Firm News
Notable Cases | Reported Judgments — Duan & Duan UK LLP
13 April 2026
Reported Judgments
Duan & Duan UK LLP (formerly Jackson & Lyon LLP) has acted in reported cases at every level of the civil court system in England and Wales, from the High Court to the UK Supreme Court. Our litigation team brings specialist expertise across commercial disputes, immigration and public law, shareholder disputes, human rights, and proceeds of crime.
The following is a selection of reported judgments in which the firm appeared as solicitors on the record.
R (Wang & Anor) v Secretary of State for the Home Department
[2023] UKSC 21 — UK Supreme Court [2021] EWCA Civ 679 — Court of Appeal (Civil Division)
The firm acted for the applicant, Ms Wang, in judicial review proceedings that became a leading authority on the Tier 1 (Investor) Migrant visa route. The case concerned a structured investment scheme operated by Maxwell Asset Management through which over 100 investors — many of them Chinese nationals — sought to satisfy the £1 million investment threshold required under the Immigration Rules.
The central legal question was whether investors who participated in such a scheme had deployed "money of one's own" within the meaning of the Rules, where the scheme's operators pre-determined all investment decisions.
The Court of Appeal overturned the Upper Tribunal's decision and ruled in favour of the investors, holding that the scheme met the requirements of the Rules as then drafted. The Secretary of State appealed to the Supreme Court, which unanimously allowed the appeal and restored the refusal, establishing the important principle that the Immigration Rules must be interpreted with an "unblinkered" approach to the analysis of the underlying facts.
The case was widely reported in the specialist legal press, including coverage by Free Movement, the UKSC Blog, and the Electronic Immigration Network.
Practice areas: Immigration, Public Law, Judicial Review
Full judgment: BAILII | Supreme Court | National Archives
HungryPanda AU Pty Ltd & Ors v Yan Liu & Ors
[2025] EWHC 1512 (Comm) — High Court (Commercial Court)
The firm acted for the first and third defendants in this substantial commercial dispute heard in the Commercial Court before Peter MacDonald Eggers KC, sitting as a Deputy Judge of the High Court.
The case arose from an asset purchase agreement under which HungryPanda acquired the Easi online food delivery business across multiple jurisdictions, including Australia, Japan, and New Zealand. Following completion, a dispute arose over alleged breaches of the agreement, including the withholding of critical IT assets and operational disruption that caused significant damage to the acquired business.
The Commercial Court awarded damages of £11.7 million to the claimants. The case is notable for its cross-border dimensions and the complexity of the commercial arrangements involved.
Practice areas: Commercial Litigation, Cross-Border Disputes, Breach of Contract
Full judgment: National Archives
Otto & Ors v Inner Mongolia Happy Lamb Catering Management Company Ltd & Ors
[2025] EWHC 2291 (Ch) — High Court (Chancery Division) [2023] EWHC 2920 (Ch) — High Court (Chancery Division)
The firm acted for the respondents in unfair prejudice proceedings under section 994 of the Companies Act 2006, concerning three restaurant companies operating the Happy Lamb brand in the United Kingdom — HLHP Oriental Food Limited, HLHP Birmingham Limited, and HLHP Bayswater Limited.
The case involved a complex shareholder dispute with multiple parties, including the Inner Mongolia-based franchisor, individual shareholders, and the UK operating companies. The proceedings spanned several years and generated multiple reported judgments before HHJ Paul Matthews, sitting as a Judge of the High Court in Bristol.
The firm filed points of defence on behalf of the respondents and acted through the initial phases of the litigation, including a contested case management conference and directions to trial.
Practice areas: Shareholder Disputes, Company Law (s.994 CA 2006), Commercial Litigation
Full judgment: National Archives (2025) | National Archives (2023)
Security Industry Authority v Josoemag Services Ltd & Ors
[2025] EWHC 1381 (KB) — High Court (King's Bench Division)
The firm instructed counsel for the respondents in this appeal before Mr Justice Kerr concerning the intersection of regulatory law and human rights.
The respondents — a security staffing company and its directors — brought a claim against the Security Industry Authority under section 8 of the Human Rights Act 1998, alleging that the SIA had wrongfully interfered with their right to peaceful enjoyment of property contrary to Article 1 of the First Protocol to the European Convention on Human Rights, in the course of its regulatory activities under the Private Security Industry Act 2001.
The case raised important questions about the circumstances in which a statutory regulator's exercise of its powers may engage Convention rights and give rise to a claim for damages.
Practice areas: Human Rights, Regulatory Law, Commercial Litigation
Full judgment: National Archives
In the Media
Press Coverage
The firm's work has been reported by leading legal and international media outlets.
Law Gazette — "My Legal Life: Leon Chua, Jackson & Lyon" — A profile of the firm's founding partner, covering the establishment of the practice and its specialist focus on serving Chinese communities and businesses in the UK.
Free Movement — "£100 million investment visa loan scheme ruled legal after all" — Coverage of the Court of Appeal's decision in Wang v SSHD [2021] EWCA Civ 679, quoting the firm's solicitor on the impact of the ruling for affected investors.
Law.com International Edition — "Second Chinese Law Firm Launches in London in a Week" — Reporting on the firm's transition from Jackson Lyon LLP to Duan & Duan UK LLP as part of Duan & Duan's international expansion.
Law.Asia — "Duan & Duan expands global presence in London and Tokyo" — Coverage of the firm's role in Duan & Duan's global expansion strategy, including the firm's involvement in significant cross-border matters.
Law.Asia — "Hope for Chinese victims in 61,000 bitcoin ponzi scheme" — Reporting on the firm's role in representing victims of the Blue Sky Ge Rui cryptocurrency fraud, one of the world's largest bitcoin seizures involving over £5.5 billion in digital assets.
AFP / Wire Services — International wire service reporting on the Blue Sky Ge Rui victim compensation proceedings, quoting Jackson Ng of Duan & Duan UK LLP on the progress of the court-supervised compensation scheme under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.
Contact Us
If you are facing a complex dispute or regulatory matter and require specialist legal representation, contact Duan & Duan UK LLP for a confidential consultation.
Telephone: +44 020 3036 0264 Email: office@duanduanuk.com