A New Law Building • LLB Graduation Ceremony • Appointment of

Spring 2006
A Newsletter for Friends and Alumni
of the Faculty of Law
The University of Hong Kong
A New Law Building
• LLB Graduation Ceremony
• Appointment of the new Sir Y K Pao Chair in Public Law
Dean’s Message
Faculty of Law Newsletter
Obituary
Spring 2006
Contents
Professor Dafydd Evans (1938-2006)
Centennial Plan
1
2
3
Dean’s Message - A New Era
A New Centennial Campus & Law
Building
The New Faculty Board Chairman
Pride of the Faculty:
Its Students and Graduates
4
5
6
7
9
LLB Opening Ceremony: Why is
the Study of Law so important? by
Gladys Li SC
JU PA S Op e n D ay & Alu m n i
Sharing
Employment Statistics
Life as a Trainee Solicitor & a Pupil
Barrister
LLB Graduation Ceremony
It is with great sadness that we have to report the
death of Professor Dafydd Evans, the founding father
of the Law Faculty, who died in England on 1st April
2006. Dafydd was born in 1938 and graduated from
the University of Wales and Oxford University before
beginning his academic career at the London School of Economics. He first
came to Hong Kong as a visiting teacher in the Department of Extra-Mural Studies.
He joined the University full-time in January 1966 and served as the Dean of
Social Sciences from 1967-1968. He was promoted to the rank of Professor in
1969 and his abilities were quickly recognized as he was appointed to the
prestigious rank of Pro Vice-Chancellor in 1971, a position he held for the next
six years. Returning to his full-time duties as a
law teacher, Dafydd was Head of the School of
Law from 1978 to 1984 and Dean of the newly
established Law Faculty from 1984-1987. He
also served the University with distinction as
Public Orator.
Faculty News
10
11
12
Summer Internship Programme in
China
The New Par t-time PCLL and
Australian Law Fairs
Law Mentorship Programme
Features
14
15
16
18
19
25
Dr Helmut Sohmen’s Donation for
the LLM in Human Rights
Programme
Sir Y K Pao Chair in Public Law
New Awards & Scholarship
Law Alumni Association
New Plans for Hong Kong Law
Journal
Alumni Challenge
Conferences & Lectures
20
22
23
Hong Kong Trade & Development
Symposium
Hochelaga Lectures & Common
Law Lectures
IP3 Conference
Dafydd was both a fine administrator and scholarly academic. He was especially
interested in the Law of Trusts and Succession and had a liking for early morning
lectures. He wrote on these areas and will especially be remembered for his
cutting-edge article on early land holdings in Hong Kong. He will also be
remembered for telling the students on their first day in class (no doubt by way of
exhortation to work hard) ‘Look to your left and look to your right; one of you will
not be here next year!’ Dafydd must take much of the credit for setting up the Law
School and planning (with Peter Willoughby) the PCLL. His contribution to legal
education rightly gained him the award of an OBE. The Faculty is much in his
debt.
Dafydd was a keen athlete, cricketer and member of the Welsh Male Voice Choir.
A man who was energetic and urbane, he made many friends in Hong Kong and
was deeply respected by his colleagues in the profession, his students and his
fellow-teachers.
We were delighted to see him here at the University (for what now turns out to
have been his last appearance) at the 35th Anniversary of the Law Faculty; he
never stinted in his support and dedication to the University and especially his
former students with whom he had a special bond.
We send our sincere condolences to his widow Marjorie and children Harriet
and Nick.
Faculty Contact
Editors
Faculty of Law
Professor Michael Wilkinson
Mr Eric Cheung
The University of Hong Kong
4/F, K K Leung Building,
Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong
Tel: (852) 2859 2951
Fax: (852) 2559 3543
Website: www.hku.hk/law
Ms Vivian Wong
Ms Ellie Yung
Professor, Department of Professional Legal Education
Assistant Professor, Department of Professional Legal
Education
Faculty Secretary
Public Relations Officer
Comments or suggestions on this newsletter or the work of the Faculty are most welcome.
Also, for information about the Faculty, please contact our Public Relations Officer, Ms Ellie
Yung (email: [email protected]
Tel: 2859 2919).
A New Era
The last few months have proved to be
very important for the Faculty, as we are
mapping out exciting development of the
Faculty in the next 5 years. Before we set
fo o t o n m a p p i n g o u t o u r f u t u r e
development, we ask ourselves what the
standard is that we are going to
benchmark ourselves. This is relatively
straight-forward: we should aim at the
highest level and should therefore
benchmark ourselves against the best law
schools in the world. To compete at the
highest level, we need to address a few
issues: clear direction and priorities, good
and committed staff, a high quality and
divergent student body, and good
programmes and learning environment.
Clear Direction and Focuses
We build on existing strengths. Public law
and human rights is our classic area of
strength. While this may not be wellknown, we have probably the largest
concentration of Chinese law expertise in
the Faculty outside Mainland China. We
have long decided that our contribution
to Chinese legal development lies in our
remaining a different system, not
converging to become another Mainland
law school. This reinforces our focus in
core common law areas. With a strong
foothold in common law and the coexistence of four different legal systems
within the same countries, there is every
reason that we could become a hub for
comparative law studies. In recent years,
we have successfully put ourselves on the
roadmap of WTO and international
economic law, and the next stage is to
develop ourselves into a Regional WTO
law centre. We have also developed
considerable expertise in intellectual
property and dispute settlement in recent
years.
Thus, we have identified seven areas
of strategic development, namely,
public law and human rights;
comparative Chinese law; commercial,
corporate and financial law; WTO and
international economic law;
intellectual property and information
technology; dispute settlement and
negotiation; and professional legal
education.
Recruiting the Best Staff
The key to achieving a higher level of
excellence lies in the people - our
teachers, researchers, students, and
alumni. To pursue our dream of
excellence, we have recently drawn up an
ambitious plan of recruiting about 1520 new academic staff in the next two
years, including at least two chair
positions and a number of senior
appointments. This will represent
about 30% increase of the existing staff
force. It will also give us a good
opportunity to fill existing gaps of expertise
and to recruit the best from the world. As
Lord Woolf put it recently in a public
lecture, good people tend to flock
together, and once you have the right
people, you will be able to attract more.
Ideally, by 2010, the Faculty will have
about 75 full time academic staff.
Good Students and Good
Programmes
We continue to attract the best students
to our LLB and various double degree
programmes. Indeed, for the last few
years these programmes are among the
most competitive programmes in our
University, if not throughout the entire
Hong Kong.
We are in the second year of our new 4year LLB programme. The key concept
in our new curriculum is to provide broad
liberal education experience with a
solid foundation in the basic legal
principles and an emphasis on
transferable skills. Under our new
curriculum, students will be exposed to a
much wider range of non-law subjects,
including obtaining a minor in a non-law
discipline (14 social sciences minors are
currently offered). We have a vibrant and
exciting student exchange programme
under which our students may spend a
semester or a full academic year at one
of about 70 partner universities all over
the world. This year alone we have
admitted to our own curriculum about
80 exchange students from all over the
world (compared to only about 100 LLB
intake). This has dramatically
internationalized our student body, and I
am sure that the cultural diversity will
enrich our student lives and our learning
environment. At the same time, our
students have been shining in various
international mooting competitions,
winning three major international
mooting competitions last year.
Thanks to the strong support of our alumni
and friends, our mentorship programme
has been very successful and we are still
exploring ways to further strengthen this
part of informal education for our students.
Looking Forward
At the same time, we are excited about a
new law building, a dream which is now
in sight (see page 2). With major
recruitment and a new campus, the next
few years are promised to be exciting. I
believe that this is the opportunity to bring
HKU to a higher level of excellence. The
recruitment process will be a major
challenge, so is the new Law Building. As
an alumni myself, and like many alumni
and friends, I am proud of our Law Faculty
and would be pleased to see it grow from
strength to strength. Our vision is to be
in the highest echelon, and, I know, we
are moving towards that direction and can
only succeed with your support.
■ Professor Johannes Chan SC
Dean, Faculty of Law
Spring 2006 • Centennial Plan
1
▲
Dennis Lau & Ng
Chun Man Architects &
Engineers (HK) Ltd/
Skidmore Owings and
Merrill
The New Faculty Board Chairman
Professor Michael Wilkinson
Faculty Board Chairman
“Our Centennial Campus design
… is centred on the ‘Commons
C o u r t ya rd ’ , w h e r e a l l k ey
p e d e s t r i a n l i n k s c o nve r g e .
Surrounding the Cour tyard on
three levels are teaching facilities,
amenities, and the Learning
Commons, ringed by three distinct
towers serving the Faculties of
Arts, Social Sciences and Law.”
The three towers stand on a
podium that is carefully shaped to
fit the existing hill and form a ‘quad’
with the mountain.
I have been invited as the newly elected
Chairman of Faculty Board to pen a few
words explaining my role and commenting
upon the state of the Faculty.
▲ Leigh & Organge Ltd/ Ayers/ Saint/
Gross Architects & Planners
“East-West connections: One pedestrian pathway –
University Walk – connects and defines the campus,
linking Sun Yat Sen Place in the east with Centennial
Green in the west. North-South connections: By
bridging Centennial Green to the MTR, opportunities
to integrate new open spaces are introduced.”
▲
LD Asia/ Capita Percy Thomas
“The Centennial Campus will be a ‘learning
landscape’ emerging as a network of green
fingers from the contours of the mountainside, and
sweeping northwards to engage with the city.” It
symbolizes the development of Hong Kong from
a ‘barren rock’ and stands out with an iconic
gateway tower and a horizontal ribbon of light.
▲
Wong & Ouyang (HK) Ltd/ Sasaki Associates, Inc
“A new campus framework identified by the University Main Street, the Civic Spine and Academic Courtyards
unites the entire estate, renders it understandable and easy to navigate, and creates the setting for a vibrant and
interactive learning environment.” A characteristic feature is a number of cozy courtyards that resemble the lovely
quadrangle in the Main Building.
A New Centennial Campus & Law Building
A New Law Building
We have long been asking for an
individual Law Building. Shortage in
space is an issue, but, more importantly,
a separately identifiable Law Building
carries a symbolic value symbolizing
the importance of the rule of law in this
community. We are pleased that the
University has been very supportive, and
a new Law Building is envisaged in the
Centennial Campus.
The Centennial Campus is situated at the
western part of the existing main campus
– a small hill to the west of Haking Wong
Building - and will extend all the way to
Pokfield Road. The current plan is that
Law, Social Sciences and Arts will be
2
Spring 2006 • Centennial Plan
relocated to the new Centennial Campus,
fo l l o w e d b y a s e c o n d p h a s e o f
regenerating the main campus. Apart
from the three faculties, there will be a
learning commons, a large auditorium, a
well-stocked university bookstore and a
good café. Four different models
designed respectively by 4 different
architect consortia have been put
forward for consultation. In 3 of the 4
models there is a separate building for
Law. They are illustrations of building
concepts at this stage, and we can mix
and match different models.
