Prof. Simon Young
Professor
IAN DAVIES PROFESSOR IN ETHICS
BArtsSc (McMaster), LLB (Toronto), LLM (Cantab)
Barrister (Hong Kong), Barrister & Solicitor (Ontario)
Biography
Professor Simon Young is the Ian Davies Professor in Ethics and Deputy Director for Education and Development of Research Integrity in The University of Hong Kong. He serves as Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Asia-Pacific Journal on Human Rights and the Law (Brill) and General Editor of Archbold Hong Kong (Sweet & Maxwell).
Professor Young’s empirical and comparative law research has explored important aspects of Hong Kong’s constitutional order including the National Security Law, the Court of Final Appeal, the system of electing the Chief Executive, and functional constituencies of the Legislative Council. He also writes on the human rights aspects of the criminal process and the use of civil processes to achieve criminal law aims, particularly in the areas of money laundering and the proceeds of crime.
Professor Young is a practising barrister with Parkside Chambers. He handles mainly criminal and public law cases. He has been involved in training police and prosecutors locally and internationally. In Hong Kong, he led the Department of Justice Prosecutions Division’s Continuing Legal Education Programme (2011-14, 2016-17) and taught in the Independent Commission Against Corruption’s Chief Investigators’ Command Course (2017-2019) and the Detective Training Centre of the Hong Kong Police College (2017). From 2021 to 2023, he collaborated with INTERPOL to deliver training on digital evidence for police and prosecutors in Asia and the Americas.
His public service includes membership on the Review Body on Bid Challenges under the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement (2012-17), the Post-Release Supervision Board (2008-14), and Disciplinary Panel A of the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants (2011-20). He was also a member of the Hong Kong Law Reform Commission subcommittees on double jeopardy (2006-11) and hearsay in criminal proceedings (2001-9) and the Independent Police Complaints Council’s Observers Scheme (2010-12).
Prior to joining the Faculty, Professor Young worked in Toronto as appellate counsel in the Crown Law Office-Criminal, Ministry of the Attorney General for Ontario, and before that as Assistant Crown Attorney in Hamilton, Ontario.
Research Area
- Human Rights
- Criminal Law and Evidence
- Transnational Criminal Law
SSRN
ORCID
HKU Scholars Hub
Twitter
Blog
Research Area
- Human Rights
- Criminal Law and Evidence
- Transnational Criminal Law
Teaching
Publications - Human Rights
Publications - White Collar Crime
Publications - Constitutional Law
Publications - Criminal Law & Evidence
Publications - Transnational Criminal Law
Professor Young has taught Criminal Law I & II and Evidence in the Faculty’s JD programme. He co-teaches a LLM course on Transnational Criminal Law and previously the LLM course Rights and Remedies in the Criminal Process.
Media Law and Policy in the Internet Age (Oxford: Hart Publishing, 2017) (co-edited with Doreen Weisenhaus)
“Judicial Review of Elections in Hong Kong: Resolving a Contradiction” in Po Jen Yap (ed), Judicial Review of Elections in Asia (Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge, 2016) 11-37
“Right to a Fair Trial and the Criminal Process” in J Chan & CL Lim (eds), Law of the Hong Kong Constitution, 2nd edition (Hong Kong: Sweet & Maxwell, 2015) ch 19 (641-699) (co-authored with Sarah Cheng)
“Human Rights” in SNM Young & Y Ghai (eds), Hong Kong’s Court of Final Appeal(Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2014) ch 15 (391-416)
“Does it Matter if Restrictions on the Right to Social Welfare in Hong Kong are Prescribed by Law or Policy?” (2014) 44 Hong Kong Law Journal 25-40
“Human Rights in Hong Kong Criminal Trials” in P Roberts & J Hunter (eds), Criminal Evidence and Human Rights (Oxford: Hart Publishing, 2012) 55
“Security Laws for Hong Kong” in VV Ramraj, M Hor, K Roach & G Williams (eds), Global Anti-Terrorism Law and Policy, 2nd ed (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2012) ch 15
“Fundamental Rights and the Basic Laws of the Hong Kong and Macau Special Administrative Regions” in J Oliveira & P Cardinal (eds), One Country, Two Systems, Three Legal Orders – Perspectives of Evolution (Heidelberg: Springer, 2009) 681
“Rights at the Macau Border” (2009) Hong Kong Lawyer (April issue), 21
“Chapter 19: Human Rights” in Archbold Hong Kong 2012 (Hong Kong: Sweet & Maxwell, 2011) 1067-1163
“Restricting Basic Law Rights in Hong Kong” (2004) 34 Hong Kong Law Journal 109-132
“The Meaning of the Right to Vote in Hong Kong” (1997) 42 McGill Law Journal 649-729
“International Human Rights Law and the Protection of Non-Citizens in Canada” (1996) 32 Immigration Law Reporter (2d) 7-30
“Policing and Prosecution of Money Laundering” in V Mitsilegas, S Hufnagel and A Moiseienko (eds), Research Handbook on Transnational Crime (Edward Elgar, 2019) 122-141.
