The following is issued on behalf of the Judiciary:

     The Judiciary today (December 17) announced the appointment of Ms Linda Chan Ching-fan, SC, as Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court. The appointment will take effect from December 18, 2019.

     The appointment is made by the Chief Executive on the recommendation of the Judicial Officers Recommendation Commission.
 
     Ms Chan, SC, who now holds office as Recorder of the Court of First Instance of the High Court, will cease to be Recorder with effect from the same date (December 18).
 
     The biographical note of Ms Chan, SC, is as follows:
   
     Ms Linda Chan Ching-fan, SC, was born in 1969 in Hong Kong. She obtained a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the Chinese University of Hong Kong in 1992. She further obtained LL.M. from the University of Hong Kong in 1998. She completed the Common Professional Examination from the Manchester Metropolitan University in the United Kingdom and was admitted to the Honourable Society of Middle Temple in the United Kingdom in 1995. She completed the Bar Finals Examination of the General Council of the Bar, England and Wales and was called to the Bar of England and Wales and to the Hong Kong Bar in 1996. She has been in private practice since 1998. She was appointed as Senior Counsel in 2011. She was appointed as Deputy Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court for periods in 2013 and 2014. She has been appointed as Recorder of the Court of First Instance of the High Court since 2015. 
     
     The appointment of Judges of the Court of First Instance of the High Court is now complete for this year. Six appointments have been made. The appointments of Mr Justice Tony Poon Siu-tung, Madam Justice Marlene Ng May-ling and Mr Justice Lee Wan-tang took effect on January 14, 2019. The appointments of Mr Justice Russell Adam Coleman and Mr Justice Keith Yeung Kar-hung took effect on April 2, 2019, and July 29, 2019, respectively. Ms Linda Chan Ching-fan, SC, will be appointed on December 18, 2019.

Ends/Tuesday, December 17, 2019
Issued at HKT 16:00

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