The Faculty has previously submitted to
the University our projected needs and our
requests, including a building with a
classical outlook that befits the image of
law, a state-of-the-art moot court and
conference facilities, together with first
class teaching facilities. The Law Library
will of course be an essential part of the
Faculty in the new building. We have
already indicated that we would like to be
closely involved in the planning and
design of the new Law Building, and would
certainly like to involve our alumni and
friends in the process.
The University plans to finalize the design
concept by the end of April 2006, and
proceed to detail design. Site formation
work would have to begin in early 2007 in
order for the Centennial Campus to be
completed by 2011, the centenary of the
University.
As you probably know the University
decided some time-ago to introduce a new
management structure at Faculty level. Up
to that time Deans had been elected by
their constituents, all Faculty Board
members and Heads of Department were
also ‘elected’ in the sense that up to three
nom inees wer e decided upon by
members of the Department and their
names sent up to the Vice-chancellor for
him to select the person he considered
most appropriate. In reality one name only
was usually sent up, creating a de facto
election. All this has now changed (views
are not unanimous as to whether the
change is for the better or worse). By way
of making the management structure
m o r e e f fe c t i ve, D e a n s a r e n o w
appointed by the Vice-Chancellor
following a very serious search for the
best candidate. This search involves
head-hunting both domestically and
internationally. Faculty members are
involved as a number of members serve
on the search committee and ascertain the
views of all Faculty members.
Deans now appoint the Heads of
Department but, again, the views of all
colleagues are taken into account. At the
same time a new post of Chairman of
the Faculty Board was introduced, the
appointee being elected by Faculty Board
members. In fact there was no election
as no-one else was nominated this time
round! My role is to chair Faculty Board
meetings and, more importantly, to
ensure that the Dean, Heads and
Faculty management team are aware
of members’ views on important issues
and, as a member of Senate, to ensure
that those views are conveyed to
Senate. The job has been wryly described
as a ‘trade union leader’; if this is so, it is
a case of ‘gamekeeper turned poacher’
after many years of involvement in policymaking. I think it unlikely that you will see
me on television leading a group of law
academics protesting at Star ferry about
long working hours or too much marking.
But we will see. A five-day week would
be rather nice. Since the post is new, we
(just like other Faculties) had to work out
a satisfactory modus operandi. The Dean
and Heads have been most
accommodating, inviting me to attend all
meetings of the Faculty Management
Committee to ensure that I am kept
informed of current developments and
problems and I am pleased to report that
the system is presently working well.
(From left) Mr Wilson Chow, Head of PLE Department,
Mr Michael Jackson, Head of Department of Law and
Professor Johannes Chan SC, Dean.
Turning to the state of the Faculty I can
report that we are ‘firing on all cylinders’
and ‘business is booming’. Some would
say too booming! It seems that law as a
career, far from losing its popularity, is
becoming even more attractive (and this
even after the abolition of scale fees). In
brief, entry to our undergraduate and
postgraduate courses is experiencing
a very great demand from students of
a high caliber and the double degree
programmes in particular are going
through a period of rapid expansion.
Indeed, the number of students on these
double degree programmes will soon
significantly exceed those on the pure law
degree.
Why are our numbers expanding to this
extent when many say that we have
enough lawyers and professional
i n c o m e s a r e fa l l i n g ? A n o bv i o u s
contributing reason is the conversion to a
four year LLB degree. The expansion in
numbers is also partly due to the policy
of the University generally to admit
students with top marks irrespective of the
discipline to which they are making
application and this means that subjects
such as medicine and law, which attract
quality applicants, will expand to the
detriment of those disciplines who are
unable to attract such high quality
applicants. Of course, this expansion
brings with it increased income to the
Faculty, especially from those courses
that are self-funded such as the masters’
programmes and the part-time PCLL. The
downside of this rapid expansion is that
we need more staff to teach more courses
to more students.
With our fundraising efforts, generous
donations and income derived from selffunded courses, we plan to embark on
an ambitious recruitment plan to
employ an additional 15 to 20 teachers.
The Dean is now pondering over where
to accommodate the new posts as
accommodation for staff in the K K Leung
building is absolutely full and we have
already founded a small ‘overspill colony’
in May Hall. Our problems may well be
solved when the new Law Faculty is built
on the extended Centennial Campus but
this will not be for some years. In the
interim space will continue to be a cause
for concern.
Lastly, several friends (usually former
students) have congratulated me on my
retirement. I am happy to say that I have
not retired, although my term as Head of
Department came to an end. I did reach
the retirement age of 60 last year, but the
University has very kindly kept me on for
another two years so that I can continue
to terrorise PCLL conveyancing students.
So please do keep in touch.
Spring 2006 • Centennial Plan
3
Pride of the Faculty
JUPAS Open Day & Alumni Sharing
LLB Opening Ceremony: Why is the Study of Law so important? by Gladys Li SC
The 2005-06 academic year of the
Department of Law commenced with
its Opening Ceremony on 8
September 2005. Wearing formal
black suits and white shirts, the new
first year students attended the
Ceremony with excitement waiting for
the kickoff of their university life. The
Ceremony began by a welcoming
address by Professor Johannes Chan
SC, the Dean of our Faculty, followed
by Mr Kenneth Kwok SC, the
President of the University of Hong
Kong Law Alumni Association.
Our distinguished guest speaker, Ms
Gladys Li SC, delivered a keynote
address that spanned her thoughts
on why study of law is so important
in Hong Kong.
Ms Gladys Li SC (left) presenting prize to Stefanie
Leung (LLB 2).
Extracts from Speech
by Ms Gladys Li SC
“Why is the study of Law so important?
Aren’t we just talking about a set of rules
which needs to be maintained to keep
society from crumbling and to prevent
violence and disorder from breaking out?
If so, anyone literate can read the rules
for themselves? Why do we need
lawyers?
The past few days, I have spent some time sitting in as a member of the audience
listening to the young pianists at the International Piano Competition which is being
held for the first time in Hong Kong. As I have listened to them play, it struck me that
there is a world of difference between those pianists who play all the notes and follow
all the composer’s instructions by way of tempo and dynamics yet theirs is not a coherent
interpretation of the music. To reproduce literally is not to interpret just as in interpreting
the law, one must do much more than just to look at the words.
Context, legislative history and derivation, these are just some of the things that play a
part in interpretation. But also, in Hong Kong, we still have the common law system so
that not all our law is to be found in the volumes of the Laws of Hong Kong. Our caselaw is an important repository of our law and that case-law is judge-made law but not
law made on a whim or a fancy or on the basis that the judge had a bad night’s sleep
(although he may have done). These decisions are informed by a system of values;
liberty of the person and the rule
of law. That is the legacy of the
Our donors and students at the LLB Opening Ceremony.
common law.
In Hong Kong, we have faced
an almost unique challenge of
interpreting the Basic Law under
the principle of “one country, two
systems”. I say almost unique
because Macau faces the
same challenge. The Basic Law
is a law made by our National
Pe o p l e ’s C o n g r e s s i n
accordance with the
Constitution of the People’s
Republic of China. We, in Hong
Kong, with our common law
traditions, have to interpret and
apply it. So, for you, as students
of the laws and legal system of
Hong Kong, you are embarking
on a journey which has few, if
any markers …… So I wish you
all the very best in your studies
and in your careers, whatever
they may be. Your fate is to
study, to think and to question.
Those processes should never
end. Remember that your mind
is your most precious
possession. Never give it over
to another person. That is the
Socratic message.”
Alumni’s Messages
“In 35 years, HKU’s law school
has grown from a hither to
unhear d of Depar t ment to a
leading law school, enjoying
widespread alumni, University
and community support.”
Mr Kenneth Kwok SC
(LLB 72, PCLL 73)
“ T h e Fa c u l t y o f L aw o f t h e
University of Hong Kong offers the
perfect training ground for aspiring
young men and women to pursue
legal studies and to prepare
themselves for a challenging
professional career.”
(From right) Professor Johannes Chan SC and Professor Lap-Chee Tsui, the Vice-Chancellor, with the student helpers
at Loke Yew Hall.
Mr Cheung Wai Hing
(LLB 73, PCLL 74)
“It was my good fortune to have
studied law in the University of
Hong Kong. It has cer tainly
provided me with good training as
well as a sound foundation for a
career filled with interest and
challenge.”
Ms Lilian Chiang
(LLB 78, PCLL 79)
Mr Joseph Tse, Partner of Allen & Overy.
The Faculty’s programme for the Joint University Programmes Admissions System (JUPAS)
Open Day was successfully held on 22 October 2005. Focusing on the theme of our
programme this year, “Prestige and Traditions”, we were very pleased to have the Hon Mr
Alan Leong SC and Mr Joseph Tse of Messrs Allen & Overy as our guest speakers. They
shared views about their alma mater in two separate sessions of Admissions and Alumni
Talks. Both the two sessions were so well-received that they attracted nearly 500 prospective
students and parents. Following the Admissions and Alumni Talks, there were student sharing
sessions by our students and the
screening of our students’ mooting and
client interviewing video.
“Gone are the days when HKU law
school was a strange animal;
dream of a good legal system
starting from the HKU Faculty of
Law.”
Mr Ip Shing Hing
(LLB 78, PCLL 79)
The Alumni Talk was very well-attended.
4
Spring 2006 • Pride of the Faculty
The Hon Mr Alan Leong SC (left) with Professor Johannes Chan SC
(right).
Information booths and displays were
set up at Loke Yew Hall and the KK
Leung concourse to showcase the
Faculty’s history, our strengths,
programmes, track record and the
extensive alumni networ k. The
prospective students showed great
interest in joining the library and the
moot court tours, and in knowing more
about our students’ life.
Spring 2006 • Pride of the Faculty
5
III.
Where did our graduates go?
Basic Salary and Gross Income
The remuneration received by Postgraduate Certificate in Laws graduates is shown below:
Employment Statistics
Basic Salary
PCLL
2004 Bachelor of Law graduates
I
Employment Situations in 2004
Of the 141 graduates from this programme, 127 responded to the survey. Their
employment situations are listed below:
LLB
II
Employment Sectors
107 graduates proceeded to
postgraduate studies, while 20
graduates were employed in the
Commerce & Industry and Civil
Service.
HKU Overall*
2004
2003
2004
2003
No.
%
No.
%
No.
%
No.
