Leading British legal reformer Lord Woolf appointed to top court

The Chief Justice of England and Wales is one of three new non-permanent judges to be appointed to the Court of Final Appeal, the Judiciary announced yesterday.

Lord Woolf of Barnes, along with Lord Scott of Foscote and Sir Ivor Richardson, were accepted by the chief executive as non-permanent judges from other common law jurisdictions to serve on Hong Kong's highest court.

It was also announced that Mr Justice Geoffrey Ma will replace Mr Justice Arthur Leong Shiu-chung as chief judge of the High Court.

Lord Woolf is best known for the Woolf Reforms implemented in England in 1999, which revolutionised the country's system of justice administration. His appointment comes at a time when Hong Kong is on the threshold of major civil justice reforms of its own.

He is also known for reducing the minimum sentence to be served by the killers of toddler James Bulger, which paved the way for their early parole.

Lord Woolf maintained the killers were 'entitled to credit' for their efforts to reform themselves.

Lord Scott is also a legal heavyweight, responsible for the Scott Inquiry into the supply of goods from the United Kingdom to Iraq. The inquiry culminated in the Export Control Act of 2002, which increased parliamentary transparency and accountability, while putting new controls on the transfer of military and torture equipment, long-range missiles and other items used in the creation of weapons of mass destruction.