CUHK LAW organised an Alumni Cocktail Reception in Shanghai on 3 December 2023 with alumni joining from all over the world to catch up with the Faculty Dean, the Associate Deans, the Programme Directors and other faculty members. Professor Lutz-Christian WOLFF, Dean of CUHK LAW, delivered a warm welcome address at the reception and encouraged the alumni to stay connected to reinforce bonds and collaborations for a successful future. It was a happy and enjoyable evening where old friends reunited and new friends met.
CUHK LAW thanks all alumni for joining and looks forward to equally successful future events!
The 92nd Congregation of The Chinese University of Hong Kong and the Doctoral and Master’s Degrees Graduation Ceremony – Faculty of Law Session 2023 were held on 9 and 11 November 2023 respectively.
This year, 644 graduates received the degrees of Bachelor of Laws (LLB), Juris Doctor (JD), LLB-JD, BBA-JD, JD-MBA, Master of Laws (LLM) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Laws, whilst 145 graduates received their Postgraduate Certificate in Laws (PCLL).
CUHK LAW was honoured and pleased that Ms. YANG Mei Kei, Maggie, JP, Director of Public Prosecutions, Department of Justice, Prosecutions Division, HKSAR, joined as the Guest of Honour and delivered an inspiring address to the graduates at the Graduation Ceremony.
A Faculty Graduation Reception was held after the Graduation Ceremony where all guests, Ms. Yang and invited guests from the Department of Justice, professors, family and friends joined to celebrate with and send good wishes to the new graduates.
CUHK LAW signed two Memoranda of Understanding with the Faculty of Law, Thammasat University (TU Law), Thailand on 26 October 2023.
Under the MoUs, the two law schools will promote cooperation in education and research and exchange LLB students annually from the 2023-24 academic year.
A lecture on China’s inbound investment law was delivered by Professor Lutz-Christian WOLFF, Dean of CUHK LAW, before the MoU signing ceremony.
During this duty trip, the CUHK LAW delegation also took the opportunity to meet with LLM alumni based in Thailand to share updates and developments.
CUHK LAW organised the Conference on Aviation Law and Policy in Hong Kong on 1 November 2023. 100 participants attended. The conference brought together diverse groups from the Hong Kong International Airport, airlines, the business jet industry, aviation law firms, aircraft financing/leasing companies, government, and academia to discuss how to maintain Hong Kong’s status as an international aviation hub.
Professor Jae Woon LEE opened the conference by citing Article 128 of the Basic Law, which mandates the maintenance of Hong Kong’s status “as a centre of international and regional aviation.” In his welcoming remarks, Professor Lutz-Christian WOLFF, Dean of CUHK LAW, emphasised the importance of aviation law and policy in enabling the world to leverage on all the opportunities Hong Kong offers.
The conference featured a keynote speaker, Mr. Steven YIU Siu-chung, Executive Director of the Hong Kong Airport Authority, who explored the strengths and potential of Hong Kong as an international aviation hub. In Session 1 titled “Regaining Connectivity,” participants discussed the challenges posed by the COVID-19 crisis and how Hong Kong is recovering its “aviation connectivity.” In Session 2 titled “Beyond Connectivity,” various topics were explored, including multimodal transport by high-speed rail and ferry, regulatory support for business jets, tax benefits for aircraft financing, and the role of electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (eVTOL).
Private law in the People’s Republic of China has recently gone through a period of major renewal, culminating in the enactment of the new Chinese Civil Code. In contrast, private law in Hong Kong continues to be developed mostly incrementally by the courts, following the common law tradition of only occasional statutory reform. As civil law jurisdictions, Macao and Taiwan also each have their distinctive approach to private law reform.
With a focus on the law of obligations and to provide a platform for exchange on these issues, the Obligations Lab Asia of CUHK LAW’s Centre for Comparative and Transnational Law (CCTL) will organise a conference titled “Private Law in Greater China: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow” on 10 May 2024. The conference aims to identify how private law scholarship can support and promote the modernisation of law in Greater China. It also seeks to explore to what extent cross-pollination between the private law systems of the four Chinese jurisdictions is possible, necessary and desirable.
The conference is calling for papers from emerging and established scholars and practitioners of private law. Interested individuals are invited to email their interest with the required information on or before 12 January 2024. Click here for further details.
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. Entering its 9th year in the 2023-24 academic year, the seminar series will discuss the following topics from January 2024:
- “Fengshui and Court Practice in Ming and Qing” on 12 January. (Register Now!)
- “Chinese Customary Marriages and Concubinage in Hong Kong” on 2 February.
- “Shanghai in the 1930s, the German Civil Code and the Tragic Story of a Brilliant Legal Mind” on 15 March.
Learn more about the seminar 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.
In 2023, six seminars were held with over 2,700 participants. Topics included “Future of the GBA Legal Market”, “Competition Law in the GBA”, “The Application of the CISG in the GBA”, “Attributing Criminal Liability in the Murky Waters of Self-driving Cars in GBA”, “Preventing Illicit Trade in China’s Cultural Heritage in the Greater Bay Area by Harmonizing Policy and Law”, and “Corporate Compliance in the GBA”.
CUHK LAW wishes to thank all speakers and participants for their interest and support.
Upcoming seminars will be announced on the CUHK LAW website.
Professor Evan GIBSON joined CUHK LAW as Assistant Professor. His research focuses on financial regulation, banking law, economic law, financial technology and comparative law. Professor Gibson taught Regulation of Financial Markets and Banking Law in his previous position as a Research Assistant Professor with the HKU-Standard Chartered FinTech Academy. He has recently published a monograph, A Regulatory Design for Financial Stability in Hong Kong, with Cambridge University Press. Professor Gibson holds an LLB and BCom from the University of Queensland, an LLM from the University of Sydney and a PhD from the University of Hong Kong.
- Energy Dependence and Supply Security (Oxford University Press, 2023) by Professor Anatole BOUTE.
- Croc and Roll Law (Sweet & Maxwell, 2023) co-authored by the Honourable Mr. Justice Kemal BOKHARY, GBM, Honorary Professor of CUHK LAW.
- “Neutral Rights and Collective Countermeasures for Erga Omnes Violations” in The International & Comparative Law Quarterly (Cambridge University Press) by Professors Chin Leng LIM and Ryan MITCHELL.
- “China’s Pursuit of Central Bank Digital Currency: Reasons, Prospects and Implications” in Banking and Finance Law Review by Professor Robin Hui HUANG and CUHK LAW PhD student Xiyuan LI.
- “The Theoretical Framework for International and Regional Unification and Harmonisation of the Public-Private Partnership Legislation Through Model Laws” in European Yearbook of International Economic Law (Springer, 2023) by CUHK LAW PhD student Shaimerden CHIKANAYEV.
- “The Influence of the GDPR on Protection of Young People’s Privacy: New developments in China, California and Australia” in European Data Protection Law Review co-authored by Professor Normann WITZLEB.
- “Benjamin Ferencz and the Treatment of Victims in International Criminal Law: Mapping Out Lex Lata and Lex Ferenda (Ferencza?) in an Emerging Field” in International Criminal Law Review by Professor Gregory GORDON.
- “The Legal Nature of Cryptocurrency as Property: Accounting and Taxation Implications” in Computer Law & Security Review co-authored by Professor Robin Hui HUANG and CUHK LAW graduate Aiden Foon Lok CHAN.
- “Proof: Human Rights Bodies” in Max Planck Encyclopedia of International Procedural Law (Oxford University Press) by Professor Christopher ROBERTS.
- “Previous Exhaustion of Local Remedies: Human Rights Bodies” in Max Planck Encyclopedia of International Procedural Law (Oxford University Press) by Professor Christopher ROBERTS.
- “Competing with Leviathan: Law and government ownership in China’s public-private partnership market” in International Review of Law and Economics by Professor James ZENG.
- “The AI-based Legal Paradise – A (Necessary!) Thought Experiment” in Journal of Law and Technology at Texas by Professor Lutz-Christian WOLFF.
- “Energy justice in times of crisis: protection of consumers and market-based renewable energy investments” in Journal of International Economic Law (Oxford University Press) by Professor Anatole BOUTE.
- “中國證券內幕交易的執法強度及其影響因素：實證研究與完善建議 (The Intensity and Determinants of Insider Trading Law Enforcement in China: Empirical Research and Suggestions for Improvement)” in 法學評論 (Law Journal of Wuhan University) by Professor Robin Hui HUANG.
- Professor Luke MARSH received the CUHK Young Researcher Award 2022.
- Professors Michelle MIAO and Christopher ROBERTS received the CUHK LAW Teaching Excellence Awards 2022-23.
- Professor Chin Leng LIM was appointed a member of UNIDROIT/ICC Institute Working Group on International Investment Contracts.
- Professor Ryan MITCHELL has been designated as an editor for Brill’s Series on Modern East Asia in a Global Historical Perspective.
- Professor Normann WITZLEB has been the guest editor of a Special Issue on “Tort Law Reform in Asia and Beyond” of the Tort Law Review.
- CUHK LAW PhD graduate Dr. Xueji SU received the CUHK Postgraduate Research Output Award 2022.
- CUHK LAW PhD graduate Dr. Yuanyuan ZHANG received the CUHK Young Scholars Thesis Awards 2022.
Michelle CLOUGH | Hong Kong (PCLL 2016)
Barrister at Law, Victoria Chambers Limited
“This year I was lucky to work alongside my father in producing Clough and Clough on Personal Injuries, a guide intended to explain and clarify key concepts in personal injuries law. Affectionately referred to as CCPI, to emulate the DCPI and HCPI case references, this guide is a one-stop-shop for PI law. Currently, when faced with a PI problem, practitioners and students must trawl through authorities, court rules, statutes and other guidelines. We hope that CCPI will make things easier!”
Gerald LAM | Hong Kong (JD 2010, PCLL 2011)
Senior Associate, Dispute Resolution, Baker & McKenzie
Gerald Lam was recently appointed by the Chief Justice as a Panel Solicitor Member of the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal for a term of three years from 16 October 2023.
Gerald is a senior associate in Baker McKenzie’s Investigations, Compliance and Ethics Group, and specialises in investigations and regulatory compliance matters relating to anti-bribery and corruption, economic sanctions, ESG, money laundering, and white-collar fraud. He also regularly acts as specialist compliance and sanctions counsel in mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, financing and lending arrangements and other corporate transactions.
Gerald is qualified in Hong Kong and New York.
Lucy QIN | Hong Kong (JD 2011, PCLL 2012)
Senior Legal Counsel, Compliance Transaction Department, Tencent
“I took the CUHK LAW JD in 2009. I started my training contract at Jones Day in 2012 and qualified as a solicitor in 2014. After my training contract, I joined Reed Smith Richards Butler and spent more than seven years there as a corporate lawyer, specialising in M&As, IPOs, corporate advisory and compliance work. In late 2021, I joined Tencent as a senior legal counsel in its Compliance Transaction Department, working with colleagues from Tencent’s global offices on multi-jurisdictional transactions, which I find even more exciting than my private practice life. In 2023, I also took the PRC national bar exams to equip myself better for a demanding environment. Looking back, I see that becoming a lawyer opened the door to different possibilities and helped me become a better person. Embarking on the CUHK LAW JD was a life-changing decision I am proud to have made!”
Dini SEJKO | Hong Kong (LLM IEL 2014, PhD 2019)
Lecturer, Business School, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
Dr. Dini Sejko MCIArb has been appointed to the Panels of Arbitrators and Conciliators of the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID, World Bank). Dr. Sejko graduated from CUHK LAW with an LLM in International Economic Law and a PhD in Laws. He is based in Hong Kong and acts as a mediator, an arbitrator, and advises on international economic law. Dr. Sejko teaches at the Business School of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. His recent work includes an article in the Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law on “Sovereign Investors as ICSID Claimants: Lessons from the Drafting Documents and the Case Law”.
Eugene WENG | Shanghai (JD 2008)
Partner, Wintell & Co
“I joined the Shanghai International Arbitration Center in the beginning of 2009, 6 months after graduating from the CUHK LAW JD programme in 2008. I left the Center in 2015 and became a practising lawyer in Shanghai.
I am now a partner of Wintell & Co. and am in charge of its Lin-gang Office. Our firm is a specialist in maritime and finance work. Cooperating with HFW, we provide comprehensive solutions for clients in aviation, shipping and infrastructure. I practise in the fields of international arbitration for commercial and sports disputes, trade remedies, sanctions remedies, cross border financing and solutions to crisis PR.
We have a very tight connection with Hong Kong in our daily business. We choose Hong Kong as the main seat of arbitration in our contract drafting and come to Hong Kong occasionally for arbitral hearings. In providing our legal services to our clients we also keep very close communication with Hong Kong barristers and solicitors.”
WONG Man Yi, Vanessa | The Netherlands (JD 2022, PCLL 2023)
Candidate for LLM International and Transnational Criminal Law, University of Amsterdam
“Having graduated from my JD and PCLL at CUHK LAW, I am now at the University of Amsterdam for my LLM in International and Transnational Criminal Law studies. I am invigorated by the fact that I can continue my mooting journey, which began at CUHK LAW, here.
This year, I am honoured to be a co-coach of the Frits Kalshoven International Humanitarian Law Moot Team with a Professor of Military Law at the UvA. The Frits Kalshoven IHL Moot Competition is similar to the Red Cross International Humanitarian Law Moot in Hong Kong, the starting point of my international mooting journey.
The most exciting part of the Frits Kalshoven IHL Moot is the timing of preparation. The moot problem is only released two days before the competition. On release coaches are not allowed to communicate with their team members. This arrangement requires a different style of coaching. My co-coach and I give our teammates advocacy training in International Humanitarian Law every week. The purpose of these sessions is to enhance their understanding of both practical skills for roleplay scenarios and legal knowledge for the moot court competition.
To mooters, I have some suggestions.
The competition may include high pressure situations – a lot of stress before the deadline of both written and oral submissions and also intense moments during competition. No matter how much you feel the urge to win, please remember that the moot court competition is a long journey.
The real meaning of participating in international moot court competitions is to connect and interact with like-minded individuals and to share the joy of learning legal knowledge (for me, personally, the Rome Statute) from different perspectives.
Try to prepare well and avoid last-minute preparation.
Enjoy it without burning out!
At the end of the day, even though my mooting and coaching experience in CUHK LAW was bittersweet, it was the best thing that happened to me in law school. I hold dear to my heart those beautiful and memorable experiences. Now I am embarking on a similarly exciting journey in the Netherlands.”
Share with us any updates (e.g. life stories, good news, career achievements) by email to law.alumni@cuhk.edu.hk.
Ms. Wency YU, Partner at AnJie Broad Law Firm and our own alumna, delivered a CUHK LAW Alumni Online Seminar on “Protecting Product Design in China” on 11 September 2023. Attended by over 110 participants, the seminar discussed the protection of product design via trademark, copyright, design patent and anti-unfair competition law and also examined the pros and cons of each method and how to build a strong IP portfolio.
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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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