%
No. of respondents
127
100%
135
100%
2361
100%
2364
100%
Employed
20
16%
20
15%
1787
76%
1712
72%
Unemployed
seeking F/T job
0
0%
0
0%
15
0.6%
7
0.3%
Further Studies
107
84%
114
84%
531
22%
625
26%
Emigrated/Returned
to home country
0
0%
0
0%
7
0.3%
3
0.1%
Not seeking F/T job
0
Sector
% of graduates
2004
2003
Commerce & Industry
88%
67%
Civil Service
13%
17%
Community, Social &
Personal Services
0%
17%
1
0.7%
21
0.9%
17
2004
2003
2004
2003
2004
2003
Mean
$22,801
$21,752
$16,731
$16,502
$23,152
$22,154
$17,063
$16,825
Median
$20,000
$15,000
$15,000
$15,000
$20,000
$16,125
$15,000
$16,000
Minimum
$6,000
$6,000
$6,000
$3,900
$6,000
$6,000
$6,000
$3,900
Maximum
$90,000
$53,000
100,000
$85,000
$97,500
$53,000
$100,000
$92,083
*HKU Average refers to the figure for the HKU Taught Postgraduate Programme graduates.
Source: Careers Education and Placement Centre, The University of Hong Kong.
Genevieve Ku
(LLB 2004, PCLL 2005)
Trainee Solicitor
Coudert Brothers in association with
Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP
0.7%
My life as a trainee solicitor started off
at a special time in our firm. During
my first month of training, our Hong
Kong practice was on its way to merge with another international
The remuneration received by Bachelor of Laws graduates is shown below:
law firm, Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP. That offered me a
great chance to have in-depth introductions about the firm and
to have partners and associates from different cities visiting us
Gross Income
LLB
HKU Average*
LLB
HKU Average*
2004
2003
2004
2003
2004
2003
2004
2003
Mean
$16,851
$11,013
$12,550
$12,545
$18,500
$11,279
$13,374
$13,470
Median
$14,500
$10,000
$10,000
$9,500
$15,125
$10,617
$10,292
$10,000
Minimum
$7,000
$8,000
$3,000
$3,000
$7,583
$8,000
$3,500
$3,000
Maximum
$35,000
$16,095
$55,000
$60,000
$51,000
$16,095
$62,500
$60,000
*HKU Average refers to the figure for the total HKU population and includes M.B., B.S. and B.D.S. graduates.
Employment Situations in 2004
Of the 262 graduates from this programme, 167 responded to the survey. Their
employment situations are listed below:
PCLL
HKU Overall*
2004
2003
2004
2003
No.
%
No.
%
No.
%
No.
%
No. of respondents
167
100%
194
100%
707
100%
690
100%
Employed
156
93%
162
84%
642
91%
605
88%
Unemployed
seeking F/T job
0
0%
3
1.5%
8
1.1%
9
1.3%
Further Studies
6
3.6%
27
14%
30
4.2%
51
7.4%
Emigrated/Returned
to home country
1
0.6%
0
0%
14
2.0%
8
1.2%
Not seeking F/T job
4
II
Employment Sectors
The majority of Postgraduate
Certificate in Laws graduates were
employed in Commerce & Industry,
while others were employed in the
Civil Service.
Sector
2
1.0%
13
1.8%
17
2.5%
% of graduates
2004
2003
Commerce & Industry
96%
93%
Civil Service
3.9%
6.1%
0%
0.7%
Community, Social &
Personal Services
2.4%
and talking to us. I'm really glad to witness the smooth transition.
I think work is fun and I'm enjoying it, though it always takes
some time to adjust. I did have some difficulties in getting up in
the morning for work and I would be puzzled sometimes on how
to start when given a task at the beginning. There were also
times of panic, when I felt I've learnt so little for all these years.
But at those times, I found the legal skills we acquired for doing
2004 Postgraduate Certificate in Laws graduates
I
HKU Average*
Sharing by our recent law graduates on their new lives as a trainee solicitor and a pupil barrister.
Basic Salary and Gross Income
Basic Salary
PCLL
2003
*HKU Overall refers to the figure for the total HKU population and includes M.B., B.S. and B.D.S. graduates.
III
HKU Average*
2004
No Response = 2
0%
Gross Income
No Response = 2
research really useful and my notes and "pink sheets"
(assignment feedbacks with sample clauses) handed out during
our PCLL classes provided a helpful starting point for quick
reference.
It has now been six months since the start of my traineeship
and I think time really flies, especially in the office, or maybe
that's the case for everyone working in the legal profession. At
times, my colleagues and I don't even notice time passing as
we work, and I wish time could go slower as a deadline draws
closer and closer.
There always seems to be so many new things to learn and
every case is different in one way or another. I take pleasure in
the learning process and I hope I will make the best use of my
training schedule to acquire the necessary skills and knowledge
for my future career.
Alfred Cheng
(LLB 2003, PCLL 2004 )
Pupil Barrister
Being a pupil and budding barrister is
a brand new experience for me. For
many of us graduating from law school
this is the first time we really apply our
legal knowledge to real-life situation.
This sounded very daunting to me
when I first started my pupillage a few months ago.
Every pupil will try to work the best as he can, as the pupillage
period will be the last year for him to learn all the essential
“surviving” knowledge and skill at the Bar. Long hours, work
assigned by pupilmasters which seems just too difficult to be
dealt with, reading up on areas of law to which we have never
been introduced are only some of the tough and frustrating events
that happen to many of us as pupils, more so when one is working
alone in chambers at 3 a.m.. However, this is paradoxically the
most rewarding part of the life at the Bar for me.
I think everyone has his reason to join the Bar. Irrespective of
the individual reason, I believe the most important thing is to
search for satisfaction at the Bar. I find satisfaction from
completing a piece of assignment because of the great feeling
of achievement from finishing something from scratch. I am
sure that one needs to find one’s own satisfaction in order to
prosper at the Bar, because the life as a barrister, as a lone
soldier fighting for the lay client’s case, is full of pressure and
loneliness. The responsibility of having full control of a case is
both satisfying and stressful.
I am glad that my experience at the Bar so far has been very
rewarding. I think this is due to the fact that all my pupilmasters
and practitioners that I have met and worked with are extremely
supportive about my learning experience. This is indeed the
fraternity that the Secretary for Justice, Wong Yan Lung SC, has
stressed at the recent Bar Mess. I am sure that there is an
interesting career ahead of me that I can look forward to.
*HKU Overall refers to the figure for the HKU Taught Postgraduate Programme graduates.
6
Spring 2006 • Pride of the Faculty
Spring 2006 • Pride of the Faculty
7
Jonathan Shun Wah
(PCLL 2005)
the Master still makes an Order against you. However, at the
end of the day, this is the training that will make me a better
Trainee Solicitor
Kennedys
lawyer.
S i x m o n t h s a g o, I b e g a n m y
t r a i n e e s h i p a t Ke n n e d y s , a n
international law firm based in the UK.
At 9 am in the morning, instead of
standing in front of the office ready to meet my new colleagues,
I was standing outside the Coroners Court waiting for a death
inquest to begin. My task, to take down every word that was
said and my tools, three pens and two legal pads. I had begun
my legal career in earnest.
In truth, no matter how practical my legal education has been,
nothing is more practical than experiencing law in action. In my
litigation seat now for instance, many of the questions given to
me to research might not necessarily have an answer. When I
attend three minute hearings, it is often dog eat dog when you
are fighting for your client’s best interest. All this sounds
frightening and demoralizing especially if after four hours of
research you cannot find the answer, or despite your best efforts,
LLB Graduation Ceremony
I am expected to work hard, learn and to ensure that at the end
of two years’ training, the partners would consider me an asset
worthy enough of retention. Whilst this is so, the work
environment at Kennedys is friendly, where communication
between colleagues is encouraged and a good balance is struck
between work and one’s private life. Some may even say this is
a rarity in the legal field. I have been lucky in that my colleagues
have been patient in teaching me and encouraging in giving me
certain heavy responsibilities. Ultimately, the trust that my
colleagues have in me and the diversity of cases that I get to
handle have made my job fulfilling and my decision to choose
law seemingly the right one.
Being a lawyer culminates in being an expert, a salesman, a
writer, a good debater and a friend. Thankfully, with the support
I have and the environment that I am working in, training to be
all of the above is challenging, enjoyable and worthwhile at
Kennedys. As my parents always say, "A great job is when you
can learn and grow" and I am in a great job now.
“Bring Honour, and Glory, to
You”
“You cannot expect opportunities to come
if you do not maintain a high standard of
professional competence and
professional ethics expected of you by the
public.”
“… so long as you keep an interest in
human affairs, open your minds to new
possibilities, and prize your honesty and
integrity, you will find yourselves in roles
which are rewarding both materially and
spiritually and which are of value to
society.”
So the Honourable Mr Justice Patrick
Chan PJ – one of our most distinguished
alumni – told the 129 LLB graduands of
2005 at the first ever Graduation
Ceremony of the Faculty of Law held on
a fine morning of 19 November 2005 in
Loke Yew Hall.
The Ceremony was presided over by our
Acting Vice-Chancellor, Professor Richard
Wong, and graced by the presence of Mr
Justice Patrick Chan PJ as our Guest-ofHonour. The Procession of the Ceremony
included our academic teachers, honorary
associate and adjunct professors, as well
as the President of our Law Alumni
Association. It was the moment for our
gra d u a n d s t o t a ke p r i d e i n t h e i r
achievements, and for parents and guests
to share their moments of joy and glory,
when the Dean called out the name of
each and ever y student who then
proceeded onto the stage to receive the
degree before the Acting Vice-Chancellor.
Apart from the graduation, our long-time
benefactors, including some of the top
Our Guests-of-Honour shared the joy with us at the
Ceremony.
8
Spring 2006 • Pride of the Faculty
firms and chambers in Hong Kong, were
present at the occasion to award
scholarships and prizes which recognized
the outstanding performance of our top
students.
It was an emotional moment when the
Acting Chancellor pronounced “I receive
the named candidates to the Degree of
Bachelor of Laws” and all graduands put
on their caps/mortar-boards at the same
time. Overwhelmed with joy, some mortar
boards were flung high up in the air!
Parents have finally witnessed the
moment when their sons and daughters
“put on their square caps” (Cantonese
phrase meaning graduating with a
University degree).
Ms Wong Lok Yan, Elizabeth, one of our
top graduands, delivered on behalf of all
her peers, a message of thanks to our
teachers and parents. Ms Wong said that
deep down in their hearts, they know that
they would not have made it to this stage
without the support and unconditional love
from their parents; and that our teachers
have endowed them with lifelong assets
by teaching them how to think logically,
critically and independently. “You have
made a difference in our lives, and it is now
for us to make a difference.”
The Ceremony concluded with the “Law
Anthem” – something unique to the Law
Faculty – in which our graduands vowed
to pass on the fine tradition of this Faculty,
Acting Vice-Chancellor, Professor Richard Wong.
The Hon Mr Justice Patrick Chan PJ.
and to bring honour and glory to the one
place they always belong to. The singing
was led by a fine group of first and second
year students, who, right after the
Ceremony, said that they must also have
a graduation ceremony when they
graduate in two or three years’ time!
