Highlights of Events in 2020

January
6His Honour Judge Justin KO was appointed Chief District Judge
6Mr SO Wai-tak was appointed Chief Magistrate
6Miss LAU Suk-han, Mr Andrew MOK Tze-chung, Miss Frances LEUNG Nga-yan and Mr Arthur LAM Hei-wei were appointed Permanent Magistrates
13The Hon Chief Justice Geoffrey MA officiated at the Ceremonial Opening of the Legal Year 2020
13A five-member delegation led by Mr YANG Wanming, Vice-President of the Supreme People's Court, attended the Ceremonial Opening of the 2020 Legal Year

April
20Ms Monica CHOW Wai-choo, Ms CHAK Kwok-yee, Mr LAM Chak-ming, Ms Eleanor YEUNG Yee-na, Miss Jo SIU Chi-wan, Mr LUNG Gwun-ting, Miss Minnie WAT Lai-man, Mr Peter YU Chun-cheung and Mr Jeffrey SZE Cho-yiu were appointed Permanent Magistrates

May
31The terms of office of the Hon Mr Justice Robert FRENCH and the Rt Hon Lord REED of Allermuir, Non-Permanent Judges from other common law jurisdictions of the Court of Final Appeal, were extended for a period of three years

June
24The Chief Executive signed the instrument of appointment of the Hon Mr Justice Andrew Cheung as the Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal with effect from January 11, 2021, and reported the appointment to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress for the record, completing the relevant legal procedures for the appointment of the Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal
29Miss Ada YIM Shun-yee, Mr Don SO Man-lung and Miss Ivy CHUI Yee-mei were appointed Principal Magistrates
29Mr Dominic PUN Wang-hon was appointed Permanent Magistrate
30The term of office of the Rt Hon the Lord COLLINS of Mapesbury, Non-Permanent Judge from another common law jurisdiction of the Court of Final Appeal, was extended for a period of three years

July
11The Hon Chief Justice Geoffrey MA adjudicated the final round of the 9th Hong Kong Human Rights Moot

October
23The Hon Chief Justice Geoffrey MA delivered opening remarks at the session of “Hong Kong and its Role in International Arbitration” of the Alternative Dispute Resolution in Asia Conference: Redesigning International Arbitration
27The Hon Chief Justice Geoffrey MA delivered a speech at the International Academy of Mediators – The Hong Kong Mediation Council Symposium

November
2The Hon Chief Justice Geoffrey MA delivered a speech at the Opening of the Hong Kong Legal Week 2020 cum Opening of the Hong Kong Legal Hub and Launch of Vision 2030 for Rule of Law. The Hon Mr Justice Andrew CHEUNG, Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal, and the Hon Mr Justice Johnson LAM, Vice-President of the Court of Appeal of the High Court, also attended
3The Hon Mr Justice Andrew CHEUNG, Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal, delivered closing remarks at the Inaugural Rule of Law Congress
10The Hon Chief Justice Geoffrey MA attended the International Bar Association 2020 - Virtually Together Conference
17The Hon Chief Justice Geoffrey MA, the Hon Mr Justice Andrew CHEUNG, Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal, and the Hon Mr Justice Jeremy POON, Chief Judge of the High Court, attended the Basic Law 30th Anniversary Legal Summit
19The Hon Chief Justice Geoffrey MA was conferred the degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, at the 51st Congregation of the Lingnan University. The Chief Justice delivered a speech on behalf of the honorary doctorates at the congregation
23The Hon Mr Justice Russell A COLEMAN, Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court, attended the 1st Belt and Road Webinar titled “Look beyond COVID-19: Connect and Unite through Belt and Road and LawTech” organized by the Law Society of Hong Kong
26The Hon Chief Justice Geoffrey MA delivered a speech at a speaker event of the Oxford Union

December
13The Hon Chief Justice Geoffrey MA attended the Ceremony on the Nanjing Massacre National Memorial Day
23The Hon Chief Justice Geoffrey MA attended the Opening Ceremony of Law Week and Teen Talk 2020