质量的独立机构。庄律师经积累了很多成功的法律服务经验，包括在法院或仲裁机构就大型跨境及国内商业争议提供法律服务、就内部与监管调查以及亚洲和其他地区各类监管机构的询问提供法律服务,其中包括涉及香港证券及期货事务监察委员会、香港金融管理局、香港证券交易所和香港廉政公署的事务。庄律师的大部分工作涉及金融服务、私募股权以及私人财富领域。庄律师是亚洲最受尊敬和最有经验的诉讼律师之一。《亚太钱伯斯》（2022年）将庄律师列为中国金融服务（诉讼监管问题）以及诉讼领域的一等律师。对他的评价为“事必躬亲、聪明、高效、专业、可靠”。据消息人士透露：“他不仅能提供正确的法律分析，还能为客户提供商业洞察和战略思考。”客户称赞他的技能，称其为一名“经验丰富”的诉讼律师，“在调查和监管领域树立了良好的声誉”；一名“出色的律师”，“在处理高风险和复杂事项上表现出色”。该指南在往期版本中则表示“处理棘手的司法管辖区内复杂的监管问题尤其是他的强项”，他具有“很强的判断力、创造力和出色的洞察力”。《亚太法律500强》称庄律师为“亚洲争议解决的元老级人物”、“毋庸置疑的明星”，将其列入争议解决“名人堂”名单，以及列为反腐败与合规领域顶级律师。客户则特别提到庄律师在该领域拥有“百科全书式的知识”。该指南更将庄律师列为国际仲裁推荐律师。庄律师入选《全球钱伯斯》（2022年）的争议解决顶级梯队，并凭借其出色的公司调查/反腐败业务获得该指南推荐，被称为是一名“经验丰富”的诉讼律师，“在调查和监管领域树立了良好的声誉”，以及“知识非常、非常渊博”。《国际金融法律评论1000》（2020年）将其列为金融服务监管领域的推荐律师。《基准诉讼》亚太版（2021年）称其为“争议解决之星”。《专家指南》（Expert Guides）将庄律师列入其“诉讼”和“白领犯罪”领域的“最佳之最”名单。庄律师持有布理斯托大学的法律学位。他取得了香港、英格兰和威尔士的律师执业资格。