It was a day when everyone was greeted
with laughter and joy, gratitude and
appreciation. It will also be one of those
episodes in life to which everyone will turn
back with pleasant and touching
memories. Most important of all, we
believe that the words of our Guest-ofHonour will be with our graduates no
matter how far they have advanced in their
lives and careers.
■ Ms Vivian Wong
Assistant Registrar & Faculty Secretary
The Choir singing the Law Anthem.
Spring 2006 • Pride of the Faculty
9
Faculty News
The New Part-time PCLL
Summer Internship Programme in China
Following the successful Summer Internship Programmes in Guangzhou and Beijing in
2004 and 2005, the Legal Education Trust Fund will hold its third Summer Internship
Programme in Beijing in June and July this year. The objective of this programme is to
provide Hong Kong students with an invaluable opportunity to explore a different legal system
and culture in China and gain a real life experience in the law firms and legal institutes. The
program will last for six weeks from 4 June to 22 July 2006, comprising of two-week intensive
training and visits, and another four weeks of job placement at district courts, the people’s
procuratorates, Legal Aid Department or law firms.
In conclusion, I should like to congratulate the first cohort of
part-time students and extend my thanks to all teachers, part
time and full time, for their contribution to a successful launch.
(From left) Mr Martyn Richmond (PT tutor), Mr Estee Lam (student), Miss Eva
Ngai (student), Mr Wilson Chow (Head of PLE Department), Dr Felix Chan,
Mr Richard Wu and Miss Carre Hui (student) at the PCLL Drinks Party.
In 2005, there were 28 Hong Kong law students participating in the programme, among
whom 16 were from our Faculty. The closing ceremony was held on 12 September 2005.
Here are the extracts of the sharing in the internship report (in Chinese) by two participants,
Ariel Leung and Winnie Mok.
!"#$
%&'
=táååáÉ=jçâ
=Eii_=OMMRI=m`ii=ëíìÇÉåíF
!"#$ !"#$%&
!"#$%&#'()*+!#!$
!"
=^êáÉä=iÉìåÖ
=Eii_=OMMRI=m`ii=ëíìÇÉåíF
!"#$%&'()*+,
!"#$%&'()*+,
!"#$%&'( !)
!"#$ ! !
!"#$%&'()*+
!"#$%&'()*+,
!"#$%&'()*+,
!"#$%"&'()*+
!"#$%&$'()*
!"#$%&'()*+,
!"#$%&'()*+,
!"#$%&'()*+,
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!"#$%&'()*+,
!"#$%&'()*+,
!" !"#ÜÉ~êë~ó
!"#$%&'()*+,
!"#$%&'()*+,
!"#$%&'()*+
!"#$% !
!"#$%&'()*+
10
Spring 2006 • Faculty News
!"#$%&'()*+,-.
!"#$%& !"#$
!"#$%&'()*+,
!"#$%&'()*
! !"# !"
!"#$%&&'()
!"#$%&'()*+,
!"#$%&' !"
!" !"#$%$&
!"#$%&'()*+,
!"#$%&'(!)*+
!"#$%&'()*+,
!"#$%&'()*+
!"#$%&'()*+,
!"#$%&'()*+,
!"#$%&'()*+,
!"#$%&'()*+
!"#$%&'()*+
!"#$%&'()
!"#$%&'()*+,
!"#$%
So far so good. But we are not yet home and dry. The second
year of the part-time course has been planned but will, of course,
require much greater teaching input when next year’s fresh intake
studies alongside the part-time students in their second year of
studies. This year we secured the use of an excellent lecture
theatre in the Main Building for all our classes. Let’s hope we
can secure a similarly good room next year and retain and
expand our part-time tutoring force. We are always pleased to
hear from practitioners interested in teaching on the part-time
course, although this should not be seen in monetary terms as
the equivalent of winning the Mark Six.
!"#$%&'()*+
!"#$%&'()*+
!"#$%&'()*
!"#$%&'($)
!"#$%&'()*+
!"#$%&'()*+
!"#$%&'()*+
!"#$%&'()*+
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!"#$%&&'()
!"#$%&'()*+
!"#$%&'()*+
!"#$%&'()*
!"#$%&'())
!"#$%&'()*+
!"#$%& '()
!"#$%&'()*+
!"#$%&'()*+
!"#$%&'()*+
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!"#$%&'()*+
!"##$%&'()*
!"#$%&'()*+
!"#$%&'()*+
!"#$%&'()*+
!
The part-time PCLL that was launched in September 2005
marked the beginning of a significant new phase in PCLL
teaching. The Department of Professional Legal Education had
been a little reluctant to introduce a part-time PCLL for several
reasons: we were worried that the participants might be too tired
after a long day in the office to give adequate concentration to
the demanding work; we were also concerned that all lectures
would have to be repeated – once for the full time course in the
usual scheduled session and again in the evening for the parttimers. We were also not sure whether we could attract good
teachers for the ‘night time shift’. The Law Society in particular
was very keen in our offering the PCLL in a part-time mode so
we bit the bullet. A team of teachers led by Mr Richard Wu
designed the part-time curriculum and time-table and dealt with
the necessary administrative matters. Applications were invited
by April 2005 and 179 were received. From these we admitted
58 well qualified candidates. The first cohort of students is a
lovely group representing an amazing diversity of background
and age. They have clearly bonded (perhaps for survival) and,
in conformity with modern views of problem based learning, given
much support to one another both intellectually and socially.
As planned, all lectures are given by the same teachers who
lecture to the full-time students, but tutorials are largely
conducted by practitioners. Here we have struck a vein of gold,
being able to attract several extremely well qualified and
experienced barristers and solicitors as tutors. Their contribution
has been very well received.
We have established a Course Review Panel which comprises
student representatives from each tutorial group, the two Course
Directors, Mr Richard Wu and myself, the Course Administrator
Pian Yip and those full-time teachers in charge of the subject
area being taught. The Panel meets every three weeks and
provides a forum for discussion of problems and the receipt of
complaints. I am happy to report that problems and complaints
have, so far, been few. Timetabling has been the major cause
for concern so as not to overload the students. The course has
been well received and, from our point of view, we are very
pleased with the enthusiasm and determination shown by the
students. As a gweilo I will never cease to admire the dedication
of Hong Kong students to learning. After a day in the office the
students attend classes three days each week and then go home
to write up their notes or prepare for the next class. It makes me
feel guilty going home to a cosy supper, glass of wine and a
good video!
■ Professor Michael Wilkinson
Australian Law Fairs in
Melbourne & Sydney
Following our previously successful visits in the past few years, we
visited Melbourne and Sydney for the purpose of promoting the
Faculty’s PCLL and TPG courses between 12 to 19 March 2006.
We attended and presented the HKU stall at the Melbourne
University Law Fair on Tuesday 14 March and at the Sydney
Law Fair on Thursday 16 March held at UNSW. Both Fairs were
organized by HK Law Firms and 18 attended and had stalls. In
addition, City U and Chinese U attended both Fairs.
Both Fairs were very well organized and very successful with
large numbers of students attending, mostly Hong Kong based
students who are studying in Australia and intending to return to
Hong Kong for professional qualification and practice. We met
and talked with dozens of potential HKU students and answered
their questions – mostly focused on the PCLL and their chances
of admission.
We also visited La Trobe University, Sydney University and UTS
and took the opportunity to meet and talk to: Professor Gordon
Walker, who is coming in September as the Hastings Visiting
Professor; Professor Chen Jiangfu, whom we are inviting as the
Rowdget Young Visiting Fellow, and Professor Chris Evans,
whom we are inviting to give the Peter Willoughby Lecture.
Australian Graduates are an important constituency in the PCLL
and they have performed very well on the course in recent years.
We are pleased that we were able to outreach to them and are
hopeful that many of them will choose to do the PCLL with us.
■ Professor Christopher Sherrin
Professor Christopher Sherrin (left) and Mr Wilson Chow, Head of Department
of Professional Legal Education (right).
Spring 2006 • Faculty News
11
Law Mentorship Programme
A Programme in which Both Quality and Quantity Count
Mr Kenneth Kwok SC, President of the University of
Hong Kong Law Alumni Association.
The Hon Mr Justice Chan PJ.
“
With this emphatic note by the Hon Mr
Justice Chan PJ on Ethics, the theme for
the newly introduced pre-dinner talks at
the first gatherings for mentors and
mentees, the Law Mentorship Programme
2005-06 was officially kicked-off on 17
October 2005. For four consecutive
evenings, about 35 members of the
profession and the Judiciary swarmed to
the campus on each evening to meet their
mentees for the first time at the dinner
gathering organized by the Faculty and
the HKU Law Alumni Association. While
some of our mentors are now “veterans”
after helping out with the Programme in
the previous years, for the others, this is
the first time in many years they came to
visit the Faculty and meet our students.
Indeed, the Programme provides an
excellent opportunity for practitioners and
our law students to know more about each
other in a friendly and informal setting. It
is hoped that through the Programme, our
mentors will understand more about the
life of and the challenges faced by law
students today. For this reason a briefing
on the latest developments of the Faculty
was arranged for mentors before they
were introduced to their mentees.
It is most encouraging to note that the
Programme has the strong support of our
12
Spring 2006 • Faculty News
They are the Hon Mr Justice Chan PJ,
the Hon Ms Audrey Eu SC, Ms Lucy
Yen, President of the Association of
China-Appointed Attesting Officers
Ltd, and Mr Kenneth Kwok SC,
President of the HKU Law Alumni
Association. We are also deeply
indebted to the Executive Committee of
the Law
6 Alumni Association as led by
Kenneth for their unfailing support without
which the Programme would not have
been possible.
The Hon Ms Audrey Eu SC.
… Observance by all lawyers of professional ethics in relation to
their work and their behavior is absolutely essential in maintaining
the image of our honourable profession. I say all lawyers because
one scandal by just one lawyer can tarnish our image and once
it is tarnished, it is difficult and takes the good work of many to
mend it …
(From left) Mr Edwin Neo, Mr Augusto da Roza, Ms Au Miu Po, Professor
Johannes Chan SC, Mr Cheung Wai Hing and Mr Robert Lie.
”
Ms Lucy Yen, President of the Association of ChinaAppointed Attesting Officers Ltd.
alumni and friends right from the start.
With the help of the HKU Law Alumni
Association, we have been able to recruit
over a hundred dedicated members of the
profession and the Judiciary to help as
mentors in each year’s Programme. The
invaluable support by our mentors who
are all distinguished members in their own
fields has helped tremendously to realize
the aims of the Programme. For this
year’s Programme, we have 135 mentors
and they include 15 members of the
Judiciary, 59 solicitors, 30 barristers, 14
from the Department of Justice, 4 from
other government departments, and 13
in-house counsel.
