Welcome Remarks
This Report provides a comprehensive overview of the key areas of work undertaken by the Judiciary in 2024.
In 2024, the Judiciary remained steadfast in upholding the rule of law and judicial independence in Hong Kong under the “One Country, Two Systems” arrangement. Significant efforts were made to strengthen judicial manpower, enhance judicial training, and foster exchanges. Additionally, advancements in technology were embraced to further improve the effectiveness and efficiency of justice administration.
To address the persistent shortfall in judicial manpower, the Judiciary conducted more frequent open recruitment exercises and actively promoted judicial careers to legal professionals. The recruitment efforts in 2024 yielded positive results, with 16 judicial appointments made at various levels of court, drawing legal talent from both within and outside the Judiciary. Currently, 163 substantive judges and judicial officers serve across all levels of court. In addition, around 40 deputy judges and judicial officers, appointed from the legal profession, provide further support at different levels of court on a rotational basis.
The professional development of judges and judicial officers remains a top priority. In 2024, the Judiciary broadened and enriched its judicial exchange programmes with the Mainland and overseas jurisdictions, complementing the core training programmes organized by the Hong Kong Judicial Institute.
Major exchanges and court visit programmes included a high-level visit to Shanghai and Zhejiang that I led in May 2024, and an exchange programme with the National Judges College for 20 judges and judicial officers in November 2024.1 The attachment programme with the Supreme People’s Court continued, allowing judges from Hong Kong and the Mainland to gain insight into each other’s judicial systems and court operations. Besides, a seminar on Chinese law and the Mainland legal and judicial system was held in March 2024. 2
The Judiciary also actively participated in international exchanges. Notable events included the 8th Judicial Seminar on Commercial Litigation, co-hosted in Hong Kong with the Supreme Court of New South Wales and the Supreme Court of Singapore in March 2024. This seminar brought together four Chief Justices and 30 senior judges from Asia-Pacific jurisdictions. In the same month, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed with the Singapore Judiciary to enhance judicial exchanges and promote efficient administration of family justice systems. Throughout the year, our judges and judicial officers engaged in many judicial conferences, seminars, and exchange activities while welcoming senior judges and legal sector visitors from jurisdictions such as the Mainland, the United Kingdom, Singapore, Canada, Qatar, Italy, and Indonesia.
Despite ongoing challenges posed by a heavy and increasingly complex caseload involving civil and criminal matters, the Judiciary demonstrated exceptional resilience in 2024. Through the concerted efforts of judges, judicial officers, and support staff, the overall caseload cleared in 2024 was comparable to that in 2023 and 2019, prior to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Significant progress was made in reducing average court waiting times for most proceedings across various levels of court.
The Judiciary continued to prioritize cases related to the 2019 disturbances and proceedings concerning national security. By the end of 2024, approximately 95% of the 2,580 cases had been concluded, despite new cases being brought to court in 2023 and 2024. With the engagement of additional judicial manpower and the implementation of various measures, gradual but substantial improvements in court waiting times are anticipated in the years ahead.
To enhance the efficiency of the administration of justice, the Judiciary continued to promote mediation as an alternative dispute resolution mechanism. In 2024, full or partial agreements were reached in over half of the mediated cases referred by the Judiciary. A new pilot initiative, the Family Court-annexed Mediation Scheme, 3 was launched in March 2024 to assist litigants-in-person with limited financial resources. By year-end, this scheme achieved a success rate of over 90% in approximately 30 cases.
To meet the Judiciary’s operational needs, efforts have been focused on expanding court facilities. In 2024, nine new courtrooms were commissioned in the High Court Building and the Revenue Tower in Wan Chai.
Construction of the new District Court Building at Caroline Hill Road, which will house the District Court, the Family Court, and the Lands Tribunal, is progressing on schedule. The building is expected to be completed in 2026 and operational by 2027. Planning has also commenced for a new High Court Building, which will utilize the current site of the Queensway Government Offices and the existing High Court Building site.
On the technology front, the phased implementation of the integrated Court Case Management System (“iCMS”) continued. This electronic litigation platform, designed to streamline the handling of court-related documents and payments, was extended to the Small Claims Tribunal in October 2024. Plans are in place to progressively roll out the iCMS to the Court of Final Appeal, the High Court, and the Magistrates’ Courts (for non-summons cases) starting in 2025. In 2026, the use of the iCMS is scheduled to become mandatory for all legally represented litigants in applicable case types.
To facilitate the use of remote hearings, the Judiciary introduced the Courts (Remote Hearing) Bill to the Legislative Council in December 2024. This Bill seeks to establish a clear legal framework for conducting remote hearings in suitable cases.
In July 2024, the Judiciary issued its first set of guidelines on the use of generative artificial intelligence (“AI”) for judges, judicial officers, and support staff. These guidelines aim to facilitate the prudent and responsible use of generative AI in judicial work and are subject to ongoing review to keep pace with technological advancements.
On 29 January 2024, the new mechanism for reciprocal recognition and enforcement of judgments in civil and commercial matters between Hong Kong and Mainland courts came into effect. This marked a significant milestone in strengthening mutual legal assistance between the two jurisdictions.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank members of the community, the Chief Executive, various Government bureaux and departments, and the Legislative Council for their invaluable support of the Judiciary’s work. My sincere thanks also go to my fellow judges, judicial officers, and Judiciary staff for their dedication and professionalism in administering justice and tackling the challenges of 2024.
Andrew CHEUNG
Chief Justice
1 The exchange visit programme is an annual initiative that provides our judges and judicial officers with opportunities to visit different Mainland courts for professional exchanges and to gain a deeper understanding of the country’s latest developments in various aspects. The inaugural programme was held in Beijing in 2023.
2 Since 2021, a series of seminars has been organized to enhance the understanding of our judges and judicial officers regarding the legal and judicial system of the Mainland. In March 2024, a seminar was held on the topic ‘The Roles, Functions and Duties of the National People's Congress (“NPC”) and the Standing Committee of the NPC under the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China.’
3 Under the pilot scheme, accredited freelance family mediators are engaged as service providers to deliver mediation services on a commissioning basis, as needed, at court premises for suitable cases.
Last Update Date : 26-02-2025