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The following is issued on behalf of the Judiciary:
The Judiciary today (September 14) announced 23 judicial appointments covering the District Court and Magistrates' Courts.
The appointments include the Chief District Judge, 11 District Judges, and 11 Permanent Magistrates. All appointments are made by the Chief Executive on the recommendation of the Judicial Officers Recommendation Commission. They will take effect from September 17, 2012.
Chief District Judge
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His Honour Judge Poon Siu-tung is appointed as the Chief District Judge.
District Judges
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Mr Kwok Wai-kin, Mr Josiah Lam Wai-kuen, Mr Anthony Kwok Kai-on, Mr David John Dufton, Mr Sham Siu-man, Ms Amanda Jane Woodcock, Mr Hui Ka-ho, Mr Jack Wong Kin-tong, Ms Katherine Lo Kit-yee, Mr Johnny Chan Jong-herng and Mr Gary Lam Kar-yan are appointed as District Judges.
Permanent Magistrates
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Mr Li Chi-ho, Ms Susan Wong, Ms Winnie Lau Yee-wan, Mr Daniel Tang Siu-hung, Mr David Cheung Chi-wai, Mr Cheng Lim-chi, Ms Michelle Lam Mei-sze, Mr David Chum Yau-fong, Mr Timon Shum Kei-leong, Mr Ko Wai-hung and Miss Ho Wai-yang are appointed as Permanent Magistrates.
Further judicial appointments will be announced in due course.
The biographical notes of the appointees are as follows:
His Honour Judge Poon Siu-tung
His Honour Judge Poon was born in Hong Kong in 1967. He obtained LL.B. and P.C.LL. from the University of Hong Kong in 1990 and 1993 respectively. He was called to the Bar in Hong Kong in 1994 and was in private practice from 1994 until he joined the Judiciary as Permanent Magistrate in 2002. He was appointed as District Judge in 2009.
Mr Kwok Wai-kin
Mr Kwok was born in Hong Kong in 1959. He obtained LL.B and P.C.LL. from the University of Hong Kong in 1981 and 1982 respectively. He was called to the Bar in Hong Kong in 1982 and was in private practice from 1983 until he joined the Judiciary as Permanent Magistrate in 1992. He was appointed as Principal Magistrate in 1999.
Mr Josiah Lam Wai-kuen
Mr Lam was born in Hong Kong in 1959. He obtained LL.B. from the University of London in 1989 and LL.M. in Comparative Law from the City University of Hong Kong in 1997. He was called to the English Bar (Gray's Inn) and the Hong Kong Bar in 1990 and 1991 respectively. He worked as a Court Prosecutor of the then Legal Department from 1984 to 1990. He was in private practice from 1991 until he joined the Judiciary as Permanent Magistrate in 1997. He was appointed as Principal Magistrate in 2006.
Mr Anthony Kwok Kai-on
Mr Kwok was born in Hong Kong in 1963. He obtained a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Law from the University of Kent at Canterbury, United Kingdom in 1986. He was called to Bar in England and Wales and in Hong Kong in 1989. He was in private practice from 1990 until he joined the Judiciary as Permanent Magistrate in 1997. He was appointed as Principal Magistrate in 2009.
Mr David John Dufton
Mr Dufton was born in the United Kingdom in 1957. He obtained a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Legal Studies from the Nottingham Polytechnic, United Kingdom in 1979 and LL.M. from the University of Hong Kong in 1994. He was admitted as a solicitor in the United Kingdom and in Hong Kong in 1982, and was called to the Bar in Hong Kong in 1994. He was in private practice from 1982 until he was appointed as Permanent Magistrate in 1994.
Mr Sham Siu-man
Mr Sham was born in Hong Kong in 1961. He obtained a Bachelor of Social Science Degree in Law and Economics from the University of Keele, United Kingdom in 1987. He completed the Bar Final Examination of the Council of Legal Education in London in 1989. He was called to the Bar in England in 1989 and in Hong Kong in 1990. He was in private practice from 1990 until he joined the Judiciary as Permanent Magistrate in 1997.
Ms Amanda Jane Woodcock
Ms Woodcock was born in Hong Kong in 1966. She obtained LL.B from the Thames Valley University, London in 1988. She was called to the Bar in England in 1989 and in Hong Kong in 1990. She was admitted as a solicitor in Hong Kong in 1996 and was in private practice from 1991 until she was appointed as Permanent Magistrate in 1998.
Mr Hui Ka-ho
Mr Hui was born in Hong Kong in 1963. He obtained LL.B. and P.C.LL. from the University of Hong Kong in 1987 and 1988 respectively. He was called to the Bar in Hong Kong in 1988 and was in private practice from 1988 until he was appointed as Permanent Magistrate in 2000.
Mr Jack Wong Kin-tong
Mr Wong was born in Hong Kong in 1965. He obtained LL.B. and P.C.LL. from the University of Hong Kong in 1988 and 1989 respectively. He acquired LL.M. from the City University of Hong Kong in 1998 and the People's University in China in 1999. He was admitted as a solicitor in Hong Kong and in England and Wales in 1991 and 1993 respectively. He was in private practice from 1991 until he was appointed as Permanent Magistrate in 2000.