The great value of the Programme is
certainly recognized by our students,
as reflected in their enthusiastic
responses over the years. For this
year’s programme, about one-third (i.e.
462) of our student population had
applied, though only 315 students have
the good fortune to take part, as we want
to keep the mentors-mentees ratio at a
feasible level. All undergraduate students,
including those in the mixed degree
programmes, and PCLL students are
eligible to take part. 88 students from Year
1, 75 from Year 2, 42 from Year 3, 14 from
Year 4 and 96 from PCLL participate in
the current year’s Programme.
The major aim of the Programme is to
f a c i l i t a t e l aw s t u d e n t s t o g a i n
educational, social and personal
growth through a supportive
relationship with the mentors, who are
experienced practitioners or judges.
Through the one-year mentorship,
participating students (with 4 or 5 of them
in a group led by two mentors who are
from different sectors in the majority of
cases) will have a real taste of what a legal
career, or indeed the life as a solicitor or
barrister or judge, is like. Very often they
will also be able to get from their mentors
advice on their study and career plans.
With the positive responses from both the
practitioners and law students to the
Programme since its launch in 2002, it is
planned that the Programme will be
organized on an annual basis to
complement the formal curriculum of the
Faculty. We owe the success of the
Programme to all who have supported it
in one way or another along the way. In
particular, our deep gratitude goes to all
mentors in this year’s Programme as listed
below, and the following distinguished
j udge and pract i t i oner s who had
generously shared with us their words of
wisdom on Ethics at the pre-dinner talks.
Professor Johannes Chan SC, Dean of the Faculty of Law, briefed the mentors on
the latest development of the Faculty.
Mr Warren Chan SC and his mentees.
Ms Elaine Liu and Mr Edward Chan SC with mentees.
Ms Susan Sayers and Mr Ronny Tong SC with
mentees.
Ms Jennifer Wong Cheung and Mr Erik Shum with
mentees.
■ Ms Carol Chen
* The Faculty would like to thank Ms Carol Chen, who
resigned from her position as Faculty Development
Officer in Dec 2005, for her immense contribution to
the Faculty. Her position is now filled by Ms Iris Ng.
A note of thanks to our Mentors in the Law Mentorship Programme 2005-06:
The Hon Mr Justice Patrick CHAN, PJ
The Hon Madam Justice CHU
The Hon Madam Justice Susan KWAN
The Hon Mr Justice REYES
Chief District Judge Barnabas FUNG
H H Judge Judianna BARNES
H H Judge Esther TOH
H H Judge Mary YUEN
H H Judge David LOK
H H Judge Louis CHAN
Master LUNG Kim Wan
Master de SOUZA
Master Roy YU
Master Simon KWANG
Chief Magistrate Patrick LI
Mr Edward CHAN SC
Mr Andrew LIAO SC
Mr Ronny TONG SC
Mr Kenneth KWOK SC
Ms Audrey EU SC
Mr Warren CHAN SC
Mr Benjamin YU SC
Mr Alan K K LEONG SC
Mr JAT Sew Tong SC
Mr Rimsky YUEN SC
Mr Paul SHIEH SC
Mr Horace Y L WONG SC
Mr Anderson K M CHOW SC
Ms AU Miu Po
Mr Herbert H W AU-YEUNG
Ms Rayne C H CHAI
Ms Bonnie S Y CHAN
Mr Bonnie Y P CHAN
Mr Brian M H CHAN
Ms Christie CHAN
Mr Johnny Y C CHAN
Mr Winston CHAN
Ms Margaret S W CHENG
Mr CHEUNG Kam Leung
Mr CHEUNG Wai Hing
Mr Keith P K CHEUNG
Ms Lilian CHIANG
Mr Donny S K CHIU
Ms Betty M Y CHOI
Mr Edward L S CHOW
Ms Alice M S CHOY
Ms Priscilla K L CHOY
Mr Norman P M CHUI
Ms Cordelia CHUNG
Mr Albert T da ROSA Jr
Mr Mark DALY
Mr Johnny FEE
Mr Jack S C FONG
Ms Pancy S H FUNG
Mr John GALE
Ms Tammy GOH
Mr Rodney GOH
Ms Elaine Y L HO
Ms Julian Y F HO
Ms Lily L Y HO
Ms Lily M Y HO
Mr Martin S T HUI
Mr IP Shing Hing
Mr Emmanuel C C KAO
Ms Mary M. L. KAO
Mr Joseph KWAN
Mr Thomas T H KWAN
Ms Esther L S LAI
Ms Francoise S M LAM
Mr Godfrey W H LAM
Mr S K LAM
Ms LAM Tze Yan
Ms Selina K W LAU
Ms Anita LEE
Ms Brenda F LEE
Mr. Carmelo LEE
Ms Cissy W T LEUNG
Mr David C Y LEUNG
Ms Grace P K LEUNG
Mr LEUNG Kam Ming
Mr Simon C M LEUNG
Mr Thomas S T LEUNG
Ms Angel Y Y LI
Mr Robert LIE
Mr Alex K S LIU
Ms Elaine Y L LIU
Mr Francis H C LO
Mr Tommy K F LO
Ms Phillis L P LOH
Mr Andrew Y S MAK
Mr Bernard MAK
Ms Elizabeth W Y MO
Mr Gilbert S K MO
Mr Edwin NEO
Ms Hayley K C NG
Ms Irene S W NG
Ms Jacklyn S F NG
Ms Jasmine C P NG
Mr NG Kin Yuen
Ms Doris M Y PAK
Mr Dickson K F PANG
Mr Augusto da ROZA
Ms Susan SAYERS
Mr Erik S M SHUM
Mr Steven M W SHUM
Mr Kenneth SIT
Ms Amy Maria TAM
Mr Tommy W C TAM
Mrs Daisy W L TONG YEUNG
Mr TONG Wui Tung
Mrs TONG LAU Mui Sum
Mr Albert H K TSANG
Mr Paul K TSANG
Mr Joseph L B TSE
Ms Annie TSOI
Ms Jennifer K W TSUI
Mr Michael VIDLER
Ms Amy F K WONG
Mr Allen C P WONG
Mr Ben K K WONG
Mr Charles T C WONG
Ms Cleresa P Y WONG
Ms Jennifer K Y WONG CHEUNG
Mr Kenneth W Y WONG
Mr Roger K S WONG
Mrs Rosana WONG
Ms Priscilla WONG
Mr Wesley W C WONG
Mr Anthony WU
Ms Judy YANG
Mr Albert K C YAU
Ms Lucy S W YEN
Mr Tony Y H YEN
Ms Eirene Y C YEUNG
Mr Frank K F YUEN
Spring 2006 • Faculty News
13
Sir Y K Pao Chair in Public Law
Features
Farewell to Professor Yash Ghai, Welcome Professor Hurst Hannum
Dr Helmut Sohmen’s Donation for the LLM in Human Rights Programme
Professor Yash Ghai, who joined the Faculty since 1989, had formerly retired at the
end of 2005. He was pivotal to the setting up and implementation of the LLM in
Human Rights programme. Throughout these 16 years, he has contributed
immensely in laying a strong foundation in our public law and human rights
development, which has now become an area of excellence in the Faculty.
In recognition of his outstanding academic achievement, Professor Ghai was
awarded the University’s Distinguished Researcher Award in 2001, which is the
highest honour of research award in the University. Recently, he has been appointed
by the UN Secretary General Kofi Annan as his Special Representative for Human
Rights in Cambodia. He is responsible for monitoring the observance of human
rights there, as well as advising the Cambodian Government and the society on
the protection of human rights.
Dr Helmut Sohmen (fourth from right) with 5 of his scholarship awardees and
Ms Suzannah Linton (second from left), Professor Johannes Chan SC (third from
left) and Ms Robyn Emerton (second from right).
(From left) Ms Suzannah Linton, Professor Johannes Chan SC, Dr Helmut Sohmen
and Professor Albert Chen.
On 1 March 2006, a Reception was held in honour of Professor Yash Ghai and in
welcoming Professor Hurst Hannum, the successor to the Sir Y K Pao Chair. In his
tribute to Professor Ghai, Professor Johannes Chan SC, Dean of the Faculty of
Recent Developments in the LLM in Human Rights Programme
On 1 October 2005, the LLM in Human
R i g h t s p r o g ra m m e k i cke d o f f i t s
programme for 2005-2006 with a new
Director Ms Suzannah Linton, a workshop
on Public International Law and its largest
ever intake of students. Included among
the thirty six students from all over the
world were six Sohmen Scholars from The
Philippines, Thailand, Nepal, Indonesia,
Fiji and the Peoples Republic of China.
These six students are the first to benefit
from the tremendous generosity of Dr
Helmut Sohmen, whose personal
donation will enable a total of fifty students
to study on the LLM in Human Rights
programme over the next five years. The
ever growing international renown of the
programme does lead to administrative
challenges, but the richness of the student
pool and sharing of perspectives among
students is truly priceless.
The Faculty of Law and the students were
able to express their appreciation to Dr
Sohmen at a formal opening ceremony
on 10 October 2005, where Dr Sohmen
was our guest of honour.
14
Spring 2006 • Features
In January 2006, we saw the end of an
era as Professor Yash Ghai stepped down
as Sir Y K Pao Professor of Public Law.
But we welcomed Professor Hurst
Hannum to take his place. It should be
noted that this illustrious chair
p r o fe s s o r s h i p i s a l s o d u e t o t h e
tremendous generosity of Dr Helmut
Sohmen. Professor Ghai continues to be
closely involved with our programme; at
time of writing, he is teaching his
renowned class on Ethnicity, Nationality
and Human Rights and is preparing for
the course on National Protection of
Human Rights. Professor Hannum joins
us from the Fletcher School of Law and
Diplomacy at Tufts, and brings with him
enormous experience in human rights.
This term, he will be co-teaching National
Protection of Human Rights with
Professor Ghai and giving guest lectures
on Public International Law.
Our planning continues for the coming
academic year 2006-2007. Our global
outlook, with our characteristic Asian
focus, makes us unique. We continue to
be Asia’s only Master of Laws programme
dedicated to human rights, but we are
developing our programme as a worldclass one, attracting top caliber students
and teaching them to world-class level.
us. As Margaret Thatcher used to say, life begins at retirement. I am sure we will
continue to maintain the link for many years to come, and may I wish you all the
Professor Yash Ghai at the Sir Y K Pao Chair Reception.
best.”
Appointment of the new Sir Y K Pao Chair
Professor Hurst Hannum, the second Sir Y K Pao Chair in Public Law, is a most
eminent academic in human rights, international relations and public international
■ Ms Suzannah Linton
law. He has held consultancies with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
and UN Department of Political Affairs, and worked with many inter-governmental
and non-governmental organizations in Indonesia (Aceh), Western Sahara, Kashmir,
East Timor, Sri Lanka, Spain (Basque Country), and the Caucasus. Coming from
the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University, Professor Hannum’s
expertise spans across the field of law and international relations. He is the CoDirector of the Centre for Human Rights
and Conflict Resolution of Fletcher since
2000.
