Clarence Leung

Profile

Clarence Leung  LL.B, LL.M (London); Diploma in Law (Sydney); TEP is Special Counsel at Autonomy First Lawyers and a senior lawyer with over two decades of experience in trusts, commercial law, property law, litigation and migration law.

Proficiently tri-lingual, Clarence is an experienced Private Client lawyer who is skilled in working with clients of diverse backgrounds and has extensive knowledge of business dynamics and trade practices. He has acted in or advised on disputed matters for clients with an Asian background including Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and mainland China.

A full member of the Society of Trusts and Estates Practitioners (STEP), Clarence has also completed the STEP Advanced Certificate in Cross-Border Estates. He works with individuals, families and trustees in relation to long-term planning needs, governance and dispute resolution.

Clarence is both a practical and technically excellent practitioner, holding a Bachelor of Social Work (Chinese University of HK), Bachelor of Economics (University of London), Bachelor of Laws (University of London), Diploma in Law (University of Sydney) and Master of Laws (Specialising in Trusts and Equity – University of London).

Clarence has recently completed the Business Succession Planning component of his Masters in Law in Estate Planning with the College of Law. This practical course has enhanced Clarence’s ability understanding to advise small to medium businesses and implement an effective succession plan for family business owners in Australia. Learn more about our business succession planning capabilities here.

Before admission as a legal practitioner, Clarence was a research director for a political organisation, a staff writer for a major think-tank and a social worker.

Expertise

Trusts disputes and Litigation

Clarence has represented large-scale international companies in Trade Practice and fraudulent activity matters. He has represented individual clients in relation to caveats, partnership disputes, contested estates and injunctions.

Clarence is experienced in all aspects of civil litigation, appearing successfully in the Federal and Supreme Courts.

Commercial Law

Clarence helps clients deal with their wealth preservation and succession objectives for their commercial enterprises. He works for a diverse range of manufacturing distribution and retail market-focused businesses.

Clarence also helps his clients deal with the legal issues that flow from the operations, management, planning and decision making processes as well as ownership of their commercial enterprises.

Property Law

Clarence handles complex conveyancing, leasing and other property transactions, with a particular focus on representing Asian investors and developers.

Migration Law

Clarence commenced his migration practice in 1999 and has dealt with disparate subclasses of visa applications; he represented clients in merit review and judicial review in the areas of spouse visa and protection visa.

Career Highlights

• In 2019-2021, Clarence represented a Malaysian national bringing multi-million dollar restitution proceedings against an Australian company and a citizen in the context of complex multi-generation wealth transfer and trust disputes.
• Conducting multi-million dollar international cases relating to a $20 million claim filed at the Federal Court pursuant to Section 52 of the Trade Practices Act (currently Section 18 of the Australian Consumer Law) for a PRC enterprise against two (2) listed companies in Hong Kong and Australia, resulting in a mutually satisfactory settlement.
• Represented a Hong Kong enterprise against Australian companies for fraudulent transactions in the context of illegal phoenix activities and corporate misconduct, resulting in a high-profile Australian resident being banned by ASIC from managing companies for a maximum of five years.