The Board of Directors of ACC Hong Kong invites all ACC Hong Kong members to join any of the below operating or programming committees. Members are encouraged to contact the chair of a committee directly to get more details or to join. As committees are at the heart of ACC Hong Kong, participating in a committee gives members an idea of how ACC Hong Kong operates, helps members get to know the Directors, and prepares interested members to become future Board members.
If you would like to get involved, please email the ACC Hong Kong Secretariat at infohk@accglobal.com with your name, contact details, committee of interest, and estimate of your time availability per month. Thank you for your support.
Finance Operating Committee
The chair of the Committee is the ACC Hong Kong Treasurer, Eddie Bao, who works with the Committee to maintain accurate records of receipts and disbursements as prescribed by ACC and prescribing those procedures to be followed by committees with respect to their finances. Monthly, the Treasurer shall report on the state of the chapter's finances to the board, and annually the Treasurer shall attend the required financial training held by ACC, submit the required annual financial report, and submit the required annual budget. We welcome ACC Hong Kong member involvement in committee activities. The expected time commitment is approximately 4 to 6 hours per month but may vary for certain projects.
Industry focus group committees
The industry focus group committees are dedicated to delivering seminars and discussion forums on industry-related legal issues, as well as networking opportunities, to in-house counsel working in the related industry and in-house counsel serving other industries who are interested in specific industry issues. The industry focus group committees include:
Financial Services Committee
The Financial Services Committee is made up of a group of legal practitioners drawn from a range of financial institutions representing investment banks, hedge funds, and local fintechs. Our aim is to create a stronger sense of community among in-house lawyers and compliance professionals within the financial services industry, providing opportunities for professional development and networking, as well as being a source of relevant legal resources. The Committee is co-chaired by Kat Kukreja and Ann Leung. Prior events include lunch gatherings, networking drinks, round table discussions and webinars on topics of interest. We would very much welcome suggestions from members on ideas for future events. We welcome ACC members to join our Committee to help improve our offering to members. The expected time commitment is approximately 2 to 4 hours per month.
Innovation and Emerging Technology Committee
The Innovation and Emerging Technology Committee is designed to provide opportunities for ACC Hong Kong members working in the technology industry as well as those interested in learning about the legal issues associated with new and emerging technologies – including how tech can be used to enhance in-house legal teams. The Committee will focus on highlighting emerging issues relevant to the industry, knowledge and best practice-sharing, and networking. The Committee is co-chaired by Vincent Ng and Bernard Tan. The expected time commitment is approximately 2 to 4 hours per month.
Member Engagement Committee
To benefit from the contribution of members who wish to help develop ACC Hong Kong, outside of joining the Board, ACC has formed a Member Engagement Committee, composed of keen members and chaired by ACC Directors. The objective of the Member Engagement Committee is to organise events that go beyond strictly legal topics and focus more on developing ‘soft skills’ of members, e.g., how to be successful in an in-house legal team. The Committee also focuses on bringing in new members to ACC Hong Kong. The Member Engagement Committee meets a few times per year (in person or by conference call) with a view to organising a number of in person/ hybrid events. The term for the Member Committee is one year and the ultimate composition of the Member Committee is subject to the discretion of the Board of Directors of ACC Hong Kong. Giselle Bates and Aedzer Oreel are co-chairs of the Member Engagement Committee. The expected time commitment is approximately 2 to 4 hours per month.
Pro Bono Committee
The ACC Hong Kong Pro Bono Committee was formed in 2017 with the goal of encouraging and assisting our members to provide pro bono legal services to needy institutions, individuals and not-for-profit enterprises. The Committee’s objectives are:
1. To understand the status quo for in-house counsel to provide pro bono legal services in Hong Kong;
2. To educate and facilitate our members’ participation in improving access to justice via production of guidance materials, resources, and delivery of educational seminars, with relevant information made available on the ACC Hong Kong website;
3. To try to connect our members who are keen to provide pro bono legal services with those who have little or no means to afford legal services; and
4. To serve as a voice for our members on policy and law reform issues that affect in-house counsels’ ability to provide pro bono legal services.
One of the Committee’s milestone achievements has been the production of a Guide for In-House Counsel on Pro Bono Legal Services in Hong Kong, produced together with DLA Piper. Please click to access the Resources section of our website. Our Guide covers matters such as how to establish in-house pro bono programs, and the insurance and regulatory issues that are applicable to Hong Kong lawyers in providing pro bono legal services, including precedent documents and non-profit organisations that work with in-house counsel. The Committee also actively supports and works with other practitioners, academics, students, other professionals and professional bodies from across the city and the Asia Pacific region to help improve access to justice and to advance the pro bono movement.
In signing up to this Committee you will have the opportunity to build networks and work on new opportunities with other in-house counsel, law firms and other stakeholders who share the common aim of helping Hong Kong’s under-privileged communities.
This Committee was first set up in 2017 by Sharyn Ch’ang (then ACC Hong Kong Vice President) and Davyd Wong (ACC Hong Kong Director and Founder of Pro Bono HK).
Our Committee now comprises co-chairs Amin Kassam and Candy Au, with ACC Hong Kong members, Katherine Henzell, Bonita Chan and Aedzer Oreel, together with Davyd. We welcome the participation of more ACC Hong Kong members in our Committee activities. The expected time commitment is approximately 5 to 8 hours per month, but will vary for certain projects and periods.
Seminars Committee
The Seminars Committee organises a comprehensive programme of seminars, webinars and other educational events with a variety topics of interest to ACC Hong Kong members. While at the moment most of our events are in webinar format, previously we organised breakfast and lunch, face-to-face seminars and half-day events (which are an important source of sponsorship revenue) as well as other ad hoc events, and we hope to be able to do this again when circumstances allow. Despite the current limitations, we try to offer at least three events per month, on average.
Organising these events is a team effort, and we are always in need of new volunteers to join and play an active role.
The Seminars Committee meets approximately every month by telephone conference call, where the Committee discusses potential topics and hosts, and committee members volunteer to follow up possible proposed events. We have a group email account to discuss issues arising between the calls. Our Seminars Committee members initiate the discussions with the hosts regarding topics and hosting, whereas the event logistics of scheduling and marketing are handled by the ACC Hong Kong administrator.
One of our members will normally attend the seminars and webinars to do the introduction on behalf of ACC Hong Kong.
ACC Hong Kong's success depends on having events which our members want to attend, so we encourage members to join the Seminars team to help with this important activity. The chairs of the Committee are Andrew Olson and Erika Evasdottir. The expected time commitment is approximately 4 to 6 hours per month.
Sponsorship Committee
The Sponsorship Committee sets the strategic direction for fund-raising and in-kind support from member and third-party organizations to support ACC’s mission. The generous support provided by our sponsors enables the ACC Hong Kong Chapter to conduct important educational and professional networking programs and other valued activities for its members and, connects our sponsors via exclusive in-house counsel only in-person and virtual events to our members.
The Sponsorship Committee together with the support of all ACC Hong Kong directors and the ACC Asia Pacific team, is responsible for planning and establishing Hong Kong focused sponsorship program opportunities, maintaining the relationship with our current sponsors and developing new sponsors. Responsibility for implementation of sponsored events is shared on a rotational basis by the ACC Hong Kong Board, working in conjunction with other the existing ACC Hong Kong Committee chairs and their teams.
Organising sponsored events is a team effort and we always welcome member volunteers to join and assist us with organizing special event activities, launch initiatives to recruit new sponsors and host appreciation events. The Committee comprises co-chairs Susan Lai and Carla Carlucci. The expected time commitment is approximately 2 to 4 hours per month, but may vary for certain projects.