Professor Hannum delivered his Inaugural
Lecture on the topic of “Turbans, Trade
and Terrorism: Are Human Rights the
Answer?” on 24 March 2006.
▲
Professor Hurst Hannum at his Inaugural Lecture.
▲
In addition to core courses setting the
ground work for a comprehensive
understanding of human rights, our
students also have a large range of
options to choose from. In this academic
year 2005-2006, they have been able to
choose from Equality and NonDiscrimination, Ethnicity, Democracy and
Human Rights, Economic Social and
Cultural Rights, International Criminal
Law, Public International Law, Rights and
Remedies in the Criminal Process, Rights
of the Child in Domestic and International
Law, Human Rights in Hong Kong and
Human Rights in China. We are looking
to continue this breadth of options in future
years.
Law, said, “On behalf of the Faculty and the University, I would like to thank Professor
Ghai for his great contribution and his sharing probably the best part of his life with
The new LLM in Human Rights team: Professor Hurst
Hannum (left) and Ms Suzannah Linton (right).
LLM in Human Rights students.
Spring 2006 • Features
15
New Awards & Scholarship
Professor Ghai’s Appointment of UN
Special Representative for human rights in
Cambodia
International Mooting Competition Awards
•
Competition
The HKU team finished
Professor Yash Ghai, the
former Sir Y K Pao Chair in
second and won the
Best Memorial Prizes in
Public Law who specializes
in basic law, human rights
the 4th Red Cross
I n t e r n a t i o n a l
and public law, has been
appointed by United Nations
Humanitarian Law Moot
(IHL) Competition held
S ec ret ar y -G enera l Ko f i
Annan to be his special
responsibilities of this appointment include scrutinizing the
observance of human rights in Cambodia, advising the
•
Weixia Gu on her Passion for Legal Research
Whilst studying for the MCL, I represented
Congratulations to Ms Weixia Gu, a current SJD candidate in the Faulty of Law, on
being selected as one of the two recipients of the first-ever “Fulbright Hong Kong
Junior Research Scholar Awards”. The Award is to honor Doctoral students in Hong
Kong universities who have demonstrated distinguished research excellence. As the
only recipient from a humanities background, Weixia told us that she was excited that
her legal research efforts had been recognized by the prestigious Fulbright Foundation,
specifically the US Council for International Exchange of Scholars. As a Fulbright
scholar, she is expected to conduct visiting research for her SJD thesis in NYU and
Cornell Law Schools from January to July in 2007. Adding to her excitement, Weixia
would like to share with us the story of her passion for legal research.
the Faculty in all the arbitration-related
international mooting competitions,
community alongside the
countr y’s ongoing
Michelle Fung presenting at the first round
Deanna Law (LLB 2)
was awarded the Best
•
The Fulbright Award has served to renew
Deanna Law (first from left).
The Philip C Jessup International Law Moot Court
went to Washington DC to compete in the international rounds
from 26 March to 1 April 2006. The HKU team finished
amongst the top 16 teams in the advanced oral rounds, and
came in 4th in both the Dillard Competition and International
Round of Negotiation on the Trips Agreement and China’s
National Intellectual Property Development Strategy. Previously,
Round Memorial Award. Sweet & Maxwell Asia/Thomson
has been the sponsor of the HKU team since 2002.
Dr Xue was granted the Special Governmental Allowance by
the State Council
•
International Client Counselling Competition 2006
The HKU team finished third in the international round in
Cardiff, Wales held on 5 to 9 April 2006. Deacons has been
social science in
2002 and elected
Dr Xue Hong (right) received the award from Professor Richard Wong, Deputy
Vice-chancellor of HKU, at the Award Presentation Ceremony for Excellence in
Teaching and Research on 17 November 2005.
in my home university in
Shanghai, the East China
Competition
The HKU team won the regional round in Hong Kong and
technology law. Her current research includes intellectual
property protection in the network environment, WTO Doha
2004.
arbitration mooting trainings
under Professor Xiaohong Liu
Preliminary Round Oralist and the Best Grand Final Oralist.
enthusiasm and dedication to research work. Her areas of
expertise include intellectual property law and information
Jurists by the China
L aw S o c i e t y i n
international arbitration can
be traced back to my LLB
Round held in Taiwan on
21 to 24 March 2006. Ms
Dr Xue won the Outstanding Young
Researcher Award 2005
as one of the Ten
Young Outstanding
My deep interest in
Written Submission in
the Asian Regional
General and United Nations Human Rights Office on issues
relating to human rights.
for prominent
contribution to
The ELSA WTO Dispute Settlement Moot Court
second and won the
Best Complainant
as developing awareness and capacity for enforcement of human
rights. He will also give advice to the United Nations Secretary
Dr Xue Hong, Associate Professor, has won a prestigious
Outstanding Young Researcher Award 2005 for her extraordinary
harmonization with the
globalized economy.
Competition
The HKU team came
Cambodian Government and society on the protection of human
rights, making public statements on serious violations, as well
Spring 2006 • Features
myself in both study and career over the
years.
on 18 March 2006. Ms of the competition.
Michelle Fung (LLB 3) was awarded the Best Mooter.
representative for human
rights in Cambodia. The
16
The 4th Red Cross International Humanitarian Law Moot
Fulbright Scholarship
the sponsor of the HKU team since 2005.
•
The 4th International Intellectual Property Moot
Competition
Based on the quality of the written submissions, the HKU team
was one of 21 teams (out of 44) selected to compete in the
oral rounds. The HKU team will compete against the top UK
law schools in the 4th International Intellectual Property Moot
Competition in Oriel College, Oxford from 1 to 2 April 2006.
my enthusiastic commitment to doing
legal research and to pursuing an
academic career.
“For what do we live?” This is a question
frequently asked by my father, and he tells
me, “To live is to create, help and realize
dreams.” As my father is a law professor
at the East China Normal University, his
heuristic cultivation aroused my early
interest in humanity and my family
background fostered my interest to pursue
legal research.
My particular research focuses upon
international commercial arbitration,
which has the reputation for being the
most preferred dispute settlement method
in cross-border transactions. It has been
recognized world wide that, against the
wave of economic globalization, a country
must update its arbitration system to
achieve better economic integration. This
brings me to my SJD research topic, in
which I aim to examine China’s distinctive
adaptation into the global arbitration
University of Politics and Law. There I
began my long-march research expedition
in the area of arbitration. I was then
successfully admitted to this Faculty’s
MCL (Master of Common Law) program
with the suppor t of a Peter Vine
Postgraduate Law Scholarship in 2003.
That one-year program was critical as it
was then that I made up my mind to read
for a Doctorate and to pursue an academic
career. I remember vividly those
illuminating discussions and wisdom
sharing sessions in Professor Xianchu
Zhang’s class on “Cross-border Legal
Relations between HK and the Mainland”
and Professor Katherine Lynch’s class on
“Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)”,
both of which provoked creative thoughts,
and highlighted diversified perspectives,
broadened my arbitration horizons. I am
proud to say that the Law Faculty is indeed
an excellent place to nurture world-class
legal research; and I wish to pay my
heartfelt tribute to Professor Zhang and
including the “Vis Moot” in Austria and
“Maritime Moot” in Australia. I believe that
I did a ver y effective job in both
competitions due to my strong knowledge
arbitration. On my Master’s graduation
day, some of my friends congratulated me
and wondered why I was pursuing legal
research and a subsequent academic
path instead of law practice. I told them
that law provides a platform for coexistence and the effective resolution of
disputes. Legal research to me is a
passion for diversity of wisdom. We must
create and use the law as a platform for
sensible analysis and engagement. To the
extent that teaching and practice are two
specialized areas of the law, I believe that
good law teachers and law researchers
a r e i n s p i r i n g l i g h t h o u s e s fo r t h e
profession.
I am happy that I am on the right track,
though the path may be full of turbulence,
and I have sensed the beautiful blossom
at the end of that road. Life is for realizing
dreams. To me, legal research is a living
thing which requires enduring efforts to
remain vivid and diversified. In short, my
personal passion for legal research and
my life’s dream of pursuing an academic
career may be expressed in the words of
Macbeth:
I have begun to plant thee, and will labor
to make thee full of growing.
— Macbeth Act 1 Scene 7
Finally, I wish to take this opportunity to
express my deepest gratitude to four
teachers who inspired my interest in and
enthusiasm for legal research: Professor
Xiaohong Liu of the ECUPL; Professor
Xianchu Zhang, Professor Katherine
Lynch and the Dean Professor Johannes
Chan of the HKU.
Professor Lynch who are currently my
SJD Supervisors and who have offered
me numerous opportunities to develop
■ Ms Gu Weixia
Spring 2006 • Features
17
Law Alumni Association
April 2005 to chat with them. He addressed the Class of 2005
at their Graduation Ceremony on 19 November 2005. I was
honoured to participate in the Procession.
2004-05 was the first year when PCLL students could choose
between the Litigation stream or the Conveyancing Probate and
Commercial stream. On 22 July 2005, 26 August 2005 and 23
September 2005 Elaine and I met 3 groups who had completed
the Litigation stream. They offered constructive criticism and
provided suggestions on how the Litigation stream and the PCLL
programme could be improved. A report on their feedback was
compiled and sent to Mr Wilson Chow (Class of 1991), Head of
the Professional Legal Education Department, and copied to
them.
(From left in the front row) The Hon Mr Justice Chan PJ, Ms Cleresa Wong,
Mr Kenneth Kwok SC, Ms Bonnie Chan and Ms Cissy Leung. (From left in the
back row) Mr Carmelo Lee, Mr Erik Shum, Mr Eric Cheung, Ms Elaine Liu,
Ms Felicity Wong and Ms Youn Ling.
On 2 March 2005, Ms Francoise Lam (Class of 1986) sat at the
back of Room 302 K K Leung Building to test whether everybody
could hear the speakers. Ms Bonnie Chan (Class of 1989),
Ms Cissy Leung (Class of 1988), Ms Elaine Liu (Class of 1987),
Mr Timothy Tso (Class of 1999), and Ms Felicity Wong (Class of
1999), gave a talk to about 60 law students on the first day in
work – in business and finance, as an in-house lawyer, as a
barrister, in the Department of Justice and as a solicitor.
Bonnie, Cissy, Francoise, Felicity and Ms Cleresa Wong (Class
of 1980) then took on a more challenging task by organising a
mock interview for law students on 29 September 2005 at Rayson
Huang Theatre. Cissy conducted an interactive discussion with
students on the preparation for and “Do’s and Don’ts” at
interviews. This was followed by a mock interview by a panel of
three interviewers with 6 student interviewees. As I was
pretending to be a solicitor on the interviewers panel, the other
interviewers, Cleresa and Francoise had my script written out
for me. After the mock interview, Cissy, Elaine and Felicity gave
concrete and practical feedback to the participants.
