Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form . Submissions should not exceed 400 words, and must include your full name and address, plus a phone number for verification. The legal profession marked new beginnings as the “professional” camp won the Law Society council election last year and Victor Dawes assumed chairmanship of the Bar Association in January. With the new legal year just getting under way, I would like to offer a law student’s perspective on reforming the judicial system. The judiciary is no exception when it comes to falling prey to divisive politics, particularly when many of the anti-extradition bill movement-related defendants are brought to court, some even being charged with national security offences. For quite a while, court rulings attracted harsh, sometimes ungrounded, criticism and even personal attacks on judges’ impartiality, when the outcomes were not to the liking of some people. The distrust was inflamed by echo chambers on social media, and some judges received death threats . It is therefore crucial to enhance transparency and efficiency to restore public trust in the judiciary. My humble suggestion is to implement legal bilingualism for court rulings. Upon enactment of the Official Languages Ordinance in 1974, both Chinese and English were declared official languages with equal status. Government documents and those of public bodies are published in both languages, but not judgments. Since Hong Kong adopts the English common law system, it is somehow more convenient to articulate legal principles in English, yet Chinese is the mother tongue of most Hongkongers. Without a readily available translation, ordinary Hongkongers would have to habitually rely on the press, which has not always been accurate in reporting the court’s reasoning, to understand recent judicial decisions. Hong Kong should look into the Canadian experience with official bilingualism. All federal courts in Canada are required to render judgments in both English and French. While Canada routinely delivers bilingual judgments to cater to its French-speaking minority, Hong Kong has not catered for its Chinese-speaking majority. Another recommendation is lifting the blanket ban on filming inside the courtroom, but such activities should remain carefully regulated. The rationale for the ban is to protect witnesses and jurors from intimidation, but neither are involved in appellate hearings of the High Court and the Court of Final Appeal. In recent years, the UK liberalised rules governing cameras in court, which has even been extended to verdict and sentencing, as long as the faces of the jurors are not captured. Following the example of the UK Supreme Court, the chief justice should consider launching a pilot scheme that makes video recordings of final appeal hearings accessible online to enhance judicial transparency. At present, the judiciary appears to be distant from the public. Through publicising the courts’ work, the public could be more informed of the legal arguments and how the basic concepts of the rule of law are manifested, which constitutes public legal education in practice. Anfield Tam, undergraduate student fellow, Asian Institute of International Financial Law, University of Hong Kong Let city’s insurance brokers do more in Greater Bay Area We read with interest your article on the further development of the Greater Bay Area and in particular the establishment of the “insurance-connect” scheme (“Beijing rolls out seven key measures to support further integration of Shenzhen, Hong Kong and Macau”, January 27). The Hong Kong Confederation of Insurance Brokers certainly welcomes the scheme and encourages measures designed to promote the Hong Kong insurance industry elsewhere in the Greater Bay Area . However, the focus to date has been on life and medical insurance. While this is, undoubtedly, important, it risks missing an essential role of insurance which is to facilitate investment and development through the mitigation and transfer of risk. Hong Kong boasts a mature, sophisticated and internationally recognised insurance market that can enable Hong Kong entrepreneurs to invest in businesses and facilities elsewhere in the Greater Bay Area . As part of the development of the insurance industry within the Greater Bay Area, we would like to see a mechanism allowing Hong Kong brokers to assist their clients in protecting their investments elsewhere in the region. We feel that the provision of commercial and industrial insurance products and advice from Hong Kong would give investors and their financiers great comfort in seeking out opportunities in the wider Greater Bay Area. Hong Kong’s population of professional insurance brokers are ready and eager to promote Hong Kong business and investment. We just require the regulations to allow us to provide that assistance. The Hong Kong Confederation of Insurance Brokers has a dedicated subcommittee responsible for Greater Bay Area matters. We are in close contact with the Insurance Authority and we try to play a fostering role by putting forward proposals to the Insurance Authority to create business opportunities along with the Greater Bay Area initiative. Alex Yip, chairman, Hong Kong Confederation of Insurance Brokers