The Sir T.L. Yang Society High Table Dinner 2023 organised by CUHK LAW was held at The Hong Kong Jockey Club, Happy Valley Racecourse, on 18 May 2023. Around 200 undergraduate students, academic staff and Distinguished Professional Mentors (DPMs) gathered to celebrate the students’ completion of their first year of study and to bid farewell to the graduating class. Year One students were also introduced to their DPMs at the occasion.
The High Table Dinner began with welcome remarks by Professor Lutz-Christian WOLFF, Dean of CUHK LAW, followed by the presentation of admission scholarships and Dean’s List awards to outstanding students. The Honourable Mr Justice Syed Kemal Shah BOKHARY, GBM, graced the audiences as the Distinguished Guest Speaker with an inspiring High Table address.
CUHK LAW thanks all participants for joining and the DPMs for their invaluable support of the students! View more photos here.
On 12 May 2023, the Obligations Lab Asia of CUHK LAW’s Centre for Comparative and Transnational Law (CCTL) hosted the online conference “Transformation or Adaptation? Private Law and New Technologies” with over 470 local and international attendees.
This conference gathered speakers from Australia, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, UK, US, as well as Hong Kong and Macau. The core topic was how private law should be “updated” to address emerging social and commercial practices enabled by novel technologies. The challenges posed by artificial intelligence on contract and tort law featured prominently, but other issues such as the protection of consumers in the digital environment and liability in the platform economy were also addressed.
Watch the conference presentation videos here.
CUHK LAW hosted its annual Alumni Cocktail Reception at the CUHK Graduate Law Centre on 30 May 2023.
The Faculty was pleased to welcome its alumni and guests from the judiciary and the legal professions, all of whom have supported CUHK LAW over the years in many different ways. Many current and former faculty members also attended to catch up with old students and friends.
View more photos here.
The 3rd Asian Legal History Conference organised by the CCTL Transnational Legal History Group took place at the CUHK Graduate Law Centre on 20-21 June 2023.
This conference brought together a diverse, interdisciplinary group of scholars and researchers to discuss their findings on topics relating to legal history in Asia. Around 80 speakers from more than 20 jurisdictions gathered and shared legal history insights pertaining to subjects ranging from forensic science to extradition, the history of rights, centralising and decentralising forces, extraterritoriality, constitution building and constitutional challenges, developments in legal practices and the legal profession, evolutions in international law, imperial law, colonial and post-colonial influences and tensions, the legal influence of Confucianism and Buddhism, evacuee property and subject formation, legal transplantation, family and child law, criminal law, property law, privacy law, anti-corruption efforts and customary justice.
Keynote addresses were delivered by Professor Mitra SHARAFI from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Professor Taisu ZHANG from Yale Law School, and Dr. Christopher MUNN from the Hong Kong Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences.
Watch the conference presentation videos here.
Five CUHK LAW professors won competitive grants under the 2023-24 General Research Fund (GRF) and Early Career Scheme (ECS) of the Research Grants Council (RGC) of the Hong Kong SAR:
- Professor Jyh-An LEE received a GRF grant of HK$688,000 for a project entitled “Reformulating Intellectual Property Damages in China”.
- Professor Benoit MAYER received a GRF grant of HK$953,500 for a project entitled “Assessing the Contribution of Pro-climate Judicial Decision to the Mitigation of Climate Change”.
- Professor Michael RAMSDEN received a GRF grant of HK$952,450 for a project entitled “Strategic Litigation Before the International Court of Justice: An Empirical Case Law Evaluation into Structural Impact”.
- Professor Dicky TSANG received a GRF grant of HK$718,000 for a project entitled “Review of Jurisdiction in Chinese Courts”.
- Professor Shixue HU received an ECS grant of HK$484,950 for a project entitled “SOE Provisions in Regional Trade Agreements”.
Learn more about CUHK LAW’s research excellence here.
The CUHK LAW Greater China Legal History Seminar Series aims to serve as a forum to discuss the historical development of a great variety of legal issues of interest in the Greater China region. Following the success of the seminars held in the past eight years, CUHK LAW proudly announces that the 9th Year seminar series will begin in September 2023. Topics to be explored include:
- “Pirates and the Hong Kong Admiralty Court of 1847-49” (Register Now!)
