LESTER GARSON HUANG

Practice Areas

Mr. Huang's practice began in the Firm's Litigation Department where he conducted civil proceedings ranging from property disputes, defending claims of clinical negligence, sale of goods disputes, administrative actions, coroner and disciplinary proceedings and tax claims.

Mr. Huang has extensive experience in advising individuals and corporations and now oversees the Firm's practice in private client and international trust matters. He works with major banks and providers of fiduciary services. In his professional practice Mr. Huang offers in-depth advice on estate planning for succession, creditor and spousal risk protection, and asset preservation. In implementing client plans to effect these intentions he uses a variety of instruments and vehicles including personal trusts, foundations, statutory corporations, on and offshore companies, cross boarder treaties and a host of other fiduciary services. His experience in planning extends from small single parent estates to very large estates of very high net worth individuals whose personal and business interests cover multi-jurisdictions, and involve regulators in several industrial sectors. Mr. Huang is a principal contributor to the volume on Trusts in The Hong Kong Encyclopaedia of Forms and Precedents published in December 2012.

Mr. Huang also leads the Firm's Education Section that regularly provides legal assistance to universities, schools, parent-teacher associations, charities and education personnel on all legal issues relating to the establishment and operation of universities and schools in Hong Kong.

Private/Public Services Involvements

Mr. Huang was the President of the Law Society of Hong Kong from 2007 to May 2009. In this position he had overall responsibility for the regulation and development of the solicitors' profession in Hong Kong. The Law Society of Hong Kong is the professional body representing all solicitors and works to enhance their interests. The Law Society has regulatory powers over all solicitors and foreign lawyers working in Hong Kong, and their staff. With his extensive experience he continued to contribute to the development and implementation of strategic planning and professional development of the legal profession as a council member until December 2010. Mr. Huang was admitted to the Roll of Honour of The Law Society of Hong Kong in 2021.

Having gained considerable experience working with professional bodies, Mr. Huang was appointed by the government to sit as a lay member of the Midwives Council and the Nursing Council. In these capacities he has heard disciplinary cases and his decisions have been upheld on appeal to the Courts. He was also appointed as a lay member of the Council on Professional Conduct in Education and was the architect of the current system for dealing with disciplinary complaints against teachers and other professionals in the education sector.

Mr. Huang has been particularly interested in Education and Youth matters. He holds a Master of Education specializing in education policy and leadership. He graduated on the Dean’s Honours List. Mr. Huang has positioned himself to bring professional legal and educational expertise together to assist schools and universities in developing their governance, infrastructure, and human resources. His work in this regard on the Council of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (“HKUST”) was recognized with the university awarding him an Honorary Fellowship in 2006. Today Mr. Huang continues to sit on the Court of HKUST. He also served on the Council of the University of Hong Kong during which time he led the review of the “818 Incident” concerning police action on the university campus. He currently serves as the Chairman of the Council of the City University of Hong Kong. Mr. Huang’s involvement in educational matters extends beyond Hong Kong. For example, he is a Director of the Friends of Beida, a registered charity that supports the world-renowned Peking University in Beijing. Mr. Huang also served the community in his capacity as a Council member of the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority. He is also frequently invited as a speaker at talks on different aspects of education law.

Mr. Huang’s interest in the welfare and upbringing of young people extends beyond education in that he was the President of the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups from 1998 to 2002 and again from 2006 to 2010. This is the largest NGO in Hong Kong that renders a full range of services to young people in Hong Kong. With an operating budget of over HK$600 million per year, the work of the Federation extends beyond its 1300 staff to over 200,000 young people from all walks of life in Hong Kong. Over 10,000 programmes are offered annually by the Federation to young people between the ages of 7 and 35. Mr. Huang oversaw the opening of a new 25 storey building that now houses the Federation’s headquarters. In his capacity as President of the Federation, Mr. Huang receives frequent invitations to speak on leadership, youth development and on education.

Apart from these extra-curricular activities Mr. Huang served on the Transport Advisory Committee. This sets policy relating to all forms of transportation in Hong Kong. In this capacity Mr. Huang’s initiative on increasing the penalty for driving through red lights was implemented through amendment to legislation. In March 2010, Mr. Huang was appointed to the Hong Kong Monetary Authority’s Exchange Fund Advisory Committee which is charged with maintaining currency stability within the framework of the Linked Exchange Rate system, overseeing the stability and integrity of the financial system and managing Hong Kong’s reserves as represented in the Exchange Fund. Mr. Huang also served as a Director of the Hong Kong Mortgage Corporation and contributed to the establishment of a reverse mortgage scheme. In September 2010 he was also appointed as Chairman of the Board of Advisors of Radio Television Hong Kong. In December 2012, Mr. Huang was appointed as a Member of the Hospital Authority and chaired the Hospital Governing Committee of the Our Lady of Maryknoll Hospital for 11 years until 2021. In July 2015, Mr. Huang was appointed as Chairman of the Standing Committee on Language Education and Research, which oversees the language policy in Hong Kong and sees to the application of the HK$5 Billion Language Fund. He was also appointed as a non-executive director of the Securities & Futures Commission in November 2015 and from 2019 chaired the Investor and Financial Education Council that promotes financial literacy and investor education.

Mr. Huang took up a position of Steward in the Hong Kong Jockey Club in 2020. The Club operates a unique integrated business model of world class racing, a membership club, responsible sports wagering and lottery, and charities and community contributions.

Principal Positions

• Chairman, Council of the City University of Hong Kong
• Steward, The Hong Kong Jockey Club
• Chairman, Social Welfare Advisory Committee
• Ex-officio Member, The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups
• Director, The Friends of Beida (Hong Kong) Limited