6 days earlier, Francoise mingled with students who packed
Room 223 Knowles Building to attend a briefing by 3 mentors
[the Hon Madam Justice Chu (Class of 1982), Ms Julian Ho
(Class of 1985) and Mr Erik Shum (Class of 1984)] and 2
mentees on their experience in the mentorship programme.
About 450 students wished to join the 2005-06 programme
organised by the Faculty and the Alumni Association. With 135
alumni and friends as mentors and at the ratio of 2 mentors to 5
mentees, 315 students participated in the programme. The
Faculty organised dinner gatherings for all the groups as their
first round of meetings, with about 15 to 20 groups attending on
each of the 4 evenings. The Hon Mr Justice Patrick Chan, PJ
CFA (Class of 1974), the Hon Ms Audrey Eu (Class of 1975),
Ms Lucy Yen (Class of 1972) and I took turns and gave a brief
pre-dinner talk on “Ethics” on 17, 18, 19 and 20 October 2005
respectively.
Patrick took a group of recent graduates out for lunch on 27
18
Spring 2006 • Features
On 18 November 2005, Mr Carmelo Lee (Class of 1982) and Mr
Augusto da Roza (Class of 1973) took a group who had
completed the CPC stream out for lunch. Most of them opined
that the streaming had not affected those who chose the CPC
stream as most of the changes were made in the Litigation
stream but emphasised the need to provide clearer information
on the different streams.
Members of the Alumni Association were invited by the Faculty
to attend a drinks party on 4 June 2005 with PCLL students at
the Juror Assembly Room, High Court. Many confessed that
they attended because of the photo session, not the drinks.
Ms Wendy Chan (Class of 1987), Ms Carol Chen (Class of 1982),
Cleresa and Francoise reviewed the Constitution and drafted
proposed amendments. These amendments were passed at
the Annual General Meeting on 6 December 2005.
I attended the Master of Common Law Graduation Ceremony
on 2 August 2005 and presented some prizes. I also attended
the LLB Opening Ceremony on 8 September 2005. I was to
present some prizes but none of the intended recipients was
there. So I addressed the Class of 2009 instead.
Ties with the students and the Faculty were strengthened in the
last 2 years. We attended the High Table Dinner of the Law
Association on 9 April 2005 and the Chairman of the Law
Association attended one of our Executive Committee meetings.
Gus attends Faculty Board meetings as a member nominated
by the Alumni Association and co-opted by the Faculty Board.
Professor Johannes Chan (Class of 1981), Dean, treated us
New Plans for the Hong
Kong Law Journal
The Hong Kong Law Journal, Hong
Kong’s first and most widely-read law
journal, has been published since 1971.
It is published annually, in three parts,
under the management and guidance
of members of the Faculty of Law, who
staff the editorial committee. It is a
HKLJ Editor,
peer-reviewed journal with a focus on
Rick Glofcheski
legal topics relevant to Hong Kong or
Mainland China. It also publishes articles on matters of an
international, comparative or inter-disciplinary nature. It has in
recent issues acquired a growing international authorship, with
the majority of submissions coming from overseas scholars.
The Hong Kong Law Journal has enjoyed a busy year of
personnel developments. In September, three Faculty
colleagues joined the editorial committee. They are Amanda
Whitfort, Felix Chan and Kelvin Low. In the same month four
Faculty of Law students joined the student editorial committee.
They are Grace Fung (PCLL), Ryanne Lai (LLB 3), Kung ShunFong (LLB 3) and Veronica Ng (LLB 2). In November, the Journal
appointed Professor Michael Palmer of the School of Oriental
and African Studies (London), to the International Editorial Board.
Professor Palmer is a renowned China law scholar.
In the meantime, the Journal’s successful relationship with Sweet
& Maxwell was renewed, with the signing of a publication contract
for another five-year term. This agreement ensures that the
Journal will be published by Sweet & Maxwell until 2010, allowing
the Journal to enjoy the benefits of Sweet & Maxwell’s worldwide
circulation and marketing network.
In addition to these publishing arrangements, Hong Kong Law
Journal continues to be published on-line by Westlaw, and is
indexed by Wilson’s Index to Legal Periodicals.
Also on the electronic front, the Journal recently launched a
new website. Still accessible at the same easy-to-remember
www.hklj.com address, the website has a new look and userfriendly format designed by student editor Ryanne Lai, with the
help of student editor Eddy So. Of great importance to
researchers is that the tables of contents of all of the volumes of
Hong Kong Law Journal (1971-2005) and Law Lectures for
Practitioners (1974-2005) are now accessible. Abstracts of
articles from 2000 (the year abstracts were introduced) are also
freely accessible.
In 2005, the Journal revived its historic role as publisher,
publishing a collection of essays on Hong Kong constitutional
law – Hong Kong’s Constitutional Debates (ed Chan and Harris).
The Journal will continue in this role, with two books to be
published in February 2006 – Hong Kong Basic Law Bibliography
(ed Simon Young)
a n d H o n g Ko n g
Human Rights
B i bl i o gra p hy ( e d
Johannes Chan).
The journal is
interested to hear the
views of its readers
HKLJ
on the contents and
format of the journal. To learn more about the Hong Kong Law
Journal, visit its website at http://www.hklj.com.
The Journal has also entered into a relationship with on-line
■ Mr Rick Glofcheski
with a meal and attended our Executive Committee meeting in
February 2005.
me for many months in 2003 to take up alumni work. Both left
us at the end of last year!
Ms Youn Ling (Class of 1997) provided the link between us and
the Law Association. Her exceptional contribution to the 35th
Anniversary Publication is a matter of record. She left the
Faculty’s employ as the Public Relations Officer in the middle of
last year but missed us so much that she volunteered to join the
Executive Committee.
Francoise had been on the Executive Committee for 3 years
during which she was Hon Secretary for 2 years. Francoise
took care of every detail and worked behind the scene on almost
all alumni activities. One particular faret of her expertise was to
choose perfect wedding gifts.
Carol, described by some as the mother of the Law Mentorship
Programme, ceased her part-time employment as the Faculty’s
Development Officer at the end of last year. She was the Alumni
Association’s founding Hon Treasurer and doubled up as the
Hon Secretary in the middle of the second year.
The Law Alumni Association organized the Job Interview Workshop on
29 September 2005. (From right) Ms Francoise Lam, Mr Kenneth Kwok SC,
Ms Cleresa Wong and the student participants.
publishers HeinOnline, which has agreed to publish on its
electronic database all of the text of the Hong Kong Law Journal
covering volumes 1-30 (1971-2000). This will allow the Journal
to reach a potentially unlimited readership.
Mr Richard Wu (Class of 1984) had served as a member of the
Executive Committee for 4 years. Carol and Richard pestered
Carol, Francoise, Richard, Youn and everybody who has helped
and supported the Faculty and the students, thanks.
■ Mr Kenneth Kwok SC (Class of 1972)
President,
The University of Hong Kong Law Alumni Association
http://www.hku.hk/law/alumni
Email: [email protected]
Spring 2006 • Features
19
Conferences & Lectures
Hong Kong Trade & Development Symposium
the Director General of the World Trade
international organizations to organize the
Fair Trade Fair, which was also a success
in the Cancun Ministerial. It was then that
I started to appreciate the massive scale
o f t h i s eve n t a n d t h e l eve l o f
responsibilities that was required from
me.
All the organizers of the HKTDS and the
Fair Trade Fair were pleased to see the
results of their effort at the Opening
Ceremony on the 13 December 2005.
WTO Director General Mr Pascal Lamy addressing the audience at the plenary
session on 14 December 2005.
20
During the four days that followed, we
were glad to see some 50 plenary and
The preparation for the Hong Kong Trade
Since Hong Kong was designated as the
and Development Symposium (HKTDS)
started in February 2005. Looking back,
host for the WTO Sixth Ministerial
Conference, we felt that it would be a great
the ten months seemed like a very short
time and I can only remember specific
exciting episodes.
privilege indeed if The University of Hong
Kong would be involved in major events
relating to the Ministerial Conference.
Our co-organizer, the International Centre
During our initial meetings with ICTSD, I
was given a briefing by ICTSD regarding
teams of staff to organize and participate
in our sessions. We are also pleased
for Trade and Sustainable Development
(ICTSD) approached us in early 2005 to
their previous experience of organizing
trade and development symposium in
t o a n n o u n c e t h a t we h ave b e e n
commended by many international IGOs
see if we were interested in organizing a
symposium in parallel with the Sixth WTO
Cancun, Mexico. Our initial plan was that
the HKTDS would be similar to the
and NGOs who said that the substance
and variety of our programme was even
Ministerial Conference in December 2005.
The ICTSD wished to organize the
Cancun TDS, which would be a three-day
academic event consisting of about 15
better than the NGO centre at the
Ministerial Conference venue.
HKTDS a large scale symposium to bring
together acclaimed academics,
sessions. Since I had not been to the Fifth
Ministerial Conference in Cancun, Mexico,
We were particularly pleased to see that
intergovernmental organisations (IGOs)
and non-governmental organisations
I could only imagine the scale of the
Symposium by looking at the Cancun
the plenary sessions were attended by
some of the most authoritative speakers
(NGOs) with expertise and knowledge in
development-related issues, consumer
Symposium programme. If that was the
scale that was expected this time, I
from around the world, amongst which
include Professor Joseph Stiglitz, Nobel
g r o u p s , t h e p r i va t e s e c t o r, a n d
parliamentarians, to generate innovative
thought, things should be manageable.
Laureate, well-known critic of international
economic policies of the IMF, the World
thinking and analysis on pressing issues
in the trade and sustainable development
After three months of discussions with
other international organizations, the
Bank and the United States Treasury
Department. Hafiz Pasha, UN Assistant
policy domain. The Symposium would
cover a whole range of disciplines
project became a five-day symposium
consisting of some 50 sessions with 40
Secretary-General and Dr Mari Pangestu,
Minister of Trade of Indonesia. For the
including trade policies, law, economics
and development issues.
institutional partners. In additional, we
reached an agreement with a number of
plenary session on 14 December 2005,
we were proud to have Mr Pascal Lamy,
Spring 2006 • Conferences & lectures
parallel sessions running smoothly and
every session was full-house. Many of our
sessions attracted members of the
inter national press, and many
international organizations such as the
World Bank and UNDP had sent sizeable
Organization speaking on the same panel
with Mr Martin Khor, Director of the Third
World Network.
