Profile: Graeme Johnston

Commercial Litigation

Biography: Commercial Litigation

Graeme leads the mainland China-based dispute resolution practice, supported by a team of associates in Shanghai, Beijing and Hong Kong. Graeme's practice has always focused on dispute resolution and most of his cases have a cross-border dimension. He has wide experience advising on contentious matters, including litigation, arbitration and regulatory investigations.

Graeme joined Herbert Smith in 1995 in London and worked there for five years before moving to Herbert Smith Hong Kong in 2001. Since early 2006 he has been based in Shanghai, with regular travel to Hong Kong and Beijing.

He is the author of the leading textbook on Hong Kong private international law - The Conflict of Laws in Hong Kong (Sweet & Maxwell, 2005).

Recent work relating to mainland China includes: arbitrations and related litigation on behalf of an international hotel chain in China; assisting a Japanese multinational with litigation relating to fraud in connection with the sale of a business in China; litigation for a Hong Kong client in respect of a restaurant project in China; assisting a European business with regulatory problems and related employment and confidentiality disputes; litigation for a US and Hong Kong based business in respect of a China joint venture dispute; and assisting a company listed in Hong Kong but having its main business in China on regulatory issues concerning an M&A transaction.