E-NEWSLETTER
April 2022

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CUHK LAW Greater Bay Area (GBA) Forum

CUHK LAW has introduced the “CUHK LAW Greater Bay Area Forum” to contribute to the development of the GBA. The Forum hosts a seminar series that offers a platform for the exchange of ideas, views and visions related to legal aspects of the GBA. Topics to be discussed in the seminar series include:

  • “Greater Bay Area Law and Legal Culture: A Reality Check”
  • “Recent Aviation Law Issues in the GBA”
  • “Private International Law in the Greater Bay Area: An Empirical Assessment of the Qianhai Court Judgments”
  • “Regulatory Pathways for Renewable Energy Integration in the GBA”
  • “The Legal Implications of AI in the Context of Copyright and Transaction Automation in the GBA”
  • “Cross-border Enforcement of Securities Laws in the GBA”
  • “Tax Law in the GBA”

Read more about the GBA Forum and details of each seminar here.

The CUHK LAW Team won the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition Regional Rounds held on 19-20 March 2022 in Hong Kong. The team also won the competition’s First and Second Best Oralist Awards, as well as the prize for Best Memorial (Applicant).

The winning team coached by Prof. Gregory Gordon and CUHK LAW alumni Joshua Yeung and Ann Lee, consisted of members Jandy Yuen (LLB), Harry Tsang (LLB), Christopher Gin (PCLL), Alvin Wong (PCLL), and Jack Lee (JD). The team’s student coach was Sabrina Lau (JD). Christopher Gin and Alvin Wong won the Best Oralist and Second Best Oralist Awards, respectively.

As the winner of the regional tournament, the CUHK LAW Team advanced to the international rounds of Jessup, the world’s largest moot court competition.

The third annual Machine Lawyering Conference, “Legal Innovation in the Digital Society”, organized by CUHK LAW’s Centre for Financial Regulation and Economic Development (CFRED) was held virtually on 18-19 February 2022.

Esteemed scholars and practitioners from 26 institutions in 13 jurisdictions presented 30 papers, featuring pressing issues surrounding AI transparency, bias in the automated decision making, algorithmic justice, personal data protection, cybersecurity, blockchain and smart contracts, data governance, financial technologies and legal technologies. These 30 papers were selected from more than 80 submissions through anonymous peer review by the conference committee.

Read more about the conference here.

To promote the awareness of professional ethics, CUHK LAW has organized the 2022 Professional Ethics Student Essay Competition with the sponsorship of the MaMa Charitable Foundation Limited. The Competition is open to students enrolled in the CUHK LLB, JD, LLM and PCLL programmes in 2021-22. The topic of the Competition is “Professional ethical obligations and data protection – can lawyers ever fully safeguard the interests of their clients, particularly with regard to confidentiality?”. The submission deadline is 13 April 2022.

Learn more here.

CUHK LAW organized the online Scholarships and Prizes Presentation Ceremony 2022 on 23 March to present 146 scholarships and prizes to academically outstanding students and graduates. Over 220 participants, including donor representatives, students, graduates, families and friends, attended to congratulate the recipients for their excellent academic achievements. At the ceremony CUHK LAW thanked the scholarship and prize donors for their continued support. 

View the ceremony video and booklet here.

The 7th Year Greater China Legal History Seminar Series hosted six online seminars which attracted over 2,330 registrations. Topics explored in this series included:

  • “The Small House Policy and the Court of Appeal”
  • “Magistracies in Colonial Hong Kong”
  • “Controversies on the Morality and Effectiveness of Judicial Torture in late Ming China”
  • “From Copyright Norm to Copyright Law: The First Copyright Statute in the Qing Dynasty and Republican China”
  • “Early Cross-Border Legal Issues: Law in the Age of Matteo Ricci”
  • “The Development of China’s Inbound Investment Law”

Watch all seminar video recaps on the CUHK LAW website or on YouTube.

Jointly organized by CUHK LAW and the Hong Kong Student Law Gazette, the Public Lecture on “Equality” delivered by The Honorable Mr. Justice Syed Kemal Shah Bokhary in memory of the late Mr. Vincent Connor was held on 22 February 2022. Over 490 local and overseas participants attended the lecture, including Dr. Dean Lewis, Partner and Co-head of International Arbitration, Pinsent Masons with colleagues, Mr. Connor’s wife and friends, CUHK LAW staff, students, alumni, academics, judges and legal practitioners.

