Judicial appointments
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The following is issued on behalf of the Judiciary:

     The Judiciary today (December 30) announced the appointment of eight Recorders of the Court of First Instance of the High Court.

     Mr Patrick Fung Pak-tung, SC; Professor Gerard John Xavier McCoy, SBS, SC; Mr Andrew Colin Macrae, SC; Mr Ambrose Ho, SC; Mr Jat Sew-tong, SC; Mr Anthony Chan Kin-keung, SC; Mr Rimsky Yuen, SC; and Mr Paul Shieh Wing-tai, SC are newly appointed Recorders of the Court of First Instance of the High Court. Their appointments will be effective from January 1, 2006 for a term of three years.

     The appointments are made by the Chief Executive in accordance with the recommendations of the Judicial Officers Recommendation Commission.

     The biographical notes of these appointees are as follows:

Mr Patrick Fung Pak-tung, SC

     Mr Fung was born in 1945. He obtained his LL.B in 1968. He was called to the English Bar in 1968, the Hong Kong Bar in 1970 and the Singapore Bar in 1995. He was appointed as Queen's Counsel in Hong Kong and as Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators in 1995. He was appointed as Deputy Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court for a period in 1996. He is currently in private practice.

Professor Gerard John Xavier McCoy, SBS, SC

     Professor McCoy was born in 1956. He was called to the New Zealand Bar in 1980 and the English Bar (Middle Temple) in 1986. He was admitted to the Supreme Court of Victoria, the Supreme Court of New South Wales, and the High Court of Australia in 1986 and was called to the Hong Kong Bar in 1987. In 1997, he was appointed as Senior Counsel in Hong Kong and as Queen's Counsel, High Court of Fiji. He was appointed as Deputy Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court for a period in 2001. He is currently in private practice.

Mr Andrew Colin Macrae, SC

     Mr Macrae was born in 1956. After graduating from the Durham University, United Kingdom in 1978, he was called to the Bar (Middle Temple) in 1979 and the Hong Kong Bar in 1983, and was appointed as Senior Counsel in 1999. He was appointed as Deputy Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court for periods in 2002 and 2003. He is currently in private practice.

Mr Ambrose Ho, SC

     Mr Ho was born in 1960. He obtained his LL.B from the University of London in 1983 and got his LL.M from the University of Cambridge in 1985. He was called to the Bar of England and Wales, and the Hong Kong Bar in 1984, and was appointed as Senior Counsel in 2000. He was appointed as Deputy Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court for a period in 2003. He is currently in private practice.

Mr Jat Sew-tong, SC

     Mr Jat was born in 1965. He obtained his LL.B from the University of London in 1987 and BCL from the University of Oxford in 1989. He was called to the Bar of England and Wales (Gray's Inn) in 1988 and the Hong Kong Bar in 1989, and was appointed as Senior Counsel in 2002. He was appointed as Deputy Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court for a period in 2004. He is currently in private practice.

Mr Anthony Chan Kin-keung, SC

     Mr Chan was born in 1960. After graduating from the University of East London in 1983, he was called to the English Bar (Middle Temple) in 1984 and the Hong Kong Bar in 1986, and was appointed as Senior Counsel in 2003. He was appointed as Deputy District Judge for periods in 1994, 1995 and 1997. He is currently in private practice.

Mr Rimsky Yuen, SC

     Mr Yuen was born in 1964. He obtained his LL.B and P.C.LL. from the University of Hong Kong and LL.M from the City University of Hong Kong. He was called to the Hong Kong Bar in 1987 and was admitted as Advocate and Solicitor in Singapore in 1995. He was appointed as Senior Counsel in 2003. He was appointed as Temporary Deputy Registrar of the High Court for periods in 2002 and 2003. He is currently in private practice.

Mr Paul Shieh Wing-tai, SC

     Mr Shieh was born in 1965. He was graduated from the University of Cambridge in 1987 and obtained BCL from the University of Oxford in 1989. He was called to the Hong Kong Bar in 1988 and was appointed as Senior Counsel in 2003. He was appointed as Temporary Deputy Registrar of the High Court for a period in 2003. He is currently in private practice.

Ends/Friday, December 30, 2005
Issued at HKT 16:01

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