Ms Katherine Lo Kit-yee
Ms Lo was born in Hong Kong in 1957. She obtained LL.B. and P.C.LL. from the University of Hong Kong in 1979 and 1980 respectively. She was admitted as a solicitor in Hong Kong in 1982, in England and Wales in 1985 and in Singapore in 1994. Ms Lo was admitted as an advocate in Victoria, Australia in 1986 and was appointed as a China Appointed Attesting Officer in 1993. She became an arbitrator of the Shenzhen Arbitration Commission and Guangzhou Arbitration Commission in 1997 and 1999 respectively. She was in private practice from 1982 until she was appointed as Permanent Magistrate in 2000.
Mr Johnny Chan Jong-herng
Mr Chan was born in Hong Kong in 1964. He obtained LL.B. and P.C.LL. from the University of Hong Kong in 1987 and 1988 respectively. He was called to the Bar in Hong Kong in 1988 and was in private practice from 1989 until he was appointed as Permanent Magistrate in 2002.
Mr Gary Lam Kar-yan
Mr Lam was born in Hong Kong in 1969. He obtained LL.B. and P.C.LL. from the University of Hong Kong in 1994 and 1995 respectively. He obtained a Master of Arts Degree in Language and Law from the City University of Hong Kong in 1999. He was admitted as a solicitor in Hong Kong and in England and Wales in 1997, and as Attorney in New York in the United States in 2006. He joined the Department of Justice as Government Counsel in 1997 and was promoted to Senior Government Counsel in 2002. He joined the Judiciary as Permanent Magistrate in 2006.
Mr Li Chi-ho
Mr Li was born in Hong Kong in 1974. He obtained LL.B. from the University of Buckingham, United Kingdom in 1996 and P.C.LL. from the City University of Hong Kong in 1998. He was called to the Bar in Hong Kong in 1998 and was in private practice from 2000 until he was appointed as Special Magistrate in 2012.
Ms Susan Wong
Ms Wong was born in Hong Kong in 1963. She obtained LL.B. in England in 1987 and passed the Solicitors¡¦ Final Examinations of the College of Law, United Kingdom in 1988. She was admitted as a solicitor in Hong Kong in 1991. She has been in private practice since 1991.
Ms Winnie Lau Yee-wan
Ms Lau was born in Hong Kong in 1965. She obtained a Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of London in 1987. She passed the Common Professional Examination in Law from the Manchester Metropolitan University, United Kingdom in 1995 and the Bar Final Examinations in the United Kingdom in 1997. She was called to the Utter Bar (Middle Temple) in the United Kingdom in 1997 and the Hong Kong Bar in 1998. She has been in private practice since 1999.
Mr Daniel Tang Siu-hung
Mr Tang was born in Hong Kong in 1965. He obtained a Bachelor of Social Science Degree in Law and Psychology from the University of Keele, United Kingdom in 1990 and P.C.LL. from the University of Hong Kong in 1992. He obtained LL.M. in Corporate and Financial Law from the University of Hong Kong in 2008. He was called to the Bar in Hong Kong in 1992. He has been in private practice since 1993.
Mr David Cheung Chi-wai
Mr Cheung was born in Hong Kong in 1966. He obtained LL.B. and P.C.LL. from the University of Hong Kong in 1990 and 1992 respectively. He became a General Mediator accredited by the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre and by the Law Society of Hong Kong in 2007 and 2009 respectively. He was admitted as a solicitor in Hong Kong in 1995 and in England and Wales in 2000. He has been in private practice since 1995.
Mr Cheng Lim-chi
Mr Cheng was born in Hong Kong in 1968. He obtained a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Hong Kong in 1990. He completed the Common Professional Examination and obtained P.C.LL. from the University of Hong Kong in 1993 and 1994 respectively. He was called to the Bar in Hong Kong in 1994. He has been in private practice since 1995.
Ms Michelle Lam Mei-sze
Ms Lam was born in Hong Kong in 1969. She obtained LL.B. from the University of London in 2000 and P.C.LL. from the University of Hong Kong in 2001. She obtained LL.M. from the Renmin University of China in 2005 and became a Mediator accredited by the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution in 2010. She was called to the Bar in Hong Kong in 2001. She has been in private practice since 2002.
Mr David Chum Yau-fong
Mr Chum was born in Hong Kong in 1969. He obtained LL.B. from the University of London in 1996 and P.C.LL. from the University of Hong Kong in 1999. He acquired a Master of Science Degree in Forensic and Legal Psychology from the University of Leicester in 1999. He was called to the Bar in Hong Kong in 1999. He has been in private practice since 2000.
Mr Timon Shum Kei-leong
Mr Shum was born in Hong Kong in 1971. He obtained LL.B. and P.C.LL. from the City University of Hong Kong in 1993 and 1994 respectively. He obtained a Master Degree in Commercial and Corporate Law from the University of London in 2005, a Practice Diploma in International Arbitration Law, in International Business Organisations and in International Human Rights & Criminal Procedure, all awarded by the International Bar Association in 2006 and 2010 respectively. He was called to the Bar in Hong Kong in 1994. He has been in private practice since 1995.
Mr Ko Wai-hung
Mr Ko was born in Hong Kong in 1972. He obtained LL.B. and P.C.LL. from the University of Hong Kong in 1996 and 1997 respectively. He was called to the Bar in Hong Kong in 1997. He has been in private practice since 1999.
Miss Ho Wai-yang
Miss Ho was born in 1976. She obtained LL.B. and P.C.LL. from the University of Hong Kong in 1998 and 1999 respectively. She obtained LL.M. in Corporate and Financial Law from the University of Hong Kong in 2006. She was called to the Bar in Hong Kong in 1999. She has been in private practice since 2000.
Ends/Friday, September 14, 2012
Issued at HKT 16:00
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