In the lecture, Justice Bokhary examined equality from domestic and international perspectives. He highlighted the issues of same-sex marriages, gender inequality, immigrants and refugees, and shared courts’ development and attempts to address these issues. He concluded that equality is an ongoing struggle but a necessary means to achieve justice. In his final remarks, Justice Bokhary paid tribute to Mr. Connor who had won abiding affection and respect for his invaluable services to the law and the community.

UPCOMING

The Obligations Lab Asia of CUHK LAW’s Centre for Comparative and Transnational Law (CCTL) will hold an online conference on “Torts Law Reform in Asia and Beyond” on 13 May 2022. The conference explores how legislators and courts respond to the constant need to keep civil liability rules up-to-date. Amongst other topics, there will be sessions focusing on developments in professional negligence, strict liability torts, tort law and artificial intelligence, and other emerging issues.

Find more information on the programme and the registration process here.

CUHK LAW had been organizing a legal education conference biannually since 2016. Following the success of its previous three conferences, CUHK LAW proudly announces the fourthOnline Conference on Teaching and Learning in Law – Directions in Legal Education 2022” to be held on 10-11 June 2022. This conference will serve as a hub for open discussion about the future of legal education in Hong Kong and around the world.

Find more information on the programme and the registration process here.

  • Clean Technology Law (LLM mandatory) – This course deals with the legal and regulatory aspects of clean technologies, with a focus on the clean energy transition and innovation in the energy sector. It aims to introduce the main regulatory principles that apply to the reorganization of energy systems towards sustainability and decarbonization.
      
  • Copyright and the Law (LLB elective) – This course surveys copyright issues pertaining to digital subject matter, including digital works and computer software from a global comparative perspective. Whether there is copyright subsistence and in what, whether infringement occurs and where, by whom, and the scope of implied licences and limitations or exceptions are all considered.
      
  • Intellectual Property Law of the PRC (LLB elective) – This course examines the principles underlying Chinese law with respect to copyright, patents, trade secrets, and trademarks. These include those concerning computers, the Internet, biotechnology, plant varieties, and e-commerce. Competition law, technology transfer law, and the international intellectual property system are also considered.
      
  • Merger Control (LLB elective) – This course aims to provide students with a solid theoretical and practical understanding of the principal merger control regimes that affect companies in Hong Kong. It also analyzes local merger control rules as well as the rules of those regimes which most frequently apply to merger transactions involving local firms.
      
  • The Law of Digital Commerce (LLB elective) – This course examines the legal and regulatory aspects of the new digital economy. It presents the technologies enabling new forms of economic activity and enables students to comprehend their implications and limitations. The legal aspects of digitization are discussed, with special emphasis on dematerialization, automation, and virtualization.
CUHK LAW ALUMNI​
ALUMNI UPDATES

Four CUHK LAW alumni offer updates regarding their personal development, learning experience, and professional achievements.

LI Yan | Tianjin  (LCL LLM 2021)

“Recently, the sharply worsening epidemic in Hong Kong reminds me of the epidemic in my hometown, Tianjin, just before the Spring Festival of 2022. Here I would like to share an article I wrote in my diary at that time.

Saturday, January 15, 2022   Sunny

4:00 am, got up. 5:00 am, arrived at the nucleic acid testing site. The reason why today is so different is that today I am a volunteer for the third citywide nucleic acid test. This year’s winter is particularly cold. In the cold wind, I shivered, even with protective gear on. “My mom calls you a Warrior in White. I hope this bottle of warm water will warm your hands, so you can win the battle.” The sweet voice of a little girl warmed me instantly.

My experience that day brought me back to the days when I was quarantined in Beijing after graduating from CUHK last July.  At the time, the whole staff, wearing masks and protective gear, worked so hard at our quarantine hotel every day. Looking at their busy figures, my heart filled with indescribable gratitude. One day, I wrote on a piece of paper what came from the bottom of my heart—“Lovely maskmen, Thanks for your hard work!” I stuck it on the door of my quarantine room. When I opened the door to get breakfast next morning, I suddenly saw a staff member standing in the corridor, bowing deeply to me. I answered him by making my fingers the shape of the letter V. In an instant, our eyes welled with tears.  This moment is forever in my heart. Now, I think when I got the bottle of warm water from the little girl, I can feel exactly what they felt. I believe as long as our hearts are together, we will surely be able to find a better tomorrow.

