By Allison Lee Hong Kong, 30 December 2021: Our government’s recently released Poverty Situation Report made for distressing reading, especially with regard to the number of children in Hong Kong struggling through life in impoverished circumstances. Nearly 275,000 minors aged under 18 were living in poverty in 2020, according to the report, a figure reduced […]
Hong Kong, 29 December 2021: Put on your face mask, check your temperature and use the LeaveHomeSafe app. Then, with health protocols duly observed, please join my whistle-stop tour of 2021 … January: Are we learning our lessons? No. Hong Kong’s schools and universities stay closed, this after students have spent less than 20 weeks […]
By Arthur Chan Hong Kong, 28 December 2021: Major changes in the way lawyers are paid for arbitration cases – including the option of tying their fee to a successful outcome – appear likely to be implemented in Hong Kong. The move would bring the city into line with most of the world’s leading arbitral […]
Hong Kong, 15 December 2021: Just over two years ago – mid-protests and pre-Covid – I took part in a panel discussion on sports law at the LAWASIA Conference in Hong Kong. In doing so, I gave a presentation highlighting several historical examples of litigious sports disputes, both here and overseas, where the action shifted […]
By Allison Lee Hong Kong, 9 December 2021: Almost a fifth of divorce cases filed in Hong Kong involve marriages that took place in the Mainland. On average, more than 4,000 cross-border couples per year seek to have their marriages ended via the courts here. But this is just the tip of the iceberg; the […]
By Fiona Chan Hong Kong, 8 December 2021: In a landmark judgment, the Court of Appeal has ordered the Inland Revenue Department to repay the stamp duty it charged two sisters who became owners of their late mother’s flat by voluntary arrangement with their three siblings. The ruling – delivered in the case of Wong […]
Hong Kong, 1 December 2021: “Please, sir, I want some more.” These, of course, are the famous words spoken by the eponymous young orphan in Charles Dickens’ celebrated novel Oliver Twist as he timidly asks the master of the workhouse for a further helping of gruel. As with many of his epic works, the lauded […]
By Arthur Chan and Jasmine Kwong Hong Kong, 24 November 2021: The Immigration Department appears to be taking a stronger stance over its requirement that foreign domestic helpers should have a clear criminal record in order to obtain a work visa. However, this toughening of attitude gives rise to fresh questions about how future applications […]
By Colin Cohen Hong Kong, 19 November 2021: In a much-anticipated judgment, the Court of Final Appeal has upheld the exclusive right of male indigenous villagers in the New Territories to build their own homes, ruling that the so-called Small House Policy is constitutional in its entirety. The judges have declared this right is protected […]
Hong Kong, 17 November 2021: Do you think Carrie Lam listens to music? Unlikely, given that our famously workaholic Chief Executive insists she never relaxes. A pity, because an hour with Frank Sinatra and his swinging songs certainly puts a spring in your step and makes you think wistfully of happier times and alluring locations. […]
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Construction site smoking ban takes effect
By Stephanie Lai and Irene Wong Hong Kong, 17 July 2026: A new total smoking ban at construction sites in Hong Kong takes effect immediately today, with no grace period. This marks an important and urgent compliance development for the construction industry, with the new regime intended to reduce fire hazards and improve occupational health […]
Paris, 15 July 2026: The world’s most exclusive tennis club sits atop a distinguished Art Deco building a stone’s throw – or miscued volley – from the Eiffel Tower. Tennis de la Cavalerie has only one court, covered by a vaulted wooden ceiling shaped like a honeycomb, and is a throwback to the 1920s. Vintage […]
By Claire Chow and Gabriel Brettell Hong Kong, 8 July 2026: In a landmark judgment, the Court of Final Appeal has affirmed the power of an owners’ corporation to waive or acquiesce in disputes involving a breach of the deed of mutual covenant (DMC). The ruling provides clarity in what had been a legal grey […]
Hong Kong, 7 July 2026: In this episode, we speak with high-profile solicitor Ronald Sum, who has vast experience across a range of practice areas, both at home and abroad. Ronald looks back on his Hong Kong upbringing, university days in Australia and his first steps in the legal profession, before offering his thoughts on […]
By Arthur Chan and Jasmine Kwong Hong Kong 2 July 2026: After years of deliberation, steps are being taken to reform the rule against hearsay in criminal proceedings in Hong Kong. The move has been widely welcomed by professional legal bodies, academics and the Judiciary as being in the best interests of justice. The Evidence (Amendment) Bill […]