When judges took their seats for the most important constitutional case heard by the top court only three weeks ago, they knew they would, to some extent, be ruling on the future.
They were presiding over a battle by mainland migrants for the right to stay in the SAR - a legal dispute which demonstrates how little is known about how one country, two systems works. It raised questions about the limits on autonomy and the extent to which human rights are protected by the Basic Law.
As the migrants' lawyer, Denis Chang SC, put it: 'We are in virgin constitutional territory.' This is just one of several cases which have fuelled debate about the future of the hallowed rule-of-law concept, often seen as the key to Hong Kong's success.
The rule of law brings stability to people's lives and protects them from unfair treatment, ensures that business can be conducted with confidence and attracts investment. But concern has been expressed that it is not fully understood by all Hong Kong's leaders and, particularly, not by officials on the mainland.
To what extent is the rule of law under threat? Fears that the legal system would be swept away by the handover have proved unfounded, and lawyers are now re-assessing the impact of the return to China. Their main concern arises from the stark differences between the legal systems on either side of the border.
According to Stanley Lubman, a specialist on China's legal system and a consulting professor at Stanford University Law School in California: 'The rule of law, as we know it, didn't exist in China historically. There is no tradition of the rule of law. Also, 40 years of communism has left a legacy of domination of society by party and state intertwined.
'In 1996, President Jiang Zemin uttered the words, 'Rule the country by law.' That expression, however, was only the first part of a longer sentence. The balance was, 'Protect the nation's long-term stability.' That last phrase is intended to signify continued party dominance.' Contrast this with the rule of law in Hong Kong, defined by Director of Public Prosecutions Grenville Cross SC, as 'the absence of arbitrary action by the Government, everyone being equal before the law, an independent judiciary, and the rights of the citizen clearly defined.' Applying that concept is seen as vital to attract business to the SAR and uphold its reputation in the international community.