James William Comber

James Comber is a partner in Sidley’s Securities Enforcement and Regulatory practice in Hong Kong. He advises financial institutions, multinational corporations, asset managers, broker-dealers, and other clients on complex regulatory, financial, and commercial disputes across Hong Kong and the Asia-Pacific region.

James has more than 20 years of experience representing clients in high-stakes litigation, arbitration, and contentious regulatory proceedings. His practice is particularly focused on financial services disputes and investigations, including matters before the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission (SFC), the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKEx), the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), and the Commercial Crime Bureau of the Hong Kong Police. He regularly counsels clients on regulatory strategy, internal investigations, and matters involving market conduct, governance, and financial services regulation.

In addition to his regulatory practice, James represents clients in complex commercial litigation and international arbitration involving shareholder and joint venture disputes, derivatives and structured products, financial services mis-selling claims, insolvency-related disputes, tax controversies, and other significant contractual and cross-border business disputes. He has extensive experience managing multi-jurisdictional matters throughout Asia and developing coordinated strategies for clients facing parallel proceedings. James also regularly counsels other international law firms on sensitive internal investigations. 

James is recognized by Chambers Greater China Region for Dispute Resolution: Litigation (International Firms), where clients praise his commercial approach, practical advice, and ability to align litigation strategy with business objectives. Chambers notes his experience handling commercial disputes, financial services investigations, and insolvency matters, while clients describe him as “extremely experienced,” “very practical,” and “super user-friendly.”