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

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

Representative Matters

Beyond the reported judgments above, the firm and its lawyers have acted across litigation, advisory and transactional work. The following matters are described in general, anonymised terms to preserve client confidentiality; a cross-border China–UK dimension runs through much of the firm's work.

Cryptocurrency fraud, asset recovery and civil fraud

Acting for a defrauded overseas investor to recover cryptocurrency caught up in one of the largest cryptocurrency seizures in UK history — pursuing parallel civil-recovery routes (a winding-up petition in the Insolvency & Companies Court and engagement with the CPS Proceeds of Crime civil-recovery division), co-instructed with specialist fraud counsel and the firm's China network.
Cross-border asset tracing across England, Hong Kong and offshore centres, obtaining a worldwide freezing injunction and related disclosure orders.
Acting in a High Court Business List dispute over misappropriated investment funds, involving proprietary and freezing-injunction relief against multiple respondents and connected property vehicles.
Advising a client whose purchase monies were misappropriated by a trusted associate and concealed with a forged Land Registry document — fraud, dishonest assistance and constructive-trust recovery.

Proceeds of Crime, Account Freezing Orders and financial-crime defence

Defending a contested account-forfeiture application where funds had been remitted through informal RMB-to-sterling ("underground banking") channels.
Resisting Account Freezing Orders over remitted bank funds on a structured source-of-funds case, including for an overseas student and on property-sale proceeds.
Contesting HMRC Part 5 (POCA) civil-recovery and forfeiture proceedings, marshalling source-of-wealth evidence for overseas investment monies.
Acting on restraint and confiscation proceedings, including section 22 reconsideration and third-party interests in restrained property.
Making pre-charge representations to HMRC's Fraud Investigation Service; and representing account holders through continued cash-detention hearings.

Shareholder, company and commercial disputes

Acting for the respondents to an unfair-prejudice petition (section 994 of the Companies Act 2006) concerning a group operating a well-known Chinese hotpot restaurant brand.
Acting in a quasi-partnership breakdown, pursuing a buy-out and independent valuation of a minority shareholding.
Commercial contract disputes — supply and distribution, sale of goods and warranty, logistics and construction — for importers, distributors and Chinese-owned SMEs.
Acting against a former agent who diverted trade and granted secret discounts to a competitor.

Intellectual property

Acting for a Chinese manufacturer in High Court IP List proceedings brought by the UK rights-holder of a globally recognised children's-character brand.
Acting for a Chinese technology manufacturer alleging that a UK competitor had copied its product and misled the market (infringement and passing off).
Handling a cross-border copyright cease-and-desist matter with overseas counterpart lawyers.

Professional negligence

A substantial run of claims for Chinese-speaking clients mis-advised by their former solicitors on UK property and investment transactions — including breaches of the duty to explain advice through translation — pursued against the solicitors and their insurers.

Debt recovery and insolvency

Acting for creditors serving statutory demands and presenting winding-up petitions in the Insolvency & Companies Court, including to recover commercial lease arrears.

Property, trusts and estates

Acting for a claimant asserting a beneficial interest in a multi-million-pound London property held in another's name, on a common-intention constructive trust evidenced by WeChat exchanges.
TOLATA order-for-sale and beneficial-ownership disputes, including a Part 20 counterclaim.
Commercial lease service-charge and access disputes; and contested estate and Inheritance Act disputes.

Cross-border family (UK–China)

Acting in divorce and financial-remedy proceedings where assets and parallel proceedings span England and the PRC — advising on the jurisdiction race, coordinating with Chinese counsel, and on enforcement across both systems.
Preparing pre- and post-nuptial agreements for couples with international connections; and acting pro bono in non-molestation and occupation-order proceedings.

Immigration and public law

Judicial review of Home Office decisions in the Upper Tribunal, including investor-visa and leave-to-remain challenges.
Administrative review and appeals on indefinite leave to remain / long residence, entry clearance and Article 8 family and private-life refusals; and advising businesses on Skilled Worker sponsor licences and Innovator / Start-up endorsement.

Employment

Employment Tribunal claims for unfair dismissal, whistleblowing detriment and discrimination.
Negotiating settlement agreements and COT3s on both employer and employee sides, including for the UK establishment of a PRC state-owned enterprise.

Corporate and commercial

English-law legal opinions and due-diligence reports on UK companies for PRC parent companies and regulators — confirming lawful establishment, paid-up capital and compliance for overseas-investment platforms.
Advising Chinese businesses on UK market entry and company formation; and shareholders' agreements, share and asset purchases, commercial contracts and NDAs, including cross-border transactions.

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 R (Wang) v SSHD [2021] EWCA Civ 679 (later reversed by the Supreme Court in [2023] UKSC 21), 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.

Asian Legal Business (ALB) - "段和段落子伦敦，正式进入英国法律市场" - Reporting on Duan & Duan's establishment of its London office. The Duan & Duan international network now spans 40 offices and over 2,000 lawyers, with the UK office focused on serving Chinese businesses and individuals in the UK across litigation, commercial, criminal, immigration, and real estate matters.

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 20 3036 0264 Email: [email protected]