GILES SURMAN

"Giles is a consummate advocate. He is a brilliant strategist, a formidable trial counsel, and excellent at cross-examination." - The Legal 500

Giles is a very accomplished & experienced advocate with a strong practice in heavily contested matrimonial & criminal matters; and considered one of the most able and experienced mediators in practice in Hong Kong. He was called to the Hong Kong Bar in 1993 joined Plowman Chambers in 1994, and was called to the Bar of England & Wales in 1997. 

Matrimonial /Family

His matrimonial practice involves all financial and children related matters arising from the breakdown of marital & other family type relationships. 

In addition to the finances and children matters, matrimonial injunctions, inheritance (provision for family and dependents), and Hague convention (return of children to HK from overseas) are features of his practice. Trust(s), probate and mentally incapacitated persons (“MIP”s) also increasingly occur as a feature of ‘family matters’ reflecting the changes in HK’s demography. 

Giles has sat temporarily as a Judge in the District Court hearing Family Cases. 

The practice of family law includes not only the ‘traditional’ separation and divorce and the issues arsing therefrom,  but also same sex relationships (which are not recognised in HK and thus create particular  issues with respect to finances, children, surrogates etc),  financial planning for parents whose adult children are to be married, future planning for changes in family structure and ‘blended families’. 

Giles is  a Fellow of the International Academy of Family Lawyers (IAFL), a worldwide association of practising lawyers who are recognised by their peers as the most experienced and skilled family law specialists. 

Giles is a  Qualified Private Financial Adjudicator and a member of the Institute of Private Family Adjudicators  (Hong Kong),  thus enabling him to be retained  as a ‘private Judge’ and adjudicate  disputes.  

Crime

Giles’ criminal practice ranges from: commercially oriented crimes, (corruption, fraud, deception & money laundering);  to violent crimes (murder, serious assaults);  to sexual offences  (including rape and paedophile cases)  to drugs. 

Giles has sat temporarily as a Judge in the District Court hearing Criminal Cases.

Mediation

Giles qualified and became accredited as a mediator in 2007 at CEDR (Centre for Alternative Dispute Resolution) in London. 

He has  conducted  hundreds of  mediations on all issues arising from marital/relationship breakdowns including but not limited to: all aspects of finances; children ; relocation of children to other jurisdictions; education etc.    Larger 'family disputes’ such as those over  financial   assistance to adult children,  ‘living wills’  and mentally incapacitated  persons and probate/inheritance disputes are also the subject to mediation conducted by Giles.   

He is considered one of the most experienced mediators and is wise & thoughtful guide helping families find workable solutions to challenging problems in difficult and turbulent times where emotions can cloud judgement and important decisions with significant long term impact need to be made.  

Giles has also conducted mediations in:  multi family member probate and MIP disputes;  employment; personal injuries;  as well as in areas as diverse as violent football match disputes; neighbour disputes; and ‘animal issues’ (ownership of animals and noisy & disruptive animals) enabling participants in mediation to avoid protracted, damaging & expensive litigation and reach mutually (dis)agreeable but workable practical solution(s) and remain in control of their dispute making their own decisions about their own futures and lives and those of other family members. 

Disciplinary Tribunals 

Giles represents participants in a variety of disciplinary tribunals including those related to the Insurance Industry, the medical field,  and the HK Bar Associations’ own disciplinary proceedings where he has prosecuted for the HK Bar.  

Advocacy Training & Teaching 

Giles has been  heavily involved in training advocates for 25 years. He was a founding member of and is now Vice Chairman of the HK Advocacy Training Council – the HK Bar Association’s training arm.

Having trained & qualified as an advocacy teacher and subsequently a teacher trainer at the National Institute for Trial Advocacy (NITA) in the USA,  Giles frequently teaches both novice and more experienced advocates and trains aspiring advocacy trainers. He has been involved in advocacy training & teaching not only in Hong Kong, but also trained English Barristers at Keeble College Oxford University, Public Prosecutors in Fiji and in Brunei, and advocates practising at the Malaysian Bar. 

Personal 

Giles is married, he & his wife have three young adult children. He is a keen sportsman.