https://www.scmp.com/rss/521248/feed Martin Wong is the current honorary secretary and treasurer of the Hong Kong Bar Association and a civil litigator. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Martin W H Wong Martin W H Wong The law of tort, from its Latin and Old French origin meaning “wrong”, saw a major development in Hong Kong at the beginning of this year. After years of debate in the lower courts, Hong Kong’s top court has made it clear that, with Sir Elly Kadoorie & Sons Limited v Samantha Jane Bradley [2026] HKCFA 2, harassment is now a recognised tort under common law. While it is described as a development, this was the last step of a recognition that was more than a decade in the making. The first High... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3351055/being-annoying-not-just-annoyance-its-harassment-under-tort-law?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3351055/being-annoying-not-just-annoyance-its-harassment-under-tort-law?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Apr 2026 01:30:11 +0000 Martin W H Wong Martin W H Wong Uber is set to outdo itself on Hong Kong taxi drivers’ meter (of hate) – it is reportedly planning to launch its robotaxi services in Hong Kong by the end of 2026. On the tech side, this is nothing short of a miracle. The Uber robotaxi features Level 4 autonomous driving, deploying real-time AI processing of situational data fed by a comprehensive 360-degree sensor array combining high-resolution cameras, solid-state lidar and radar. The human brain, at least when it comes to driving, is no... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3343910/uber-robotaxi-uber-sophisticated-tech-and-uber-complicated-law?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3343910/uber-robotaxi-uber-sophisticated-tech-and-uber-complicated-law?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Feb 2026 01:30:14 +0000 Martin W H Wong Martin W H Wong It is that time of the year – January – the start of the legal year, marked by a decidedly Western ceremonial event. This month alone, the Bar has sent representatives to attend Opening of the Legal Year ceremonies in Singapore, Malaysia and, of course, Hong Kong. Similar ceremonies are also part of the tradition in other common law jurisdictions, such as England and Wales and Ireland, as well as civil law jurisdictions like France. Each jurisdiction’s ceremony has its own flavour, but one... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3340741/fine-brews-hong-kong-milk-tea-and-opening-legal-year-ceremony?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3340741/fine-brews-hong-kong-milk-tea-and-opening-legal-year-ceremony?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 Jan 2026 01:30:13 +0000 Martin W H Wong Martin W H Wong A young, handsome and up-and-coming barrister one night stumbled upon his girlfriend’s chat messages. The messages led him to pay a surprise visit to a hotel room, where he found her with another man. Possessed by the green giant (I mean the Hulk), he landed a few punches on the man and landed himself a conviction for assault. Then, he was struck as well, this time by the Hong Kong Bar Association, off the roll of barristers. Such was a recent scene in the TVB drama – The Fading Gold. I think it... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3330817/how-gold-standards-ensure-hong-kongs-barristers-are-their-best-behaviour?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3330817/how-gold-standards-ensure-hong-kongs-barristers-are-their-best-behaviour?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Oct 2025 01:30:38 +0000 Martin W H Wong Martin W H Wong Life is uncomplicated when you go it alone – you pick a place to eat, choose what you fancy on the dinner menu and on the wine list, enjoy them in the company of the person you have known, trusted and loved for your whole life, and pay the bill. Turns out, the law is also uncomplicated – there is simply an implied contract between you and the restaurant, formed with your promise to pay for what you ordered at the menu price and served to you. If you don’t pay, the restaurant can sue you under... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/3325079/split-bill-or-split-legal-hairs-over-dinner-date-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/3325079/split-bill-or-split-legal-hairs-over-dinner-date-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Sep 2025 02:00:17 +0000 Martin W H Wong Martin W H Wong The full title of “barrister at law” apparently traces back to 16th century England, providing pleading and advocacy services. Since then, little has changed. Around that time, in the mid-16th century, something else happened in Europe: the Scientific Revolution. Since then, everything has changed. The name and the services of barristers have not changed, but in the last quarter of a century, digitisation and the internet have brought about evolutionary changes to the way barristers provide... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3318494/charting-course-ai-seas-why-barristers-are-still-captains-legal-ship?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3318494/charting-course-ai-seas-why-barristers-are-still-captains-legal-ship?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 17 Jul 2025 01:30:19 +0000 Martin W H Wong Martin W H Wong Barristers in private practice are self-employed – we are our own bosses and, theoretically, masters of our own time and working style. There is no punching in or out for work and it is up to us whether we even wish to turn up in chambers on a given day. There is no year-end performance appraisal where your boss may want a word with you on your daily punctuality. Some say we are the “original remote-working profession”. It may appear primed for remote working, but judging from my own experience,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3310371/be-or-not-be-chambers-question-hong-kong-barristers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3310371/be-or-not-be-chambers-question-hong-kong-barristers?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 May 2025 01:30:13 +0000