Rosita Lau, MH, FCILT

Rosita Lau is a partner at Ince & Co Hong Kong, where she heads the firm's shipping, port and terminal and insurance practice. Practising in one of the world's foremost maritime centres, she advises clients on the legal issues that arise across the shipping industry and its related insurance markets. Her prominence in this specialised field is reflected in her recognition as Shipping Law Expert of the Year in Hong Kong at the Corporate INTL Global Awards 2026.

Leading a shipping practice in a global maritime hub

As head of the shipping, port and terminal and insurance practice at Ince & Co Hong Kong, Rosita Lau leads work in an area that is central to the region's economy. Hong Kong is a major international shipping and trading centre, and maritime law there brings together the movement of goods by sea, the operation of ports and terminals, and the insurance arrangements that protect vessels, cargo and the parties involved. Combining shipping with a dedicated insurance capability is a natural pairing, since so many maritime disputes — from cargo claims to collisions and casualties — ultimately turn on questions of coverage and liability. Rosita Lau's recognition extends beyond this award: her firm profile notes that she is ranked as a Band 1 lawyer in Insurance: Contentious in Chambers and Partners 2026 and as a Litigation Star in Benchmark Litigation 2026, underscoring her standing in contentious insurance and litigation work closely allied to her shipping practice.

An independent firm with deep local expertise

Ince & Co Hong Kong describes itself as an independent law firm with a heritage reaching back 150 years, serving ambitious individuals and organisations as a collaborative and proactive partner with Hong Kong and China-specific expertise. That long maritime heritage is significant in shipping law, a field built on established principles and long-standing market practice, while the firm's local and China-focused knowledge is essential given Hong Kong's role as a gateway between international shipping and the Chinese mainland. The firm offers a broad range of practice areas that complement its shipping work, including:

• Shipping, and insurance
• Dispute resolution and regulatory and investigation matters
• Corporate and M&A, and banking and finance
• Restructuring and insolvency
• Construction, property and professional negligence

This breadth allows a shipping and insurance client to draw on wider support when a matter demands it — for example where a maritime dispute intersects with regulatory scrutiny, corporate restructuring or cross-border litigation. For clients in the shipping sector, having a lead practitioner such as Rosita Lau who can call on these complementary strengths within an independent, locally rooted firm is a considerable advantage.

Serving the shipping and insurance markets

Shipping law is inherently international, governing vessels, cargoes and parties that cross jurisdictions, and it demands practitioners who understand both the commercial realities of the maritime trade and the legal and regulatory frameworks that apply. Hong Kong's position as a leading arbitration and dispute-resolution venue, together with its concentration of shipping, trading and insurance businesses, makes it a natural base for this work. As head of practice, Rosita Lau brings focused expertise in shipping, ports and terminals and insurance to owners, operators, insurers and other participants in the maritime economy.

In a jurisdiction where so much commercial activity flows through the port and the wider maritime trade, a lead practitioner who pairs shipping expertise with a highly ranked contentious insurance practice offers clients a rare and valuable combination. It allows disputes, cargo claims and casualties to be handled with a clear eye to both the maritime issues at stake and the insurance and liability questions that so often accompany them.

For clients navigating the legal and insurance dimensions of shipping in Hong Kong and the wider region, Rosita Lau and Ince & Co Hong Kong offer specialist, independent and highly regarded counsel. Her recognition as Shipping Law Expert of the Year in Hong Kong at the Corporate INTL Global Awards 2026 affirms her leading role in this demanding field.