Our Story
A practice built on patience and long-term thinking
Qilin Counsel was founded with a single conviction: that the most consequential decisions adults make deserve more time, more structure, and more honest conversation than they usually receive.
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Qilin Counsel
Qilin Counsel was established in Hong Kong in 2019 by a small team of practitioners who had spent decades observing a consistent pattern: adults approaching midlife rarely had a dedicated space to think carefully about what they wanted their life's work to leave behind. The discussions were scattered across accountants, lawyers, and family conversations — but no one was holding the thread.
The name draws from the qilin of Chinese mythology — a creature associated with good omen, long life, and gentle wisdom. It reflects the spirit we bring to every programme: unhurried, attentive, and oriented toward what endures.
We are based in Quarry Bay and have worked with individuals from a wide range of backgrounds — business founders, professionals at the close of a long career, and those who have come into a legacy and are uncertain what to do with it thoughtfully.
Our Mission
To make legacy thinking available to anyone willing to slow down
We believe that the decisions surrounding legacy and charitable giving belong, first and foremost, to the person making them — not to the professionals advising them. Our programmes are designed to help individuals recover their own thinking before they seek outside guidance.
We do not manage money, provide legal advice, or take a position on which organisations deserve support. We help participants articulate what matters to them, consider the available options, and arrive at a place from which they can act — in their own time and on their own terms.
Our programmes are small by design. Cohorts do not exceed eight participants, and the conversations that emerge from that size are invariably the most useful part of the experience.
The Team
The people behind the programmes
Margaret Wai
Founder & Lead Facilitator
Margaret spent twenty-two years in private client services before redirecting her practice toward adult education. She leads the full ten-week programme and holds certification in estate planning facilitation.
David Lam
Programme Adviser
David brings a background in charitable foundation governance across Hong Kong and the mainland. He contributes to the Charitable Giving Foundations module and advises on cross-border giving structures.
Sophie Chan
Content & Participant Support
Sophie coordinates programme materials and participant correspondence. She holds a master's degree in adult education and manages the reading and reflection frameworks used across all three programmes.
Our Standards
How we hold ourselves to account
Small cohorts, always
We cap every cohort at eight participants. This is not a commercial decision — it reflects our view that the quality of conversation is the core educational product, and that larger groups dilute it.
Written materials reviewed annually
All programme materials — reading packs, case frameworks, and reflection prompts — are reviewed each year to reflect any changes in Hong Kong's regulatory and philanthropic landscape.
Confidentiality as standard
What participants share in sessions remains within the room. We do not collect testimonials without explicit consent, and we never use participant situations as illustrative case studies without permission.
Educational, not advisory
We are clear about what we are. Qilin Counsel is an educational practice. We help people think; we do not direct decisions. This distinction is maintained in every session and every communication.
Data handled carefully
Participant information is stored securely and used only for programme administration. We do not share contact details with third parties, and we comply with Hong Kong's Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance.
Continuous learning
We gather feedback after every programme and use it to refine the curriculum. Participants are invited to submit reflections up to three months after completion, and these shape the next iteration.
Legacy thinking as a discipline
In Hong Kong, where families often span generations, geographies, and legal jurisdictions, the question of what one leaves behind is not straightforward. Qilin Counsel works with adults who are approaching these questions seriously — who want to understand the difference between an estate plan and a legacy statement, between a charitable donation and a structured giving programme.
Our programmes draw on frameworks developed over years of working with private individuals and family groups. We have found that the most productive conversations begin not with financial instruments or legal documents, but with the simpler question: what do you care about enough to act on while you still can?
From Quarry Bay, we serve participants across Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, and the New Territories. Enquiries are also welcome from those based elsewhere who are visiting Hong Kong or who have connections to the territory that make the Hong Kong regulatory context relevant to them.
Take the First Step
A conversation costs nothing
If you are uncertain whether a programme is right for you, write to us. We will respond personally and without any pressure to enrol.
Write to Us