Professional Practice
Cyrus joined Chambers in 2020 after completing pupillage under the supervision of Joseph Tse SC, Christopher Chain, Jason Yu and Justin Lam. Since completing his pupillage, Cyrus has developed a broad civil practice, with a particular focus on complex commercial disputes (both litigation and arbitration). Highlights of his recent cases include:
(1) Acting for an accounting firm to defend a professional negligence claim for over USD 100 million. Cyrus was led by Justin Fenwick KC and Douglas Lam SC for a 50-day trial which was ultimately settled: see China Forestry v KPMG [2021] HKCFI 1519.
(2) Acting for an accounting firm to defend a professional negligence claim for over USD 500 million (led by King's Counsel and Senior Counsel).
(3) Acting for a European software company to enforce an NAI arbitral award for over USD 130 million against a member of an Asian technology conglomerate (led by Clifford Smith SC). The award arose out of a USD 2 billion dispute over a software licensing agreement: see A v B [2022] 3 HKC 240.
(4) Acting for an asset management fund to resist an application to annul a bankruptcy order (led by José-Antonio Maurellet SC). The bankruptcy order arose out of a EUR 76 million syndicated loan to finance the acquisition of shares in Baccarat SA, a luxury crystal manufacturer.
(5) Acting for China Construction Bank to obtain summary judgment against Mr Zhang Kangyang - the President of the Inter Milan Football Club - in respect of his liability under a USD 255 million guarantee and indemnity (led by Rachel Lam SC): see China Construction Bank v Zhang Kangyang [2022] HKCFI 2135.
Separately, Cyrus has amassed trial experience as an advocate. He appeared as sole trial counsel for a member of a Euronext-listed group in 2022, where he defended a claim for breach of a shareholders' agreement in an ICC commercial arbitration.
Education
Before joining Chambers, Cyrus took a triple first in his BA (Law) at Cambridge and graduated with a distinction for the BCL at Oxford. He was awarded multiple university prizes, including the Vinerian Scholarship (Proxime Accessit) for coming in second in Oxford. As a student, Cyrus also worked as Professor Sir Roy Goode’s research assistant in publishing the Official Commentary to the Cape Town Convention.
Scholarships and Awards
Thomson Reuters Law Prize (PCLL, 2019)
Sweet & Maxwell Edlyn Yap Prize for Litigation (PCLL, 2019)
Vinerian Scholarship (proxime accessit) (BCL, 2018)
3VB Prize for Legal Concepts in Financial Law (BCL, 2018)
John Morris Prize in The Conflict of Laws (BCL, 2018)
Monckton Chambers Prize in Competition Law (BCL, 2018)
Clifford Chance Prize for European Union Law (BA, 2017)
Herbert Smith Freehills Prize for Conflict of Laws (BA, 2017)
Falcon Chambers Prize for Land Law (BA, 2016)
One Chancery Lane Prize for Tort Law (BA, 2015)