E-NEWSLETTER
December 2021
New Programme – Master of Laws (LLM) in Legal History
From 2022-23, CUHK LAW will offer a brand-new LLM in Legal History Programme. This LLM – one of the only such programmes globally – is designed to equip students with expertise in both the substance and the methodology of transnational legal history research.
The LLM in Legal History is an elite programme which admits only a small number of high-quality students. Unlike traditional taught postgraduate programmes, this LLM has a hybrid structure, combining classroom learning and research elements. In addition to their classes, students will complete a substantial research project under the supervision of a member of the Faculty, accounting for half of their credits. Through their involvement in the programme students will acquire substantial research, writing and presentation skills, paving the way to successful academic, policy and practice careers.
Learn more about the programme here.
The 90th Congregation for the Conferment of Master’s and Doctoral Degrees of The Chinese University of Hong Kong – Faculty of Law Session presided by Professor Alan K.L. CHAN, Provost, was held on 6 November 2021. Over 630 graduates of the Juris Doctor (JD), JD-MBA Double Degree, Master of Laws (LLM), Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Laws and Postgraduate Certificate in Laws (PCLL) programmes were presented.
CUHK LAW wishes all graduates the very best in their future endeavors!
CUHK LAW is delighted to receive a HK$1 million UGC Research Matching Grant through the generous donation from Mr. Joseph W N Cheung to offer the following awards to promote research excellence:
The CUHK LLM in International Economic Law (IEL) Programme has again been awarded Targeted Taught Postgraduate Programmes Fellowships by Hong Kong’s University Grants Committee (UGC) in 2022-23 in recognition of the programme’s contribution to the training of legal talent to support Hong Kong’s strategic position as a regional and international business centre.
Learn more from the programme website.
On 4 October 2021, over one hundred participants attended the seminar on “Law on Mental Capacity” by Mr. Benjamin Yu, SBS SC JP, CUHK LAW Visiting Professor (honorary), at the CUHK Graduate Law Centre and simultaneously online via ZOOM.
The seminar focused on legal issues arising out of courts, e.g. the combination of longer life expectancy of people in Hong Kong and greater accumulation of wealth. Courts see more and more cases of this kind and often have to grapple with the question whether a person has mental capacity.
The fourth Female Legal Leaders Seminar was delivered by three distinguished female members of the Hong Kong and international legal community on 18 November 2021: Ms. Sharon Ser, Partner of Withersworldwide; Ms. Elsie Yiu, Vice President of ISS World Services; and Ms. Jennifer Ngai, Assistant General Counsel of Asian Development Bank.
The speakers shared their unique career trajectories and their insights as female practitioners in the legal industry. Students thus had the role models in the best sense of the word and to understand the value of diversity and inclusion. Learn more here.
The Obligations Lab Asia of CUHK LAW’s Centre for Comparative and Transnational Law (CCTL) is organising an online conference on “Torts Law Reform in Asia and Beyond” to be held on 13 May 2022.
The conference explores how jurisdictions in Asia and other parts of the world, both through case law and statutory reform, respond to the constant need to keep civil liability rules up-to-date.
CCTL is inviting abstract submissions from emerging as well as established scholars and practitioners of private law in Asia and beyond. The submission deadline is 14 January 2022.
Learn more here.
CUHK LAW had been organising a legal education conference biannually since 2016. Following the success of its previous three conferences, CUHK LAW proudly announces the fourth Online 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.
CUHK LAW now welcomes abstract submissions on any themes and aspects related to legal education by 28 January 2022.
Learn more here.
To continue the fruitful dialogues during the first and second Machine Lawyering Conferences and to keep up with the recent developments, CUHK LAW’s Centre for Financial Regulation and Economic Development (CFRED) will host the third “Machine Lawyering Conference: Legal Innovation in the Digital Society” on 18-19 February 2022.
The theme of this conference is how the law responds to the constantly evolving digital technologies and new business models.
Learn more here.
The 7th Year Greater China Legal History Seminar Series successfully hosted three online seminars on “The Small House Policy and the Court of Appeal”, “Magistracies in Colonial Hong Kong” and “Controversies on the Morality and Effectiveness of Judicial Torture in late Ming China”.
The next seminar “From Copyright Norm to Copyright Law: The First Copyright Statute in the Qing Dynasty and Republican China” will be presented by Professor Jyh-An LEE on 21 January 2022. Register here to attend.
- The Law and Politics of Unconstitutional Constitutional Amendments in Asia (Routledge, 2021) co-edited by Professor Rehan ABEYRATNE.
- The Cambridge Companion to International Arbitration (Cambridge University Press, 2021) edited by Professor Chin Leng LIM.
- “Contracts in Code?” in Law, Innovation and Technology, Volume 13, Issue 2 (2021) by Professor Eliza MIK.
- “Adtech and Children’s Data Rights” in UNSW Law Journal, Volume 44 No. 3, 2021 co-authored by Professor Normann WITZLEB.
- “Government Bailouts of Airlines in the COVID-19 Crisis: Improving Transparency in International Air Transport” in Journal of International Economic Law by Professor Jae Woon LEE.
- “The Pathway Towards Digital Superpower: Copyright Reform in China” in GRUR International (Oxford University Press) by Professor Jyh-An LEE and CUHK LAW PhD student Yangzi LI.
- Protecting Built Heritage in Hong Kong (Springer, 2021) by Professor Steven GALLAGHER.
- Law of the Hong Kong Constitution, 3rd Edition (Sweet & Maxwell, 2021) co-edited by Professor Chin Leng LIM.
- Foundations of Contract Law in Hong Kong – Seventh Edition (LexisNexis, 2021) by Professor Stephen HALL.
- “Protecting Data Privacy for Mobile Payments Under the Chinese Law: Comparative Perspectives and Reform Suggestions” (2021) 20(2) Chicago-Kent Journal of Intellectual Property 226-269 co-authored by Professor Robin Hui HUANG.
- “Adjudicating Disputes Along China’s New Silk Road: Towards Unity, Diversity or Fragmentation of International Law?” in Netherlands International Law Review, 2021 co-authored by CUHK LAW PhD student Jamieson KIRKWOOD.
- “Unilateral sanctions through an international arbitration lens: procedural and substantive issues” in Charlotte Beaucillon (ed), Research Handbook on Unilateral and Extraterritorial Sanctions (Edward Elgar Publishing Limited, 2021) co-authored by Mr. David HOLLOWAY.
- “Global constitutionalism reconfigured through a regional lens” in Global Constitutionalism (Cambridge University Press), Volume 10, Issue 2, 2021 by Professor Rehan ABEYRATNE.
- “EU-China Cooperation on Promoting Sustainable Development under the Belt and Road Initiative—Consensus Built on Divergence” in Vassilis Ntousas and Stephen Minas (eds), The European Union and China’s Belt and Road: Impact, Engagement and Competition (Routledge, 2021) by CUHK LAW PhD student Xueji SU.
- “Semblance and Separation: Comparing the Law of Unjust Enrichment in Hong Kong and England” in The Chinese Journal of Comparative Law (Oxford University Press) by Mr. Arthur LEE and CUHK LAW graduate Joshua YEUNG.
- “China’s Ownership Policies in the Coal Sector: Effectiveness of Capacity Regulation and Prospect for Climate Change Mitigation” in Journal of Energy & Natural Resources Law by Professor Hao ZHANG.
- “The Fall of Online P2P Lending in China: A Critique of the Central-Local Co-regulatory Regime” in Banking & Finance Law Review (2021) by Professor Robin Hui HUANG and CUHK LAW PhD student Christine Menglu WANG.
- “Bad apple spoils the barrel: motive and the close connection test for vicarious liability after Various Claimants v Wm Morrison Supermarkets plc” in Oxford University Commonwealth Law Journal, Volume 21, 2021 – Issue 1 by CUHK LAW graduates Joshua YEUNG and Kevin BAE.
- “Reconsidering the ‘Conduit Pipe’ Defence to Unjust Enrichment Claims for Intermediary Recipients” in The Chinese Journal of Comparative Law (2021) co-authored by CUHK LAW graduate Joshua YEUNG.
- “The Australian COVIDSafe App and Privacy: Lessons for the Future of Privacy Regulation” in Belinda Bennett and Ian Freckelton (eds), Pandemics, Public Health Emergencies and Government Powers: Perspectives on Australian Law (Federation Press, 2021) co-authored by Professor Normann WITZLEB.
- “Pandemics, Travel Restrictions, and the Distancing from International Law” in Asian Journal of WTO & International Health Law and Policy by Professor Fernando DIAS SIMÕES.
- “Desperately Seeking Legislative Reform” in International Survey of Family Law by Professor Anne SCULLY-JOHNSON.
- “When death is literally the deadline: the “cut-off” point for assessing detriment in proprietary estoppel” in Trusts & Trustees (Oxford University Press) co-authored by CUHK LAW graduate Samuel Yee Ching LEUNG.
- “Asian Common Law Jurisdictions” in Kung-Chung Liu and Reto Hilty (eds), Trade Secret Protection: Asia at a Crossroads (Wolters Kluwer, 2021) by Professor Jyh-An LEE and CUHK LAW PhD student Jingwen LIU.
- “Dance with Shackles On? An Empirical Assessment of Investor Stewardship in China (戴着镣铐跳舞的机构投资者)” in Tsinghua University Law Journal (清华法学) co-authored by Professor Chao XI.
- “Resuscitating criminal courts after Covid-19: Trialling a cure worse than the disease” in The International Journal of Evidence & Proof by Professors Luke MARSH and Mike McCONVILLE.
- “Investment Arbitration and the Chimera of an Ideal Adjudicative Community” in Journal of World Investment & Trade, vol. 22(5-6), pp. 687-704 by Professor Fernando DIAS SIMÕES.
- Professor Anatole BOUTE was awarded the Richard Macrory Prize 2021 (joint first prize) for his article “Environmental Force Majeure: Relief from Fossil Energy Contracts in the Decarbonisation Era” published in the Journal of Environmental Law (Oxford University Press).
- Professor Jyh-An LEE has been awarded the CUHK-University of Manchester Research Fund for a collaborative project on digital platform governance.
- Professor Bryan MERCURIO, Simon F.S. Li Professor of Law, has been named to the Editorial Board of the PLOS Global Public Health journal.
- Professor Chin Leng LIM, Choh-Ming Li Professor of Law, has been elected as an Associate Member by the Institut de Droit International.
- Professors Rehan ABEYRATNE and Anatole BOUTE received the CUHK Research Excellence Awards 2020.
- Professor Fernando DIAS SIMÕES received an award from the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV) for his co-edited book, Wine Law and Policy: From National Terroirs to a Global Market (Brill, 2021).
- Mr. Michael FISHER, Professor Gregory GORDON and Professor Robin Hui HUANG received the CUHK LAW Teaching Excellence Awards 2020-21.
- CUHK LAW JD and PCLL graduates Moonar TSOI and Beryl WU have been awarded internships with the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL).
- CUHK LAW JD and PCLL graduate Conrad CHONG received a scholarship under the Hong Kong Scholarship for Excellence Scheme for his Master of Laws studies at the University of Cambridge.
Three CUHK LAW alumni offer updates on their professional achievements and developments.
Cecilia TSANG | Hong Kong
(JD 2019, PCLL 2020)
“As an alumnus of CUHK LAW (class of 2019), I am glad to share that I hit several milestones in my career over the past year. I successfully completed a year of pupillage (Sept 2020 – Aug 2021). I was called to the Bar on 31 July 2021, and recently became a tenant of the set of chambers that I always hoped to join, Erik Shum’s Chambers. I now have a mixed practice, and hope to specialise more in criminal matters.”
Mac CHAN | Hong Kong
(LLB 2012)
Congratulations to our alumnus, Mac Chan, who was recently awarded the Chief Executive’s Commendation for Community Service in the 2021 Honours List of the HKSAR Government for his contribution to youth development.
WEI Wei | Shanghai
(IEL LLM 2020)
“I am a 2019-2020 graduate of the LLM in International Economic Law (IEL) Programme. Currently, I am working in Grandall Law Firm (Shanghai) as a trainee, and expect to get my practising license next year. I am mainly engaged in non-litigation business including IPOs, refinancing, investment and M&A. All I learned from the IEL programme benefitted me a lot. I really miss the days of studying in CUHK, and hope we all stay healthy and happy. Looking forward to meeting again someday.”
Share with us any updates (e.g. life stories, good news, career achievements, etc.) by email to law.alumni@cuhk.edu.hk.
It was a pleasure having Mr. Chris LAMBERT, Managing Partner of Robertsons, share his insights with our alumni on the challenges law firms in Hong Kong face and on how to manage a firm in times of crisis.
In this seminar on 23 September 2021, Mr. Lambert reviewed the various business models law firms adopt, types of crises they face and key strategies, both immediate and long-term, and crisis management approaches that take into account stakeholders’ (including staff, clients, regulators and creditors) interests and expectations.
CUHK LAW was also pleased to have Ms. Elizabeth CHAN, Associate of Three Crowns LLP in London, share with our alumni the basics of investment arbitration on 24 November 2021.
This presentation took a Hong Kong perspective. Ms. Chan’s discussion focused on the mechanics of and issues concerning the Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) system, both from substantive and practical points of view.
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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