https://www.scmp.com/rss/522374/feed The Hong Kong Bar Association (HKBA) is a professional regulatory body based at the High Court in Hong Kong, established in 1948. As a non-profit association, its primary mission is to represent barristers, uphold the rule of law, and maintain professional standards within the legal community. The HKBA focuses on improving the administration of justice, promoting legal education, and prescribing rules of conduct and etiquette. It plays a significant role in defending the independence of the... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Tim Parker Tim Parker I’ve yet to meet a parent who wished their child had more screen time. Though just how far the problem can go was laid bare in the recent case of KGM against Meta and Google in a US court. The 20-year-old plaintiff, KGM, sued the owners of Instagram and YouTube, claiming that her extensive use of those platforms was driven by a deliberate use of addictive design features and damaged her mental health. KGM said she had been using YouTube since she was six and Instagram since she was nine,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3349448/antisocial-media-meta-google-liable-landmark-case-mental-health-harm?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3349448/antisocial-media-meta-google-liable-landmark-case-mental-health-harm?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Apr 2026 02:02:06 +0000 Bernard Man Bernard Man A major feature of Hong Kong’s legal profession is the division between barristers and solicitors. Barristers specialise in court work and legal advice relating to litigation, and can generally only be engaged through a solicitor. Solicitors provide a broader range of legal services, covering both contentious and non-contentious matters. Some solicitors also focus on courtroom advocacy and are accredited as solicitor-advocates. The “split” profession is not common to all legal systems. In fact,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3348692/split-legal-profession-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3348692/split-legal-profession-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Apr 2026 01:30:16 +0000 Felix Tang Felix Tang Picture this – you’re having a few pints with your mates down at the pub during an open-mic comedy night. The aspiring comedian then, without much tact, mildly suggests that a certain public figure (without naming him or her) has a questionable private life. This segment is recorded by the audience and uploaded to various social media platforms. The whole thing spirals out of control and the public figure must now deal with an overwhelming public backlash. Innuendo is one of the cornerstones of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3347796/innuendo-and-implication-just-joke-or-risk-defamation-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3347796/innuendo-and-implication-just-joke-or-risk-defamation-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Mar 2026 01:30:14 +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 Alexander Tang Alexander Tang Every few months, another headline announces that artificial intelligence (AI) is poised to “disrupt” the legal profession. Lawyers, we are told, will soon be replaced by algorithms. Judges, apparently, are next, with some recent research suggesting that machines are more “accurate” in following established legal principles than human judges. While disruption will surely come, suggesting total replacement is imminent misconstrues what AI systems do and what our legal system and courts exist to... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3345463/why-ai-cannot-and-should-not-replace-human-judges?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3345463/why-ai-cannot-and-should-not-replace-human-judges?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Mar 2026 01:30:19 +0000 Eugene Yim Eugene Yim I have a habit of re-watching movies during festive times. As we entered the Year of the Horse, one movie that I watched again during Chinese New Year was Marriage Story, a legal drama released on streaming platforms in 2019. The story centres on the divorce of the two lead characters and the resulting legal battle over the custody of their son. The film received rave reviews, earning six Oscar nominations, including for Laura Dern, who clinched the best supporting actress award for her... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3344652/how-hong-kong-law-ensures-kids-well-being-when-divorced-parents-split-locations?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3344652/how-hong-kong-law-ensures-kids-well-being-when-divorced-parents-split-locations?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Feb 2026 01:30:30 +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 Bernard Man Bernard Man One of the rewarding aspects about practice at the Hong Kong Bar is that one gets to learn many new things. Conducting litigation well involves delving deep into the relevant facts. We therefore get to learn about different industries and different trust or corporate structures all the time. By the same token, doing divorce cases often requires us to study the background to a divorce, and how a family has conducted itself in the lead-up to the breakdown of a marriage. There is some truth in... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3343181/how-hong-kong-law-deals-complicated-matter-divorce?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3343181/how-hong-kong-law-deals-complicated-matter-divorce?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Feb 2026 01:30:13 +0000 Victor Dawes Victor Dawes It was a blisteringly hot afternoon at the tail end of my pupillage in ’00. I was staring into space and imagining my glorious debut in court – when the phone rang. On the other end was a clerk from a small local solicitors’ firm, who asked, with alarming nonchalance, whether I could defend a robbery trial at Sha Tin Magistrates’ Court the following week. I said yes immediately – with a brief hesitation revealing that it would be my first criminal trial in the hope that honesty would not cost me... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3342427/baptism-fire-my-first-criminal-trial?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3342427/baptism-fire-my-first-criminal-trial?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Feb 2026 01:32:44 +0000 Jeffie Lam Jeffie Lam The head of the Hong Kong Bar Association has called on the public not to apply “political lenses” to court rulings, following several high-profile national security cases that have put the spotlight on the city’s rule of law. Senior Counsel Jose-Antonio Maurellet, who was re-elected uncontested for a second term to helm the professional body on Thursday, also expressed full confidence in the city’s judicial independence. Maurellet said that amid heightened geopolitical tensions, national... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3340893/hong-kong-bar-association-chief-warns-against-applying-political-lenses-court-rulings?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3340893/hong-kong-bar-association-chief-warns-against-applying-political-lenses-court-rulings?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 Jan 2026 14:32:20 +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 Emily Hung Emily Hung The new head of the International Bar Association (IBA) has said that the organisation will speak out if unjustified and illegal sanctions are imposed on legal professionals in Hong Kong. The remarks from IBA president Claudio Visco came during his visit to attend the ceremonial opening of the legal year on Monday, following calls from some US politicians to sanction Hong Kong judges and prosecutors involved in national security cases. Visco said the IBA has consistently spoken out against... https://www.scmp.com/news/article/3340605/international-bar-association-will-speak-out-if-us-sanctions-hong-kong-judges?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/article/3340605/international-bar-association-will-speak-out-if-us-sanctions-hong-kong-judges?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 20 Jan 2026 23:00:14 +0000 Matthew Cheng Matthew Cheng Hong Kong’s justice minister has refuted “unfounded” accusations against the judiciary regarding several highly charged national security cases, stating that none of the judges had failed to fulfil their duties and that their independence remains strong. In his address at a ceremony on Monday to mark the start of the legal year, Secretary for Justice Paul Lam Ting-kwok also slammed the threat of sanctions against the city’s judges and “illegitimate pressures” placed on overseas judges to... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3340469/hong-kong-justice-minister-slams-accusations-sanctions-threat-against-judges?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3340469/hong-kong-justice-minister-slams-accusations-sanctions-threat-against-judges?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 Jan 2026 15:07:59 +0000 Wynna Wong Wynna Wong Hong Kong lawyers should not think of competing head-on with mainland counterparts in the Greater Bay Area, but instead position themselves as common law specialists and collaborators in cross-border legal teams, Hong Kong Bar Association chairman Jose-Antonio Maurellet has said. His comments came during a fireside chat on the sidelines of the China Conference: Greater Bay Area event hosted by the South China Morning Post in Shenzhen on Thursday. Recent policy measures allow Hong Kong lawyers to... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3340061/hong-kong-lawyers-should-not-aim-just-compete-specialise-greater-bay-area?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3340061/hong-kong-lawyers-should-not-aim-just-compete-specialise-greater-bay-area?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Jan 2026 15:11:20 +0000 Martin Hui Martin Hui Recent events in Hong Kong, particularly the tragic blaze at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po last November, have focused society’s attention on reforms to the legal system, especially those concerning building management and maintenance. Corruption and improper practices in the tendering process for large-scale building renovation or maintenance have also become a hot-button issue. In response, the government has established an independent committee to uncover the causes of the fire and examine... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3339927/time-end-bid-rigging-hong-kong-criminalisation-and-tougher-enforcement?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3339927/time-end-bid-rigging-hong-kong-criminalisation-and-tougher-enforcement?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Jan 2026 01:30:13 +0000 Fiona Chow Fiona Chow A Hong Kong court has lifted a temporary anonymity order and ruled that a barrister cannot keep his identity hidden in criminal proceedings over allegations that he twice molested a former pupil nine years ago. Eastern Court’s Principal Magistrate David Cheung Chi-wai ruled the media could report the name of the defendant, Simon So Shun-yan, who was accused of molesting the pupil at a flat in Sai Ying Pun on August 30, 2017. The 32-year-old barrister represented himself at a hearing on Monday... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3339622/court-lifts-anonymity-order-hong-kong-barrister-accused-molestation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3339622/court-lifts-anonymity-order-hong-kong-barrister-accused-molestation?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 12 Jan 2026 12:02:44 +0000 Jess Ma Jess Ma It took Eva Chan* more than a decade to find the courage to walk into a police station and report the sexual abuse she had endured for about six years at the hands of a family member she had lived with as a teenager. Reporting the abuse when she was 16 was unimaginable. At the time, her mother had discovered what had been happening and had driven the perpetrator out of their home. “There’s no professional support, as school social workers might not handle these cases often and might not know... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3339497/hong-kong-victims-decade-long-wait-law-fails-persistent-sexual-abuse-survivors?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3339497/hong-kong-victims-decade-long-wait-law-fails-persistent-sexual-abuse-survivors?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 11 Jan 2026 10:17:18 +0000 David Dodwell David Dodwell Alongside death and taxes, there are few things more universally certain than corruption in public procurement. That is a reality worth keeping front of mind in Hong Kong as we home in on those we want to blame for the tragic Wang Fuk Court fire that in November killed at least 161 people and left thousands homeless. The maintenance contracts may not have been public procurement contracts, but they were supposed to be strictly overseen by officials and subject to government regulations.... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3339224/root-out-corruption-hong-kongs-tai-po-fire-investigation-must-go-beyond-scapegoats?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3339224/root-out-corruption-hong-kongs-tai-po-fire-investigation-must-go-beyond-scapegoats?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Jan 2026 08:30:09 +0000 Connor Mycroft,Willa Wu Connor Mycroft,Willa Wu Hearings to be conducted by an independent committee investigating Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades will begin within the first quarter, with Victor Dawes, former chairman of the city’s professional barristers’ group, appointed as lead counsel in the inquiry, the Post has learned. Six weeks after the conflagration claimed 161 lives in Tai Po’s Wang Fuk Court, the health authorities said on Thursday that ten residents remained in hospital in stable condition, while a district council working... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3339135/ex-bar-head-victor-dawes-named-lead-counsel-deadly-hong-kong-fire-inquiry?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3339135/ex-bar-head-victor-dawes-named-lead-counsel-deadly-hong-kong-fire-inquiry?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Jan 2026 05:30:40 +0000 Derek Chan Derek Chan People who passed by Hong Kong’s Christmas Town attraction at Statue Square Gardens in Central over the past month or so may have noticed that one of the buildings onto which cascading festive animations were projected was slightly more historic than the others. That building, which is a declared monument, houses the Court of Final Appeal (the “Court”). The Court is the final appellate court within Hong Kong’s judicial system. After the High Court and the Court of Appeal, it provides a second... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3339100/what-happens-hong-kongs-top-court-hidden-plain-sight-winter-wonderland?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3339100/what-happens-hong-kongs-top-court-hidden-plain-sight-winter-wonderland?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Jan 2026 01:30:21 +0000 Vivian Au Vivian Au Hong Kong should make bid-rigging a crime in the wake of the city’s deadliest fire in decades, a local think tank has urged, echoing a similar call from the city’s barristers. The proposal by the POD Research Institute came after the Hong Kong Bar Association formed a task force to review existing legislation following the deadly fire in Tai Po’s Wang Fuk Court, which tore through seven of the eight blocks under maintenance in November. The blaze, which killed at least 161 people and displaced... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3338957/hong-kong-think-tank-backs-call-make-bid-rigging-crime-after-fatal-fire?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3338957/hong-kong-think-tank-backs-call-make-bid-rigging-crime-after-fatal-fire?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 Jan 2026 13:02:25 +0000 Wynna Wong Wynna Wong Jose-Antonio Maurellet is set to serve for another term as chairman of the Hong Kong Bar Association, with the current vice-chairpersons also to return. Senior Counsel Maurellet on Friday confirmed a circular stating that he had been nominated as chairman for the 2026-27 term. Martin Hui Siu-ting and Eva Sit Yat-wah, both senior counsel, would continue to serve as vice-chairpersons for the coming term, he added. But the association is set for a shift in administrative roles after Martin Wong... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3338574/jose-antonio-maurellet-set-return-hong-kong-bar-association-chairman?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3338574/jose-antonio-maurellet-set-return-hong-kong-bar-association-chairman?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 02 Jan 2026 15:01:27 +0000 Eva Sit Eva Sit To many, senior counsel appear to be an oddity of an antiquated system, reinforced visually by men and women dressed in funny wigs and medieval garb marching in an official procession together with all the judges at the Opening of the Legal Year in January each year. There are only 104 of them in Hong Kong – out of a total population of more than 1,700 barristers. What makes senior counsel special, and are they worth that special status? First, some basic facts about senior counsel. It is a... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3338306/silk-road-duties-and-responsibilities-hong-kongs-senior-counsel?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3338306/silk-road-duties-and-responsibilities-hong-kongs-senior-counsel?