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9 November 2006 The School of Law of The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Chief Justice Andrew Li, as head of the Court of Final Appeal, is the most influential legal figure in Hong Kong and the key to its commitment to the rule of law. In his address, Chief Justice Li describes the establishment of the School of Law as of ¡§momentous significance¡Kfor legal education in Hong Kong¡¨ and as ¡§an affirmation by the community of the pivotal importance of the rule of law.¡¨ Chief Justice Li also looks to the future of Hong Kong and the challenges it faces. These, he will say, include the rapid development in information technology, the enhanced expectations that citizens have of the institutions set up to serve them and the rapid development of the economy of Mainland China and the opportunities that will be presented for Hong Kong. The Chief Justice also stresses the need to equip new graduates with the necessary skills to enable them to cope with a fast changing world. In cautioning against blind allegiance to market forces and the pursuit of personal financial gain, the Chief Justice looks forward to graduates who possess true professional skills with an understanding of the values underlying the rule of law and a concern for the public good. Dedication Day will be a remarkable occasion for Hong Kong. Distinguished guests from around the world are coming to share the excitement as well as to participate in the Ceremony itself. Looking forward to the celebrations, The University will be graced by the world¡¦s greatest legal minds. In addition to the finest from Hong Kong, the School is being honoured by the attendance of world-famous lawyers from abroad, friends and supporters who will add joy and friendship to a day of pomp and glory. There will be a wide range of activities including a Law School Open House, Public Lectures by Justice Annabelle Bennett and Professor Christopher Forsyth, a China Education Forum with Mainland Deans and formal and informal events throughout the week at the University. The formal Dedication Ceremony will also be marked by the conferment of Honorary Professorships on three of the most distinguished lawyers in the Common Law world. The three recipients of Honorary Professorships are: Dr. The Honourable Sir TL Yang, GBM, JP; Professor Sir David Williams, QC, DL; and The Right Honourable The Lord Woolf of Barnes.
The Director of the School, Professor Mike McConville, said: ¡§It is especially befitting that the University has given recognition to three such distinguished legal luminaries because all of them, apart from their glittering careers and personal distinction, have been deeply concerned with the values of civil society and the responsibility of all lawyers to ensure the protection of the most vulnerable members of society.¡¨ At the Dedication Ceremony, distinguished guests representing various branches of the legal profession and the institutions of government and higher education will place items of symbolic significance into the School¡¦s Chest which will then be kept on display in the School.
The Dedication Ceremony will also be blessed with other distinguished guests from around the world emphasising the significance of the occasion and the increasingly international character of law. Guests include: Sir Anthony Mason, former Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia and presently non-Permanent member of Hong Kong¡¦s Court of Final Appeal; The Honourable Mr Justice Bokhary, Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal and Chairman of the Academic Board of the School¡¦s professional training programme; Professor Wu Zhipan of Beijing University; Robert Allcock, Solicitor-General of the Hong Kong SAR; Justice Annabelle Bennett from Australia; Professor Christopher Forsyth, Professor of Public Law, University of Cambridge; Elsie Leung Oi-sie, JP, former Secretary for Justice, Hong Kong SAR; and delegations from Mainland prominent law schools including: Dean Wang Chenguang and Dean Wang Zhenmin of Tsinghua University; Dean Zhao Bingzhi, Beijing Normal University; President He, East China University of Political Science and Law; Dean Nanshen Sun, Fudan University; and Dean Lui Heng, Sun Yat-sen University.
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