- “Death Sentences in the Great Qing, 1744-1840”
- “Contracts as Tools to Promote Morality and Social Order during the Tang Dynasty”
- “Fengshui and Court Practice in Ming and Qing”
- “Chinese Customary Marriages and Concubinage in Hong Kong”
- “Shanghai in the 1930s, the German Civil Code and the Tragic Story of a Brilliant Legal Mind”
Learn more about the new seminar series here. Watch the videos of previous series here.
The CUHK LAW Greater Bay Area (GBA) Forum Seminar Series offers a platform for the exchange of ideas, views and visions amongst academics and members of the legal professions in relation to legal aspects of the GBA. The seminar series explores the following topics during the second half of 2023:
- “Preventing Illicit Trade in China’s Cultural Heritage in the Greater Bay Area by Harmonizing Policy and Law” (Register Now!)
- “Corporate Compliance in the GBA”
Learn more about the seminar series here.
Professor Asif HAMEED joined CUHK LAW as Associate Professor. His interests lie in public law, legal and political theory, and international law. He is currently investigating whether high-stakes political questions can be addressed impartially. Professor Hameed took his Law degrees at Oxford and has worked at four UK universities: Oxford, Cambridge, Southampton and Royal Holloway, University of London.
Professor Siyi LIN joined as Assistant Professor. Her research interests focus on unjust enrichment, trust law, contract law and property law. Professor Lin is qualified as a lawyer in mainland China. Her previous professional experience includes working at King & Wood Mallesons and Fangda Partners in Hong Kong and Shenzhen. She holds LLM and PhD degrees from CUHK LAW and an LLB degree from China University of Political Science and Law.
Mr. Danny MA joined as Professional Consultant. Mr. Ma was admitted as a solicitor in Hong Kong and commenced his practice in 2009. Shortly afterwards he started his own law firm mainly covering conveyancing and probate but also family matters and civil/criminal litigation. He later operated his own shipping and logistics business for many years and acquired hands-on experience and knowledge in this trade. In recent years, Mr. Ma regularly conducted CPD courses for licensed estate agents.
In the past five years, CUHK LAW professors have published 23 books with Oxford University Press and Cambridge University Press.
- Capital Controls and International Economic Law (Cambridge University Press, 2023) by Professor Bryan MERCURIO.
- “Trade Rules of State Enterprises: a Lawmaking Perspective” in the Michigan Journal of International Law by Professor Shixue HU.
- “Related Party Transactions and the Majority-of-the-Minority Rule: Data-Driven Evidence from China and Implications for Europe” in the Journal of Business Law by Professor Chao XI.
- “Discretion and the Rule of Law: The Significance and Endurance of Vagrancy and Vagrancy-Type Laws in England, the British Empire, and the British Colonial World” in the Duke Journal of Comparative and International Law by Professor Christopher ROBERTS.
- “Tipping the Scales of Justice: Covid-19 and Detention without Trial” in Ed Johnston (ed.), Covid-19 and Criminal Justice: Impact and Legacy in England and Wales (Routledge, 2023) co-authored by Professors Luke MARSH and Mike McCONVILLE.
- “The Limits of Law as an Instrument of Normative Change” in The Virginia Journal of Social Policy & the Law by Professor Bryan DRUZIN.
- Digital Technology and Law (Curia Books, 2023) by Professor Steven GALLAGHER.
- Handbook of Energy Law in the Low-Carbon Transition (De Gruyter, 2023) co-edited by Professor Hao ZHANG.
- “Responding to Global Trends? Privacy Law Reform in Australia” in Moritz Hennemann et al (eds), Data Disclosure: Global Developments and Perspectives (De Gruyter, 2023) by Professor Normann WITZLEB.
- “Much ado about artificial intelligence or: the automation of contract formation” in the International Journal of Law and Information Technology (Oxford University Press) by Professor Eliza MIK.
- “The Case for Negligence as the Mental Element of an Australian Statutory Privacy Tort” in the Tort Law Review by Professor Normann WITZLEB.
- “Compulsory Licenses for Pharmaceutical Patents in China in light of the TRIPS Agreement” in the Asian Journal of WTO & International Health Law and Policy (2023) by CUHK LAW PhD student Qian YIN.
- “The History of China’s Investment Law System: Lessons from the Past for the (Brighter) Future?” in The International Lawyer by Professor Lutz-Christian WOLFF.
- “Labour and Trade in Asia Pacific: Origin, Development, and Prospects” in Asia Pacific Law Review by Professor Yueming YAN.
- “China’s recognition and enforcement of foreign securities judgments against overseas-listed Chinese companies” in the Journal of International Economic Law co-authored by Professor Robin Hui HUANG.
- “Comparing No-Fault Compensation Systems for Vaccine Injury” in the Tulane Journal of International and Comparative Law co-authored by Professor Normann WITZLEB.
- “No-Fault Compensation Schemes for COVID-19 Vaccines: Best Practice Hallmarks” in Public Health Reviews co-authored by Professor Normann WITZLEB.
- “Taken as Read: Linguistic (in)equality in Hong Kong’s Jurisprudence” in the Michigan State International Law Review by Professor Stuart HARGREAVES.
- “The Use of Trade Coercion and China’s Model of ‘Passive-Aggressive Legalism’” in the Journal of International Economic Law (Oxford University Press) co-authored by Professor Bryan MERCURIO.
- “《公司法》修訂背景下的股東知情權制度檢討：比較與實證的視角 (Shareholder Inspection Rights in the Company Law Revision: Comparative and Empirical Perspectives)” in《比較法研究》(Journal of Comparative Law) by Professor Robin Hui HUANG.
- “‘Words Are Flowing Out Like Endless Rain Into a Paper Cup’: ChatGPT & Law School Assessments” in the Legal Education Review by Professor Stuart HARGREAVES.
- “The effects of reputational sanctions on culpable firms: Evidence from China’s stock markets” in the International Review of Law and Economics co-authored by Professor Robin Hui HUANG.
- “Returning the Home State to the Global Anti-Corruption Campaign” in the Journal of International Dispute Settlement (Oxford University Press) by Professor Yueming YAN.
- “China’s New Legal Framework for Vertical Price Restraints: Aspirations and Limitations” in the European Competition Law Review by Professor Sandra MARCO COLINO.
- “Three Pillars: Articulating A Family Law Pedagogy For Hong Kong” in Henry Kha and Mark Henaghan (eds), Teaching Family Law: Reflections on Pedagogy and Practice (Routledge, 2023) by Professor Anne SCULLY-JOHNSON.
- Professor Chao XI was re-appointed to serve on the Assessment Panel of the HKSAR Government’s Public Policy Research (PPR) and Strategic Public Policy Research (SPPR) Funding Schemes.
- Professors Ryan MITCHELL and Christopher ROBERTS received the CUHK Research Excellence Awards 2022-23.
- Professors Jyh-An LEE and Dicky TSANG received the CUHK Outstanding Research Impact Award 2022-23.
- The CUHK LAW Team continued success in the 14th Leiden-Sarin International Air Law Moot Court Competition.
- The CUHK LAW Team advanced to the semi-finals in the International Criminal Court Moot Court Competition 2023.
Can EKEN, FCIArb | Durham, United Kingdom (PhD 2022)
Assistant Professor in Commercial Law, Durham Law School
“I have recently been elected to the executive committee membership of the Society of Legal Scholars (SLS). This election took place in Oxford on June 29, during the Annual Meeting of SLS 2023, where I co-presented a paper with Volker Roeben on Turkiye’s Energy Charter Treaty cases. SLS is the largest legal community in the UK. My tenure starts on October 1, 2023, and runs for 3 years.
I have also been elected as a committee member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators’ Thames Valley Branch. Chartered Institute of Arbitrators is an NGO headquartered in London, UK and has branches all around the globe. Thames Valley branch is the branch close to London and covers Oxfordshire.”
Henry HUANG | Shenzhen (LLM IEL 2019)
Senior Partner, Long An Law Firm
“By undertaking CUHK LAW’s LLM in International Economic Law (“IEL”) Programme, I acquired a comprehensive understanding of the knowledge and mindset essential in legal practices such as cross-border dispute resolution, M&A, and capital markets. Simultaneously, the experience broadened my international perspective, enabling multiple successful collaborations with lawyers from multiple jurisdictions when delivering cross-border legal services.
Following my graduation from CUHK, I assumed the role of a legal and compliance officer at two SOEs. In this role, I bore the responsibility of managing banking and finance matters, handling M&A transactions, and dispute resolution matters. It is with profound humility that I was honored as one of the ‘Most Influential Corporate Legal Professionals in China’ by Welegal in 2020, mainly for my contributions to notable projects and transactions, as well as my active involvement in formulating financial regulatory laws (in the field of financial leasing) in Guangdong.