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 01 Jan 2026 01:30:14 +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 Fiona Chow Fiona Chow Hundreds of lawyers have signed up to provide free advice to residents left homeless by Hong Kong’s deadly fire in Tai Po last month, as they try to understand their legal options and file insurance claims. Some residents have said they are at a loss over whether any criminal prosecutions will affect their legal cases and if they should pursue civil claims against those held responsible. The volunteers come from the Bar Association, the Law Society, non-governmental organisations Equal Justice... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3337247/hong-kong-lawyers-give-free-aid-tai-po-residents-loss-over-next-legal-steps?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3337247/hong-kong-lawyers-give-free-aid-tai-po-residents-loss-over-next-legal-steps?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Dec 2025 00:30:14 +0000 Matthew Cheng Matthew Cheng The Hong Kong Bar Association will propose targeted legislation to criminalise bid-rigging and make key construction safety guidelines legally binding following the city’s deadliest fire in seven decades. The association formed a task force to review existing legislation after last month’s Tai Po blaze, with one of the preliminary goals being to criminalise bid-rigging, currently classified as “serious anti-competitive conduct” under the Competition Ordinance and punishable only by fines,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3336948/bar-association-proposes-targeted-legislation-bid-rigging-after-hong-kong-fire?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3336948/bar-association-proposes-targeted-legislation-bid-rigging-after-hong-kong-fire?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Dec 2025 11:12:00 +0000 Victor Dawes Victor Dawes I grew up in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district and Wang Fuk Court was a stone’s throw away from my school. In the recent fire, 16 students and one staff member of my alma mater were affected. Fortunately, there were no casualties among them, but homes were destroyed and their loss was profoundly felt. The alumni circle was unanimously grief-stricken and many made every effort to offer whatever modest help we could. In the wake of the fire, messages of sympathy and concern for Hong Kong arrived one... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3336838/despite-lapses-behind-tai-po-fire-hong-kongs-unity-shows-time-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3336838/despite-lapses-behind-tai-po-fire-hong-kongs-unity-shows-time-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Dec 2025 01:30:11 +0000 Willa Wu Willa Wu An open court and a detailed ruling in former media boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying’s closely watched national security trial have demonstrated the strength of Hong Kong’s rule of law, legal experts have said. Lawyers, including the Hong Kong Bar Association, on Tuesday urged members of the public to respect the city’s judicial process and study the High Court’s judgment carefully before drawing conclusions after several Western countries criticised Lai’s guilty verdict, prompting a strong rebuke from... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3336679/open-court-detailed-ruling-jimmy-lai-trial-prove-hong-kong-rule-law-strong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3336679/open-court-detailed-ruling-jimmy-lai-trial-prove-hong-kong-rule-law-strong?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Dec 2025 00:30:08 +0000 Eugene Yim Eugene Yim The classic legal drama Kramer vs Kramer tells a very sad story of a couple, played by Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep, fighting over who gets to keep their young son upon the breakdown of their marriage. Those who watched the 1979 production, which clinched five Academy Awards, will no doubt remember the high level of hostility portrayed in the courtroom scenes. Fast forward more than four decades, divorcing couples bitterly fighting over custody of their children in courts of law remain... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3335965/balancing-rights-and-responsibilities-child-custody-hong-kong-demystified?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3335965/balancing-rights-and-responsibilities-child-custody-hong-kong-demystified?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Dec 2025 01:31:04 +0000 Willa Wu Willa Wu The Hong Kong Bar Association will travel to Beijing next week to meet mainland Chinese officials, becoming the first delegation to visit the capital since the city’s deadliest fire in decades and its recent Legislative Council election. Chairman Jose-Antonio Maurellet told the Post on Wednesday that the delegation would be happy to discuss possible legal reforms brought by the deadly Tai Po fire with central government authorities, including the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office (HKMAO),... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3335946/bar-association-first-hong-kong-delegation-beijing-after-fire-legco-election?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3335946/bar-association-first-hong-kong-delegation-beijing-after-fire-legco-election?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Dec 2025 00:30:10 +0000 Emily Hung Emily Hung An independent review committee tasked with probing the deadly fire in Hong Kong that has so far claimed 159 lives has no legal power to compel and protect witnesses, but may yield faster results of comparable quality to a statutory commission, experts say. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu on Tuesday ordered a judge-led independent investigation into the blaze rather than a commission of inquiry used by his predecessors for the 2012 Lamma Island ferry collision and, before the 1997 handover, the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3335039/experts-odds-over-independent-inquiry-deadly-hong-kong-blaze?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3335039/experts-odds-over-independent-inquiry-deadly-hong-kong-blaze?