“Disproportionality in Asset Recovery: Recent Cases in the UK and Hong Kong” in Colin King, Clive Walker & Jimmy Gurulé (eds), The Palgrave Handbook of Criminal and Terrorism Financing Law (Palgrave Macmillan, 2018) 469-489.
“Enforcing Criminal Law Through Civil Processes: How Does Human Rights Law Treat ‘Civil for Criminal Processes’?” (2017) 4 Journal of International and Comparative Law 133-170.
“Prosecuting Bribery in Hong Kong’s Human Rights Environment” in J Horder & P Alldridge (eds), Modern Bribery Law: Comparative Perspectives (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2013) 267-292
“Why Civil Actions Against Corruption?” (2009) 16 Journal of Financial Crime 144-159
“Civil Forfeiture for Hong Kong: Issues and Prospects” in SNM Young (ed), Civil Forfeiture of Criminal Property: Legal Measures for Targeting the Proceeds of Crime(Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd, 2009) 278-320
“Hong Kong braces itself for its third FATF evaluation” (2008) 29 The Company Lawyer255-256
BOOK: The Annotated Ordinances of Hong Kong: Drug Trafficking (Recovery of Proceeds) Ordinance (Cap 405) 2007 reissue (Hong Kong: LexisNexis, 2007) 148 pp. (co-annotator with C Robertson who completed the 1996 first issue)
“Bribery, Corruption and Organized Crime” in Halsbury’s Laws of Hong Kong , vol 3 (2007 Reissue) (Hong Kong: LexisNexis, 2007) 213-429 (216 pp.) (co-contributor with I McWalters & MC Blanchflower).
BOOK: Proceeds of Crime Manual, 1st ed., (Ministry of the Attorney General for Ontario: Toronto, 2001) 145 pp.
BOOK: Hong Kong Basic Law Bibliography, 2nd edition (Hong Kong: Hong Kong Law Journal Limited, 2016) 330 pp. (co-edited with Po Jen Yap)
“Rethinking the process of political reform in Hong Kong” (2015) 45 Hong Kong Law Journal 381-388.
“Realising Universal Suffrage in Hong Kong after the Standing Committee’s Decision” (2014) 44 Hong Kong Law Journal 689-708
BOOK: Reforming Law Reform: Perspectives from Hong Kong and Beyond (Hong Kong: HKU Press, 2014) 282 pp. (co-edited with Michael Tilbury and Ludwig Ng)
BOOK: Hong Kong’s Court of Final Appeal: The Development of the Law in China’s Hong Kong (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2014) 681 pp. (co-edited with Yash Ghai)
“Abolishing By-elections to Fill Vacancies in the Legislative Council” (2012) 41 Hong Kong Law Journal 601-9 (co-authored with Peter Chau)
BOOK: Electing Hong Kong’s Chief Executive (Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press, 2010) 254 pp. (co-author with Richard Cullen) (Chinese edition)
“Legislative History, Original Intent, and the Interpretation of the Basic Law” in HL Fu, L Harris & SNM Young (eds.), Interpreting Hong Kong’s Basic Law: The Struggle for Coherence (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2007) 15-32
“Privileged to vote: inequalities and anomalies of the FC system” in C Loh & Civic Exchange (eds), Functional Constituencies: A Unique Feature of the Hong Kong Legislative Council (Hong Kong; Hong Kong University Press, 2006) 59-109 (with Anthony Law)
“Elected by the elite: functional constituency legislators and elections” in C Loh & Civic Exchange (eds), Functional Constituencies: A Unique Feature of the Hong Kong Legislative Council (Hong Kong; Hong Kong University Press, 2006) 111-142
BOOK: Hong Kong Basic Law Bibliography (Hong Kong: Hong Kong Law Journal Ltd, 2006) 232 pp
“Can Functional Constituencies Co-exist with Universal Suffrage?” in J Chan & L Harris (eds), Hong Kong’s Constitutional Debates (Hong Kong: Hong Kong Law Journal Ltd, 2005) 53-58
“Teaching Evidence Law in Hong Kong after 1997” in Y Daly, J Gans and PJ Schwikkard (eds), Teaching Evidence Law: Contemporary Trends and Innovations (Routledge, 2020) ch 10 (11 pages).
“Liability for Imposing Sanctions under Hong Kong’s National Security Law” (2020) 50 Hong Kong Law Journal 353-363 (with Albert HY Chen).
“Old Law in New Bottles: Reintroducing National Security Legislation in Hong Kong” in C Chan and F De Londras (eds), China’s National Security: Endangering Hong Kong’s Rule of Law (Hart, 2020) 211-230.
“Why do Criminal Trials ‘Crack’? An Empirical Investigation of Late Guilty Pleas in Hong Kong” (2018) 13 Asian Journal of Comparative Law 1-25 (with Kevin Cheng, Eric Chui and Rebecca Ong).
“A Public Law Conception of Integrity in the Criminal Process” (35-51) in Jill Hunter, