YSG: Arbitration Seminar

The Young Solicitors’ Group (YSG) has jointly organised a seminar with the Young Barristers’ Committee (YBC) of the Hong Kong Bar Association and the Young Members Group (YMG) of Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, East Asia Branch titled ‘Out with the old, in with the new: A new Ordinance and a new interpretation’ on 20 October. The young solicitors, barristers and arbitrators were privileged to have Mr Russell Coleman SC, Mr James Kwan and Mr Jonathan Wong, three experienced members of the arbitration community, speaking on the highlights of the new Arbitration Ordinance
(Cap 609) and the latest developments in Hong Kong on arbitration, in particular on the issue of sovereign immunity.

Oxfam Trailwalker 18-20 November 2011

By chance, we joined the Law Society Oxfam Trailwalker Team in 2009. We knew it was for the good and benefit of many underprivileged people around the world. However, we did not know that it was so challenging not only for the individual but also for the whole team.

For Oxfam Trailwalker, a team comprising of four members must walk 100km f rom S ai Kung to Yuen Long along the famous MacLehose Trail within 48 hours. Sponsors are round up to make donations in support of the team. The event usually takes place around mid-November when the weather is fantastic for hiking in Hong Kong.

To accomplish the mission, regular training is a must. It is no surprise that even physically strong people cannot finish the walk if they do not train. The sad fact is that practice usually starts in the hot humid summer time. Unfortunately, this might be enough to discourage you from joining in this wonderful event.

Team planning is also very important. To finish on time we had to spend one night on the mountain and members needed to plan ahead in relation to taking breaks and the pace of the hike so as not to fall behind.

Being Law Society members, we are grateful for the strong support from our Secretariat. In the last three years, we did not have to worry about things like supply of food, drink or other important logistics.

It was a great challenge and we just hope you will join our team next year.

Oxfam Trailwalker Teams 0133 and 0279

Academy of Law

The Hong Kong Academy of Law organised a workshop entitled ‘Trial Techniques’, the first module of which was held on 19 November and the second was held on 10 December. Workshop leaders Judge Browne (right) and Mr Colin Wright (left), Barrister-at-Law, conducting the second module.

‘Teen Talk’ 2011: Law and Morality

The Law Society’s Teen Talk 2011 was successfully held at the Asia World Expo at Chek Lap Kok on 26 November. The event was attended by over 1700 Form 4-7 students from more than 60 local secondary schools in Hong Kong, Kowloon and the New Territories.

In his opening remarks at the event, President Junius Ho of the Law Society of Hong Kong said that Teen Talk can help educate students about the importance of abiding by the rule of law while reaching a certain standard of morality. He also encouraged participating students to think about how the law and morality affect their daily lives.

The theme of Teen Talk 2011 was ‘Law and Morality’.

Led by facilitators who are lawyers, trainee solicitors and law students, student participants were divided into 170 groups to discuss issues relating to law and morality. The objective of the event was to encourage students to have a better understanding of the rule of lawand think about the relationship between law and morality.

To make the activities more interesting, three videos depicting conflicts between law and morality were shown to the student participants. The first video was a story about a group of young people who were abandoned on an isolated island after an accident. Because there was not enough food for all of them, the majority of the group voted and decided that one person would have to give up his/her life in order to provide food for the rest to survive. From this clip, issues
relating to jurisprudence arose.

The second video depicting issues relating to intellectual property showed a group of students discussing their preparations for the coming Christmas party. From this clip, issues about the legality and morality of publicizing personal
information and downloading music and movies online without proper authorization arose.

The last video focused on the legal and moral controversies arising from compensated dating, abortion and the abandonment of infants.

Mr Fred Kan, Chairman of the Teen Talk 2011 Organising Committee, was pleased to note that after a full-day of discussion, students seemed to have a better understanding of the relevant laws and moral issues in question. He considered that it was important for students to understand the rule of law and the group discussions enabled students to develop critical thinking and understand the value of morality.

Teen Talk 2011 received substantial coverage in the local media in which the image of the Law Society as a Caring Organisation and its effort in promoting community service among its members were positively profiled.

The success of the project is a result of teamwork among Organising Committee members and all the facilitators. Financial support from the Law Society and the Committee on the Promotion of Civic Education also contributed to the successful implementation of Teen Talk 2011.

2011 Pro Bono Awards Presentation

Graced with the presence of the Chief Justice and the Secretary for Justice and many other distinguished guests, the 2011 Pro Bono Awards Presentation Ceremony was successfully held on 2 December at the High Court. Seventy awardees, including the recipients of two Distinguished Pro Bono Service Awards, two Distinguished Community Service Awards and four Pro Bono Law Firm awards of the Pro Bono and Community Work Recognition Programme attended the Awards Ceremony with their families and friends.

In his welcome address, President Junius Ho praised the award winners for their moral obligations in making use of their legal knowledge and training to participate in the development of society. He vowed that the Law Society was committed to providing members with the opportunity to become actively involved in pro bono and community work, as well as providing the necessary support to those who engage in such work.

A judging panel that comprised of Past Presidents Mr TS Tong and Mr A Donald Yap; Dr Stephen Ng Kam Cheug, Planning and Services Committee Chairman of Agency for Volunteer Service; President Junius Ho; and Ms Angela Lee, Chairlady of the Pro Bono and Community Work Recognition Committee, selected the winners of the Distinguished Pro Bono Award, the Distinguished Community Service Award and the Pro Bono Law Firm Award.

The 2012 Pro Bono and Community Work Recognition Programme will cover the award period from 1 July 2011 to 30 June 2012. Members who wish to participate in the 2012 Programme should keep a record of their work accordingly.

For the list of awardees, please visit the Law Society’s website at: www.hklawsoc.org.hk.

Seminar on ‘Family? Career? What’s your choice?’

On 6 December, the Young Solicitors’ Group (YSG) held a CPD seminar titled (with slight tongue-in-cheek intended) ‘Family? Career? What’s your choice?’ at the Joint Professional Centre in Central. The event aimed to provide an opportunity for members to share experiences and advice on balancing competing demands in the legal profession and family/personal life, particularly with respect to women lawyers in private practice and in-house roles. The speaking panel comprised of Ms Eliza Chang, Managing Partner of Cheng, Yeung & Co; Ms Samantha Thompson, Partner of Linklaters; and Ms Christine Wong, Chief Counsel and Head of Legal Services of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited. Ms Patricia Ho, Senior Legal Counsel of HSBC, facilitated the seminar as moderator.

The speakers gave a brief presentation before the floor was opened to the audience for Q&A time. A lively and interactive discussion ensued before the seminar closed, and the participants mingled informally over refreshments. The seminar was attended by more than 80 members, including both female and male lawyers. The speakers’ different professional and personal backgrounds provided contrasting perspectives on the issues discussed, which the attendees appreciated
and found very insightful. Overall, we received positive feedback about the seminar and were encouraged to host similar events in the future. The YSG looks forward to supporting an on-going conversation in the profession on topics about work/life balance and issues facing women lawyers.

Sebastian Ko
Committee Member
Young Solicitors’ Group
The Law Society of Hong Kong

In-house Lawyers: Sweat & Glory

On 8 December, 50 in-house members from a variety of backgrounds attended the 3rd panel discussion ‘Inhouse Lawyers: Sweat & Glory’ organised by the In-house Lawyers Committee (IHLC) at the Surveyors Learning Centre. The IHLC was delighted to have Mr Alan Hanson, Head of Equities Legal, Global Markets Counsel, Asia Pacific, Merrill Lynch
(Asia Pacific) Ltd and Mr Douglas So, Executive Director, Charities/General Counsel, The Hong Kong Jockey Club as speakers.