https://www.scmp.com/rss/521146/feed Jose-Antonio Maurellet SC is the current chairman of the Hong Kong Bar Association and a commercial litigator. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Jose-Antonio Maurellet Jose-Antonio Maurellet At least gold glitters. Long before the first paper banknotes fluttered through the financial houses of Europe, the bustling markets of 11th century China birthed an unprecedented financial “innovation”: the use of paper currency. In the 1020s, burdened by the shortage of bronze coins and a rapidly expanding economy, merchants in the southwestern province of Sichuan began issuing paper promissory notes. This marked the genesis of jiaozi, the world’s earliest paper money. Soon, with the imperial... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3353407/centuries-ahead-wall-street-how-chinas-song-dynasty-pioneered-global-fiat-currency?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3353407/centuries-ahead-wall-street-how-chinas-song-dynasty-pioneered-global-fiat-currency?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 14 May 2026 01:30:12 +0000 Jose-Antonio Maurellet Jose-Antonio Maurellet The Hong Kong Bar Association was founded in 1949. To properly recognise barristers who have made a lasting and very significant contribution, members are able to nominate such giants for Life Membership. It is bestowed on those who “have rendered outstanding service to the Bar … or to the administration of justice in Hong Kong”. Over the years, only a handful of our members have been elected as Life Members. Nominees must be proposed by 20 members, including no fewer than 10 senior counsel, and... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3346149/graham-harris-giant-hong-kong-bar?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3346149/graham-harris-giant-hong-kong-bar?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Mar 2026 01:30:11 +0000 Jose-Antonio Maurellet Jose-Antonio Maurellet On January 13, the British-born corporate governance activist David Webb, who had made Hong Kong his home for the past 35 years, died. Like many who have come from near and far after finding success, he did much to contribute to our society and its fabric. Many of our city’s landmarks bear the philanthropic imprint of such immigrants, from our universities to our hospitals. David was able to do some of the splendid work he did because of some of the characteristics of this city, which may not... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3341593/late-corporate-governance-activist-david-webb-showed-why-transparency-benefits-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3341593/late-corporate-governance-activist-david-webb-showed-why-transparency-benefits-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Jan 2026 01:30:11 +0000 Jose-Antonio Maurellet Jose-Antonio Maurellet “Justice is open to all – like the Ritz” is a quote often attributed to Sir James Mathew, a 19th-century Irish judge. This is another way of saying that while in theory justice and the courts are open to everyone, in practice only those who can afford to pay the hefty fees can get their day in court. The adversarial system, which is the model adopted in common law jurisdictions, has proved extremely popular in many countries and regions. In particular, cross-examination, which has sometimes been... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3337643/free-all-or-fees-all-hong-kongs-legal-aid-levels-scales?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3337643/free-all-or-fees-all-hong-kongs-legal-aid-levels-scales?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 25 Dec 2025 01:30:16 +0000 Jose-Antonio Maurellet Jose-Antonio Maurellet At the heart of any fair trial lies an independent court, which determines cases on the basis of only the law and the evidence, and is not swayed by the identity of the litigants before it. Whether a litigant is rich or poor, whether they are an ordinary citizen or the state, the law binds all in the same way. What is also of prime importance is the right to legal advice and representation. This is constitutionally guaranteed by the Basic Law under Article 35. As explained in a previous Legal... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3331687/having-common-law-lawyers-here-and-elsewhere-hong-kongs-best-interest?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3331687/having-common-law-lawyers-here-and-elsewhere-hong-kongs-best-interest?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Nov 2025 01:30:14 +0000 Jose-Antonio Maurellet Jose-Antonio Maurellet Regular readers of this column will have noticed that Eugene Yim and I are big fans of Hong Kong movies from the 1990s to early 2000s, in particular those featuring Andy Lau Tak-wah. One of my favourite movies of that period is undoubtedly the Lee Rock two-part movie series produced in 1991, which I have watched too many times to count. Without spoiling the plot, the two films trace the rise and fall of a very corrupt police officer from the 1960s until the establishment of the Independent... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3323401/keeping-hong-kong-corruption-free-51-years-icac?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3323401/keeping-hong-kong-corruption-free-51-years-icac?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 28 Aug 2025 01:30:18 +0000 Jose-Antonio Maurellet Jose-Antonio Maurellet The Department of Justice, led by Secretary for Justice Paul Lam SC, hosted a seminar this month in Paris, titled “Hong Kong Legal Services – Gateway to China and Beyond”. The speakers included French lawyers living and working in Hong Kong, as well as French business leaders who have invested and managed part of their Asian operations from Hong Kong. Also participating were Hong Kong solicitors and barristers, including Eva Sit SC, vice-chairman of the Hong Kong Bar Association, and... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3319334/how-trip-paris-showed-hong-kong-nothing-impossible?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3319334/how-trip-paris-showed-hong-kong-nothing-impossible?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 24 Jul 2025 01:30:25 +0000 Jose-Antonio Maurellet Jose-Antonio Maurellet On July 3, the Hong Kong government outlined its plan to submit the Registration of Same-sex Partnerships Bill to the Legislative Council. The bill provides for an alternative framework that sets out the registration procedure and the rights of same-sex couples. The bill was introduced to comply with a landmark ruling by the Court of Final Appeal in 2023. The court held that the government has a positive obligation under the Hong Kong Bill of Rights to establish an alternative legal framework... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3317448/recognising-same-sex-partnerships-vital-inclusive-diverse-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3317448/recognising-same-sex-partnerships-vital-inclusive-diverse-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 09 Jul 2025 10:00:08 +0000 Jose-Antonio Maurellet Jose-Antonio Maurellet Across the globe, countless films depict trials in which defendants face serious charges before a jury, with suspense building until the final verdict is revealed in the last few minutes before the credits roll. A notable example is the 1985 Hong Kong film The Unwritten Law, featuring a young Andy Lau Tak-wah as a defence barrister. This classic is popular in Hong Kong, as well as among Chinese-speaking communities in Asia and beyond. Since then, numerous courtroom thrillers involving juries... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3313090/hong-kongs-jury-system-not-unwritten-law?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3313090/hong-kongs-jury-system-not-unwritten-law?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Jun 2025 01:30:15 +0000 Jose-Antonio Maurellet Jose-Antonio Maurellet I have just returned from the Commonwealth Lawyers Association (CLA) conference in Malta, which was my first overseas trip since assuming the chairmanship of the Hong Kong Bar Association. The CLA, which is governed by a council drawn from some of the most senior legal professionals in the Commonwealth, was one of many that spoke out clearly and strongly about sanctions imposed by the US government against the International Criminal Court. It noted that Principle IV of the Commonwealth (Latimer... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3306785/we-must-all-speak-defend-judicial-independence-any-interference?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3306785/we-must-all-speak-defend-judicial-independence-any-interference?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 17 Apr 2025 01:30:20 +0000