Jointly organised by the Law Society and LAWASIA, the 32nd LAWASIA Conference was successfully held from 6 to 8 November in Hong Kong. Remarkably, it was the third time for Hong Kong to be chosen as the hosting jurisdiction of this international conference after 1989 and 2007.
Under the theme of “Harmonisation through Synergy”, this year’s Conference examined a wide range of topics, including alternative dispute resolution, the Belt and Road Initiative, cross-border issues and investment, technology and data protection, intellectual property, human rights, etc. The Conference attracted over 600 participants from 30 jurisdictions around the world.
The Opening Ceremony was held in the JW Marriott Hotel Hong Kong on 6 November. We were honoured to be graced by the presence of The Hon. Matthew Cheung, Acting Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (“HKSAR”); The Hon. Geoffrey Ma, Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal of the HKSAR; and The Hon. Teresa Cheng SC, Secretary for Justice of the Government of the HKSAR.
With so many social disputes around the world at present, from Brexit to Hong Kong’s unrest, it is inevitable that the legal system at each place will be dragged into the limelight. The legal system and even the concept of the rule of law have come under unprecedented scrutiny. In view of this, the Conference continued with a Plenary Session entitled “Upholding of or Pursuit for the Rule of Law in Challenging Times?” moderated by Vice-President C.M. Chan. Renowned speakers, including President Melissa Pang; The Hon. Mr Justice Russell Coleman, Judge of Court of First Instance of the High Court of Hong Kong; Mr Shyam Divan, Vice-President of LAWASIA; Mr Abdul Fareed Abdul Gafoor, President of The Malaysian Bar; and Mr Simon Davis, President of The Law Society of England and Wales gathered and shared their invaluable experience and insights on this topic of growing interest.
One of the event highlights was the Welcome Reception & LAWASIA Cup at the Happy Valley Racecourse on 6 November. It was the first time in the history of the LAWASIA Annual Conference that a horse race entitled “LAWASIA Cup” was held.
The Law Society would like to express our sincere gratitude for the valuable contribution and support of everyone involved with the organisation of the Conference including all members of the Conference Organising Committee and Sub-Committees, speakers, moderators, session chairs, sponsors, supporting organisations, guests and fellow legal practitioners from all over the world to make the Conference a huge success.
