Legal Awards 2015 M&A awards 67 LEGAL awards ~ Best ADR Law Association - China Most Trusted ADR Advisors - China Hong Kong Mediation and Arbitration Centre (HKMAAC) is a professional association in Asia Pacific region estab- lished in the year of 2009 by a group of professionals after the civil justice reform in Hong Kong. All of its members come from different jurisdictions with various professional backgrounds: solicitors, barristers, former prosecutors, regulators, government officers, accountants, university lecturers, medical doctors, nurses, bankers, senior manage- ment executives, engineers, surveyors, social workers, counselors, psychologists and teachers etc. Ever since its establishment, HKMAAC aims to promote mediation, arbitration and other alternative dispute resolution services through both efficient and cost effective ways. It is now one of the leading and most repu- table Alternative Dispute Resolution Centres in the Asia Pacific region which has been dedicated to serve the development needs of Asia Pacific as a mediation and arbitration centre. To enhance the public awareness on mediation and Alternative Disputes Resolution, HKMAAC has been providing Pro Bono mediation and legal consultation services to different organizations, NGOs and the general public. To demonstrate its dedication and commitment in educating the young future leaders, it has estab- lished scholarships (Hong Kong Mediation and Arbitration Centre Scholarship) and (Hong Kong Mediation and Arbitration Centre Professional Award Scheme) with 9 universities. In year 2013, HKMAAC organized the first Joint University Mediation Competition and had provided full sponsorship for the champion to receive further education at Harvard University. Mr. Albert So is the Chairman of Hong Kong Mediation and Arbitration Centre and the practicing solicitor of the High Court of Hong Kong. Mr. So has over 10 years of professional experience in both Hong Kong and England legal industries. Starting from 2003, he held the in-house legal position as the Team Head of Legal and Compliance section at an inter- national banking group, responsible for handling its various legal, compliance and litigation issues. Later on, Mr. So had also been working at London and China, where he was responsible for global legal and regulatory matters. Upon the global financial crisis and the collapse of Lehman Brothers, he had been one of the senior investigation team members of Hong Kong Monetary Authority, responsible for conducting inves- tigations on banks’ suspicious fund movements, Know-Your-Client procedures, handling prosecutions and disciplinary-related professional proceedings. Throughout his professional time at regulatory authority, he had personally handled over 1,000 financial disputes and the relevant litigations. Recently, Mr. So had also been working as a consultant for one of the largest global investment banks, in-charging of the global legal/compliance team and being responsible for different regulatory legal projects across 12 jurisdictions (including Australia, South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Malaysia, Japan, PRC, Thailand, India, Indonesia, Philippines and Hong Kong) in the Asia Pacific region. Save for professional activities, Mr. So has also devoted his time on legal and ADR education. He has been the Programme Leader of City University of Hong Kong (SCOPE), part-time lecturer/instructor of Hong Kong Uni- versity of Science and Technology, YMCA, the Open University of Hong Kong (LiPace), former lecturer of me- diation at Hong Kong Polytechnic University (MBAAA), external trainer and speaker of different governmental departments (including Hong Kong Police College, Hospital Authority, Department of Health, Inland Revenue Department, Correctional Services Department, Labour Department, Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data etc.) and the Honorary Advisor of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Outstanding Stu- dents’ Union. To recognize his outstanding professional services at the community, Mr. So has received Gold Awards for his Pro Bono services from Social Welfare Department in both 2014 and 2015. Organization: Hong Kong Mediation and Arbitration Centre Name: Albert So Email:
[email protected] Web Address: www.hkmaac.org Address: Level 12, Infinitus Plaza, 199 Des Voeux Road Central, Hong Kong Tel: (852) 3796 3366 Hong Kong Mediation and Arbitration Centre