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Dec 2025 08:06:49 +0000 Martin Hui Martin Hui Hong Kong has seen a number of amendments to its criminal law in recent years aimed at strengthening the response to sexual crimes. Notable examples are the new offences in the Crimes Ordinance regarding voyeurism, upskirting and the publication of intimate images without consent. There has also been discussion, including in this column, regarding how the law can adapt to the new phenomenon of pornography generated by artificial intelligence and deepfakes. It is essential that the law,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3334459/new-test-consent-reforming-hong-kongs-approach-sexual-crimes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3334459/new-test-consent-reforming-hong-kongs-approach-sexual-crimes?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 28 Nov 2025 04:49:25 +0000 Derek Chan Derek Chan In Hong Kong and elsewhere, digital currencies, cryptocurrencies (including stablecoins) and virtual assets are gaining in popularity and are rapidly becoming a mainstream asset class, with retail investors increasingly buying into them. Here in the city, new and groundbreaking legislation has been introduced to implement a regulatory framework which specifically addresses virtual assets, cementing Hong Kong’s status as an innovative global financial hub. The incursion of cryptocurrencies and... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3333455/how-hong-kongs-law-protects-those-drawn-crypto-and-virtual-asset-investments?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3333455/how-hong-kongs-law-protects-those-drawn-crypto-and-virtual-asset-investments?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 20 Nov 2025 01:30:26 +0000 Victor Dawes Victor Dawes If one were to picture a high-stakes courtroom drama on late-night television, one would likely see a distinctive image: figures clad in flowing black robes, white collars neatly pressed, and most importantly, the iconic wigs perched solemnly atop their heads. It may come as a surprise that this curious relic of fashion, born in the late 17th century, still holds a place in courts. Yet despite recent debates in the United Kingdom, the wig remains one of the most enduring symbols of the legal... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3332565/heady-history-wigs-court-case-hong-kong-lawyers-keep-them?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3332565/heady-history-wigs-court-case-hong-kong-lawyers-keep-them?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 Nov 2025 01:41:58 +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 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 Eugene Yim Eugene Yim After a family trip in the summer to attend a K-pop concert at the O2 in London, I returned to Hong Kong and resolved to step outside my comfort zone by tuning in to watch a Korean drama for the first time. In the 10th episode of Law and the City (starring Lee Jong-suk and Moon Ga-young), junior attorney Cho Chang-won (played by Kang You-seok) grapples with the moral dilemma of defending a perpetrator of school violence. He voices his concerns to his principal, who retorts coolly that lawyers do... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3329987/k-drama-dilemma-versus-reality-cab-rank-rule-hong-kong-barristers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3329987/k-drama-dilemma-versus-reality-cab-rank-rule-hong-kong-barristers?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Oct 2025 01:30:19 +0000 SCMP Editorial SCMP Editorial The opening of the new legal year in London, like its equivalent in Hong Kong, features judges and lawyers dressed in traditional costumes. But the occasion, which has its origins in the Middle Ages, provides a valuable opportunity for the profession to reflect on today’s challenges. Participants from overseas are invited and this year there were around 100 from 40 jurisdictions, including Hong Kong’s Bar Association chairman Jose-Antonio Maurellet. The visit bore fruit, allowing interaction... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3329420/hong-kong-has-room-grow-global-hub-arbitration?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3329420/hong-kong-has-room-grow-global-hub-arbitration?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Oct 2025 23:15:14 +0000 Eva Sit Eva Sit We are all familiar with the notion that Hong Kong follows the common law system. What that means, at a high level of generality, is that decisions of the courts – that is, judge-made law – are a key source of law for us. Given how important judicial decisions are to our legal system and indeed our lives, it is perhaps a little surprising how few people know where to find this law. A question I frequently encounter, from friends here and abroad, is: “Where can I find these court decisions?” The... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3329127/why-publishing-hong-kong-court-judgments-vital-importance-legal-system?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3329127/why-publishing-hong-kong-court-judgments-vital-importance-legal-system?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Oct 2025 01:30:16 +0000 Martin Hui Martin Hui Super Typhoon Ragasa recently passed within about 120km of Hong Kong and led to the No 10 warning signal being raised. Thankfully, advance warning of the storm and comprehensive preparations in Hong Kong and mainland China, including the evacuation of nearly 2 million people in high-risk areas of Guangdong, averted catastrophe. Still, the impact was significant, with 101 injuries reported in Hong Kong and substantial property damage. Among the debris left in Ragasa’s wake is a debate over... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3328274/does-hong-kong-need-criminalise-storm-chasing-or-will-idea-blow-over?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3328274/does-hong-kong-need-criminalise-storm-chasing-or-will-idea-blow-over?