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 (2025) named him as a Senior Statesperson for litigation and financial services: contentious regulatory matters, noting that he is “extremely experienced and clever with great judgment" 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 (2023-2024) 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、经验最丰富的诉讼律师之一。《钱伯斯大中华区》（2025年）将他评为“诉讼及金融服务：争议性监管业务”的“资深杰出人物”（Senior Statesperson），称他“经验极其丰富，聪慧、判断力极佳”，提供“全方位的优质服务和策略”。他被形容为“亲力亲为、聪慧、高效、专业且可靠”。消息人士表示：“他不仅为客户提供正确的法律分析，还提供商业洞见和战略思维”。客户称赞他的专业能力，称他为“经验老道”的诉讼律师，“在调查和监管领域建立了良好声誉”，是一名“优秀的律师”，“在处理高风险和复杂事务方面表现卓越”。据该指南的往期版本，“在复杂司法管辖区处理复杂的监管事务是他的专长领域”，他“判断力极强、富有创造力，洞察力非凡”。庄律师被《亚太法律500强》誉为“亚洲争议解决元老”、“毫无争议的明星人物”，并上榜该指南的诉讼“名人堂”名单，是反腐败与合规领域的领军人物，客户称赞他在该领域拥有“渊博的知识”，能够“沉着冷静地处理规模最大、最为复杂的案件”。他亦以国际仲裁业务获该指南的推荐。庄律师上榜《亚太法律500强——大中华区》（2024年）以及《法律500强》香港仲裁精英名单（2023年）。他获评《钱伯斯全球》（2024年）“争议解决：诉讼”领域第一梯队。该指南称他为“经验极其丰富”的诉讼律师，“在调查和监管领域建立了良好声誉”，“知识极其渊博”。庄律师以金融服务监管业务获《国际金融法律评论1000》（2023-2024年）的推荐；《Lawdragon》认可他为全球500强顶尖诉讼律师之一；《基准诉讼》（亚太版）称他为争议解决之星；《专家指南》将他列入诉讼和白领犯罪领域“顶尖精英”（Best of the Best）榜单。
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。