Now, what I want to say is that although I am in mainland China, my heart is still with CUHK, with HK. Let’s fight against COVID-19 hand in hand. Everything will get better and better. Tomorrow is another day!”

“I worked as a volunteer for the third citywide nucleic acid test. Facing COVID-19, my smile is still on my face – because I am sure everything will get better soon with everyone’s efforts.”

“The day I ended quarantine – taking a picture together with the note on the door.”

Kasper FAN | Hong Kong  (LLB 2020)

“In the 2020-2021 academic year, I had the privilege of pursuing an LLM at the University of Cambridge. This was a unique year, to say the least, given that most of my classes were conducted online, but the experience was nevertheless rewarding.

If I had to highlight one feature about this degree, it would be the amazing people I took the course with. Being able to analyze legal questions with top law students from around the world was a fascinating opportunity, since all students were brought up in substantially different legal systems. This was especially the case as my primary focus at Cambridge was on Public International Law, which governs states’ interrelations in different walks of life. Given that these laws should apply to all states objectively and equally, it was eye opening to see how different our interpretations of the doctrines were, and how many interesting debates arose out of our discussions. Further, it was an absolute privilege to be able to moot these ideas in front of our professors, who are leading scholars in the field.

All in all this was an unforgettable experience. I have learnt that applying the law is one thing, but being critical and analytical of the doctrines behind it is entirely another, especially when it is done from multiple perspectives. I encourage all who are interested to pursue this degree as well, and I hope everyone stays safe and well during these unprecedented times.”

Rachel CHIU | Hong Kong  (LLB 2019, PCLL 2020)

“I am very honoured to have had the experience of completing an LLM degree at the University of Cambridge during the 2020-2021 academic year. Although classes were mostly online during COVID and England was under lockdown for a while, I still treasure the things I learnt and people I met there. When restrictions eased last summer, I really enjoyed rowing with my college team and visiting some small towns nearby. I think that CUHK has given me a great foundation and training for me to further pursue my legal studies and career. I have lots of fond memories of my time in CUHK and I am very grateful for all my teachers’ and schoolmates’ support. I hope to see everyone in real life again soon!”

Boris CHEUNG | Hong Kong  (LLB 2014, PCLL 2015)

As an alumnus of CUHK LLB (class of 2014) and PCLL (class of 2015), I am delighted to share that I have been appointed by the Government of the HKSAR as a member of the Family Council through the Member Self-recommendation Scheme for Youth, for a term from 1 January 2022 to 31 March 2023. 

I express my heartfelt gratitude to the Faculty for all it has done for me and fellow students. In particular, the Faculty provided an intellectual and involving environment which fostered open-mindedness to promote mutual dialogue amongst people from different backgrounds and cultures and motivated me to contribute to the community. 

I am committed to promoting a positive, caring and harmonious culture and spreading the message of the importance of cherishing our families in the community. I look forward to collaborating with all sectors of society to make Hong Kong become more family-friendly!

Share with us any updates (e.g. life stories, good news, career achievements) by email to law.alumni@cuhk.edu.hk.

ALUMNI ONLINE SEMINAR RECAPS

On 26 January 2022, Ms. Bertha HO, Special Counsel of Baker & McKenzie and one of the Faculty’s very first alumna, presented an online seminar on the burgeoning and innovative area of security interests over intellectual property assets in both Hong Kong and the PRC. This presentation dealt with structural, regulatory and practical aspects. It introduced relevant procedures and documents, as well as included a case study that took participants through a real-life transaction in the area.

On 1 March 2022, Ms. Willa CHAN, the founding principal of Willa Legal and an alumna, introduced to CUHK LAW alumni the laws, regulations and trends in the area of private funds and private fund managers. During the seminar she also discussed the common structures of various private funds and initiatives and measures Hong Kong has introduced to develop and strengthen itself as a private funds hub.

Since its establishment in 2004, CUHK LAW has greatly benefitted from the help of friends and supporters. Granted in many different forms such help has allowed us to pursue research and teaching excellence.

We are most grateful for your continued support. Unless otherwise specified, all donations received will be used for the general development of CUHK LAW based on priorities and needs at different points of time.

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