Organizing the logistics of this event was
equally challenging. All conference
venues were reserved and it took a great
deal of effort to negotiate a venue which
was large enough to accommodate the
audience for the HKTDS and the Fair
Trade Fair. From an empty venue, we
m a n a g e d t o h ave a p r o fe s s i o n a l
(From right) Professor Lap-chee Tsui, Professor Joseph Stiglitz, Mr Ricardo
Melendiz, Executive Director of ICTSD and Professor Johannes Chan SC.
conference setting accommodating 300
people, 60 exhibition booths, one café and
wireless internet access in the entire
venue. I can still clearly remember the last
all elevators. At about 6:30 pm, we were
Lap-chee Tsui and Dr Chow Yei Ching for
day of the Symposium.
pleased to see guests arriving but at the
same time, all of them were catching their
taking the risk of coming to Wanchai north
to attend our Opening Ceremony despite
I can also remember many exciting
episodes which happened during this
breath since they all had to walk up the
flights of stairs to get to our venue on the
the chaos in Wanchai. I must also thank
our Dean Professor Johannes Chan for
conference. About one month before the
event, we had a series of meetings with
third floor. Even though the crowd control
measures had caused slight disruption
giving me so much guidance on this
project from the very beginning. Also,
the Ministerial Conference office of the
Hong Kong government. Whilst the
to our event, we were delighted to see
over 300 guests were attending our
many thanks to my colleagues, Mr Henry
Gao, Mr Donald Lewis, Ms Xue Hong,
government was very supportive of the
symposium, both sides were concerned
Welcoming Reception.
Mr Zhang Xian Chu and Mr Douglas
Arner. Many colleagues at the Law Faculty
that with the number of participants for
the minister ial and the number of
In the afternoon of 17 December 2005,
the scale of protests escalated and all
office have helped me with every aspect
of the logistics of this event, without which
participants in the symposium, with the
number of potential protesters in the
par ticipants could clearly hear the
rumbling noises of drums from the Korean
the event could not have been a success.
I am also very grateful to the many student
Wanchai area, very careful planning was
needed in order to ensure safety for
farmers and other organizations inside
our venue. Since the police had closed
volunteers within HKU who have devoted
their time even during the examination
participants, delegates and diplomats and
other VIPs.
off the entire area after 7 pm, traffic was
paralysed and I had to escor t our
season to have also contributed to this
project. Special thanks to Baker &
We had prepared for the possibility that
speakers from Wanchai to Causeway Bay
just to take the MTR to Central to reach
McKenzie, HSBC, PCCW, Xerox, IBM
Lenovo and Epson for their valuable
protests might prevent invited guests from
coming to the official Opening Ceremony.
our dinner venue. Any where on the
streets, we could smell the remains of tear
service and support.
As anticipated, protests started in the
afternoon and the government had to
gas.
restrict access in the Wanchai north area.
On the advice of the police, the owner of
There are so many people whom I wish
to thank for making this project a success.
Programme Manager
East Asian International Economic
our symposium venue also had to stop
I wish to thank Vice-Chancellor Professor
Law & Policy Programme
■ Ms Agnes Cheng
Spring 2006 • Conferences & Lectures
21
Hochelaga
Lectures
Common Law Lectures
Villainy in Venice
In November and December 2005, the
Faculty had the honour of welcoming two
of England’s most prominent Law Lords.
On 7 November 2005, the Rt Hon the Lord
Millett delivered a lecture on “Property and
Restitution: Drawing the Boundary”,
where his Lordship shared with the
audience his views on one of the most
difficult questions in the law of restitution:
when should a claimant be awarded a
proprietary restitutionary remedy rather
than a mere personal remedy. In the
lecture, Lord Millett went through the
seminal decisions in this area of the law,
and ingenuously proposed an approach
significantly different from that put forward
by leading academic writers.
The Rt Hon the Lord Hoffmann.
The Hon Mr Andrew Li CJ (left) and The Rt Hon the
Lord Hoffmann.
The Rt Hon the Lord Millett delivering his lecture.
On 12 December 2005, the Rt Hon the
Lord Hoffmann delivered a lecture on
“Compensation and the Distribution of
Risk”. His Lordship cogently argued that
the development of the common law does
not, and possibly cannot, sufficiently take
into account the social and other costs of
providing compensation for accidents
through the law of torts.
Both lectures are part of the Faculty’s
Common Law Lecture Series, launched
in March 2005 with the kind support of
the Hong Kong judiciary.
Meeting of the minds: (from left) The Hon Mr Justice
Patrick Chan PJ, The Hon Mr Andrew Li CJ, and the
Rt Hon the Lord Millett.
Both lectures were extremely well
received by students and practitioners
alike. The lecture halls were fully packed,
with the audience captive by their
Lordships’ insightful and lively expositions
of the law.
All the Common Law Lectures delivered
in 2005 will be published. It is expected
that the book will be launched in the first
quarter of 2006.
(From left) Ms Jessica Young, the lecture organiser,
with Lady Millett, Professor Christopher Sherrin and
Mrs Angela Sherrin at the reception.
22
The Rt Hon the Lord Scott has kindly
agreed to give a Common Law Lecture in
2006. Information about forthcoming
lectures and their publication is available
from www.hku.hk/law/clls.
Spring 2006 • Conferences & lectures
■ Ms Jessica Young
Can one imagine the trial scene in
Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice – one
of the most famous trial scenes of all
times, presided by one of the sharpest
legal minds on today’s House of Lords?
Those who have attended the lecture
“Villainy in Venice” delivered by the Rt
Honourable Lord Millet on 7 November
2005 have had the privilege of such a
unique experience.
Lord Millet is the second distinguished
speaker of the Common Law Lectures,
who has kindly offered us a divertimento
apart from his principal lecture on the
common law, and we see the same
intellectual power house running in full
force on both occasions. In “Villainy in
Venice”, Lord Millet examined the
famous trial scene and its major
characters, unfolding subtleties which go
beyond the conventional understanding
of the play. His Lordship has also
delighted his audience by his crisp and
forceful analysis of the advocacy
strategies of Portia (disguised as a
learned lawyer) against Shylock who
claimed the “pound of flesh” from
Antonio who breached the contract with
Shylock about repayment of a loan. Lord
Millet’s observations were crisp and his
arguments forceful, and could easily be
turned into a master class for advocacy
training for even the finest lawyers. Yet
his insights into justice and mercy, layers
of human emotions, and his
understanding of life, have invited his
audience to go beyond the boundary of
the law to appreciate that life is very often
a combination of the comic and the
tragic, just as what Shakespeare would
like to show us through his plays.
Everyone was yearning for more when
His Lordship finished the last phrases
of his lecture. Most of the audience
would have read Merchant of Venice
more than once (or have seen the recent
film featuring Al Pacino as Shylock), but
none would disagree that we have
learned something from this most
delightful and intellectually rigorous
evening.
■ Ms Vivian Wong
IP3 Conference
IP3: Intellectual property, Innovation policies and
International perspectives
The IP3 Conference was the first collaboration between HKU’s China
Information Technology and Law Centre (a joint Centre of the Faculty of Law
and the Department of Computer Science at HKU) and the Michigan State
University College of Law. Held just before the Sixth WTO Ministerial
Conference, the IP3 Conference attracted about 100 participants, among
whom were leading academics and legal practitioners from Hong Kong, PRC,
Taiwan, US and Canada, as well as technology experts and policy makers.
The conference began with an opening remark by Professor Johannes Chan,
SC, Dean of the HKU Faculty of Law, and two keynote speeches by Mr Stephen
Selby, Director of the HKSAR Intellectual Property Department and Madam
Li Yong-hong, Deputy Director of Patent Re-examination and Review Board
of the PRC State Intellectual Property Office. There were five specialized
panels to address the latest developments and challenges in the areas of
intellectual property and information technology, namely, “TRIPs and the
WTO”, “IP and biotechnology”, “Well-known trademarks and brand positioning”,
“Copyright” and “Data protection, information privacy and smart devices”.
(From left) Professor Ian Kerr, Dr K P Chow, Dr Eric Law,
Mr Roderick Woo.
(From left) Dr Li Yahong, Professor Johannes Chan, Professor
Wang Xi, Dr Kevin Pun.
The Faculty of Law and the China Information Technology and Law Centre
are grateful to the local government and legal community for their continuing
support and look forward to further collaboration with other institutions that
have IP/IT promotion as their mission.
■ Ms Alice Lee
(From left) Professor Peter Yu, Ms Annie Tsoi, Dr Felix Chan.
Obituary
Leung Yiu Wai, Stephen (PCLL 2003)
In remembrance of our friend, Stephen Leung,
who died tragically on 31 January 2006 during a trip to Egypt
on behalf of the students in Groups 1 and 11
and all other like-minded members of the PCLL class of 2003.
We never expected to become friends
In that pressured and stressful year of study
When a frightening disease wreaked havoc with our schedule
But we did
We never expected to remain friends
After we went our separate paths
And were swept away by our busy working lives
But we did
We never expected such a young and promising life
To be cut short by such a horrific tragedy
But it was
But Stephen
We fully expect to remember you in our hearts
Always
~ by Stephane Hui Bon Hoa
Obituary
Leung Yiu Cho, Henry (LLB 1996, PCLL 1997)
Mr Henry Leung had a car accident
in October 2005 and had been in a state of coma
until he passed away on 24 March 2006.
He was a solicitor and an elected
member of Central & Western District Board in
1999 and 2003 District Council Election.
Spring 2006 • Conferences & lectures
23
Alumni Challenge – Double Your Gift for Law Students
Gift for Legal Education
The Faculty of Law is committed to providing the best legal education and experience to our students. We
offer students the opportunity to participate in major global mooting competitions, mentorship programme
with hundreds of our alumni and friends to share practical and life experience, extensive exchange
opportunities to attend overseas universities, guest lectures by world renowned scholars, judges and
practitioners . . . aiming at exposing our students and our legal community to the most vigorous intellectual
challenges . . .
I would like to contribute to
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International mooting competition
(Up) 2005 – The Hon Sir Anthony Mason, AC, KBE
• 2006 – 2nd in the 4th Red Cross International Humanitarian Law
Moot Competition
(Right) 2004 – Professor James Crawford QC, Cambridge
• 2005 – 1st in the Australian Bar Association LAWASIA Moot
• 2005 – 2nd in the ELSA Moot Court Competition on WTO Law
• 2004 – 3rd in the Jessup International Law Moot Court
Competition
Student scholarships
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❑ I would like to know about other ways to support the Faculty of Law in HKU.
Notes:
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You can Make a Difference . . .
These activities would not have been possible without your support. For our alumni in particular,
your contribution will be matched dollar to dollar by the “Stanley Ho Alumni Challenge” campaign.
Your gift will make a real difference on the education of our future generations of law students.
For detail information about sponsorship, please visit
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Spring 2006 • Features
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Spring 2006 • Features
25
Conferences & Lectures