Upon joining Long An Law Firm at its Shenzhen office in October 2021, I took the lead in founding the Professional Committee on Financial Leasing and Supply Chain Finance where I became its first Director. I also collaborated with colleagues to create the Professional Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, where I now serve as Deputy Director. These initiatives aim to level up our legal services game to accommodate the evolving needs of PRC’s legal services market and boost the expertise of our colleagues in the relevant fields. In recognizing my unwavering commitment to excellence, Long An promoted me to the position of Senior Partner (Equity Partner) at the age of 29, making me the youngest to hold this role at its Shenzhen office.
My team has now diversified and specialized in its practice. Our practices involve many areas such as new energy, infrastructure construction, dispute resolution, private equity funds, capital markets, international trade, bankruptcy & debt restructuring, etc. Notably, I again leveraged the valuable insights and edges I gained from the IEL Programme in some of our team’s successful cases and accomplishments, ranging from cross-border litigation and arbitration, initiating cross-border corporate bankruptcy or liquidation, to foreign debt restructuring and financing.
To my aspiring alumni, particularly those from civil law backgrounds, I urge you to make the best use of your time at CUHK. Within its hallowed halls, luminous guidance provided by erudite Faculty shall bestow upon you treasures of irreplaceable wisdom and analytical skillsets. Moreover, as your journey unfolds, other CUHK LAW alumni may not only serve as your cherished fellowships but also stand as your future colleagues, clients, partners, and adjudicators.”
Jamain YEUNG | Hong Kong (JD 2022)
Senior Commercial Product Manager, LexisNexis
“My decision to join LexisNexis during my last semester at CUHK LAW gives me the opportunity to blend my academic legal background with my data & tech work experience and opens doors to the exciting world of legal technology. I have not only had the chance to keep abreast of the latest legal tech developments in a well-established MNC, but was also able to lead the launch of one of the company’s latest innovative legal research platforms, Lexis+® Hong Kong.
As part of this two-year project, I engaged in discussions with regional teams to identify risks and opportunities in localizing this global product. Together, we envisioned Lexis+® Hong Kong as an all-in-one ecosystem of integrated legal solutions for legal practitioners and law students, and spent countless hours brainstorming and designing features, incorporating market-leading technologies to serve users in mind. After successfully pushing out our prototype, we faced a new challenge with the launch of ChatGPT. The team had to act with agility to reallocate resources and incorporate AI/GPT technology into the product to meet new market expectations.
I am thrilled to say that Lexis+® Hong Kong was launched successfully in July, with features highlighting the power of AI and GPT to provide instant legal answers and case recommendations without the need to read through long lengthy documents. These new practices are reshaping how we think and do legal research and legal drafting, and I am grateful for the opportunity to have been a part of this transformation. Recalling the legal technology elective I took during my JD degree, I now appreciate the importance of empowering students and the next generation of the legal community with the tools, skills, networks and real-world experience they need to succeed in a rapidly evolving legal landscape.
Delivering value to clients is paramount to the success of legal practitioners and this value goes beyond the provision of basic understanding and application of law. It requires foresight to anticipate clients’ needs and the ability to tackle upcoming business challenges. Legal technology has become a crucial part of this process and law firms are making significant investments to stay ahead of the curve. Some law firms have even established a dedicated arm to develop its own legal tech solutions. Given the critical importance of innovation, law students have to be interested in exploring and receptive to the use of legal technology when delivering legal services, and schools are the best place to start equipping these elements.”
Share with us any updates (e.g. life stories, good news, career achievements) by email to law.alumni@cuhk.edu.hk.
Ms. Elizabeth CHAN, FCIArb spoke on “Mayhem in the Metaverse: the Metaverse and dispute resolution” at the CUHK LAW Alumni Online Seminar on 7 June 2023.
Based on her co-authored paper on the enforcement of metaverse-related disputes resolved by blockchain arbitration under the New York Convention, Ms. Chan’s presentation covered the definition of and the use cases for the metaverse, her experience with different metaverse worlds, the types of disputes that might arise in the metaverse context, the dispute resolution methods for resolving metaverse-related disputes, and enforcement issues under the New York Convention.
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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