Common Law

Rule of law suffers when Hong Kong targets money laundering

24 Feb 2013

Hong Kong's efforts to tackle money laundering are under increasing strain due to a surge in the number of suspicious transactions being reported and concerns over a brain drain of investigators...

1:50AM

5 comments

Why judges need the moral manoeuvre of common law

19 Feb 2013

Someone from a foreign legal system visits a common law courthouse. In one court, a hostile judge asks a lawyer: "Is there any legal precedent that I CAN do this?" In the court next door, a...

4:15AM

What's being said on facebook.com/southchinamorningpost

30 Jan 2013

On Shanghai building a free-trade zone:

Patrick Shu Wing-lee - Hong Kong still has the edge, but must not sit idly doing nothing to improve further. Otherwise, other cities on [the]...

4:21AM

Preserve common law after 2047: top Hong Kong judge

24 Jan 2013

Common law should remain the basis of Hong Kong's legal system beyond 2047, the end of the 50-year guarantee stated in the Basic Law, the city's top judge says.

8:34AM

30 comments

Only one verdict on foreign judges

28 Nov 2012

It's debatable whether Hong Kong will survive or become just another Chinese city if we don't bend over backwards to attract talented expats. But there is one area in which the presence of foreign...

4:50AM

8 comments

Overseas judges vital for Hong Kong's common law system

14 Nov 2012

There is a growing sense of discomfort at the judiciary becoming a subject for public debate. The first charge was brought by the former secretary for justice Elsie Leung Oi-sie, who accused Hong...

3:16AM

Opinion

Jake Van Der Kamp

EU fails to adapt to borderless world

5 comments

4:35AM

Howard Winn

Ferry companies shouldn't be subsidised while they burn dirty fuel

2:53AM

Agree how to disagree - the first step to dispute resolution

The only thing predictable about commercial disputes is that they are inevitable. What steps can the prudent executive take to minimise the disruptions from disputes?

While disputes are...

4:01AM

Judge blasts developers for wasting time with planning appeals

A judge yesterday accused developers of increasingly using judicial reviews to challenge decisions by city planners, causing serious delays to d

3:45AM

Former chief justice sings Wong's praises

Former chief justice Andrew Li Kwok-nang has taken the unusual step of making public a personal letter paying tribute to the 'outstanding contribution' of Secretary for Justice Wong Yan-lung, who...

6:39PM

Perils of letting patriarch hold all the assets

Trusts have many uses, even in a low-tax regime like Hong Kong. They can be effective for long-term wealth planning and can provide assurance that assets and wealth will pass intact to the next...

1:09PM

Bar Association fights bid to hire top UK lawyer

The Bar Association is fighting a bid by the government to hire a top British lawyer to represent it in a legal battle over the estate of late tycoon Nina Wang Kung Yu-sum.

12:04PM

Solicitors in high courts by end of year

Solicitors with the right experience or qualifications may represent clients in the high courts - long the exclusive domain of barristers - by the end of this year.

6:22AM