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Oct 2025 01:30:19 +0000 Derek Chan Derek Chan The jury system remains one of the best-known features of Hong Kong’s criminal justice system and can often be a lightning rod for political debate about its merits, cost-effectiveness and whether it can deliver justice. Trial by jury is expressly provided for in Article 86 of the city’s Basic Law, which maintains the “principle of trial by jury previously practised in Hong Kong”. The jury trial has been a part of our legal system since 1845 and, since then, juries have most notably been present... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3327563/justice-hands-people-benefits-trial-jury-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3327563/justice-hands-people-benefits-trial-jury-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Oct 2025 01:30:13 +0000 Victor Dawes Victor Dawes On the first day of my pupillage in September 1999, my “pupil master” showed me around his chambers and introduced me to various members. Not being alive to our customs and traditions, I put my hand out expecting a firm handshake with a senior member but was told: “You are now a member of the Bar and we do not shake hands with each other.” It was then explained to me that the tradition was rooted in the sword-bearing era, when a handshake signalled no hostile intent and was unnecessary for a... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3326740/brief-history-pupil-barristers-and-systems-evolution-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3326740/brief-history-pupil-barristers-and-systems-evolution-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 25 Sep 2025 01:30:14 +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 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 Eva Sit Eva Sit Few will argue against the wisdom of proper financial planning. But when it comes to planning for how one’s assets should be applied after one’s death, many will swiftly put an end to the conversation. Why is the concept of making a will taboo? Will-making is certainly not a new concept to man. It has a very long history. In China, will-making was recognised and regulated since the Western Han dynasty (202BC – AD9). In the United Kingdom, the Statute of Wills (33 Hen. 8. c. 1) was enacted in... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3322570/will-or-not-will-beyond-myths-will-making-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3322570/will-or-not-will-beyond-myths-will-making-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 21 Aug 2025 01:30:15 +0000 Martin Hui Martin Hui The medical profession is one of the pillars of Hong Kong society and its doctors, as well as other professionals, are expected to, and often do, uphold the highest standards of professional conduct. But a dark corner of the healthcare industry exists in the grey area between medical treatment and experimental procedure. Over the years there have been a number of tragic cases where the administering of experimental treatments has led to the patient’s death. As with medical negligence more... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3321778/when-experimental-treatments-lead-death-prosecution-not-always-simple?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3321778/when-experimental-treatments-lead-death-prosecution-not-always-simple?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 14 Aug 2025 01:30:14 +0000 Derek Chan Derek Chan As artificial intelligence (AI) technology continues to develop, its utility for ordinary law-abiding citizens grows, along with its potential for abuse. However, the breakneck speed of development often leaves the law playing catch-up in confronting these new societal harms. The use of AI to create pornographic images of a person without their consent is a growing problem not limited to Hong Kong, and will only grow more prominent as the technology develops. Deepfakes, which are generated by AI... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3321002/regulating-harm-caused-deepfake-porn-how-hong-kong-can-best-protect-victims?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3321002/regulating-harm-caused-deepfake-porn-how-hong-kong-can-best-protect-victims?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 Aug 2025 01:30:19 +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 Eugene Yim Eugene Yim Theatre enthusiasts in Hong Kong like me will know that the city’s cultural scene has recently been abuzz. While the West End’s Life of Pi had its eagerly anticipated debut shows at the Xiqu Centre last month, another show that has attracted much media attention is Yerma, which was staged at the Shouson Theatre in the Hong Kong Arts Centre, with the past weekend marking its closing performance. Yerma is a play that was originally written by Spanish dramatist Federico Garcia Lorca in 1934 and was... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3317600/yerma-law-surrogacy-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3317600/yerma-law-surrogacy-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 10 Jul 2025 01:30:08 +0000 Eva Sit Eva Sit We are constantly reminded that we need to take better care of ourselves, and we take that seriously – we try to eat less, drink more water, get better sleep and work out more. These are important things because they help extend our physical health. But what is also important, and often overlooked, is the need for us to take care of ourselves when our health fails and we become unable to make decisions for ourselves. It is prudent – and I would say necessary – to have a system in place that we... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3316667/taking-care-yourself-beyond-health-planning-ahead?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3316667/taking-care-yourself-beyond-health-planning-ahead?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Jul 2025 01:30:16 +0000