NATHANIEL LAI’s practice focuses on international arbitration and dispute resolution. He has acted for clients in international arbitration cases conducted under various institutional and ad hoc rules and in a wide variety of areas (including M&A, private equity, fraud, construction, sale of goods, life sciences, and technology disputes). He also has broad experience advising on general commercial litigation matters, including arbitration-related court proceedings, bankruptcy and insolvency issues, and complex cross-border disputes. Nathaniel is recommended by the Legal 500 Asia-Pacific 2023 for his International Arbitration experience. In addition to his work as counsel, Nathaniel is a member of the HKIAC’s List of Arbitrators.
Nathaniel also has experience in white-collar litigation and internal investigations, and has advised companies and individuals in matters involving the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Department of Justice (DOJ) and Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), as well as the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission (SFC), Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) and other regulators in the region.
Nathaniel graduated from Columbia Law School, where he was an editor of the Columbia Journal of Transnational Law, and the London School of Economics, where he was awarded various academic prizes for overall performance and for best performance in contract law, tort law, EU law, and human rights law.
Nathaniel is fluent in English and Chinese.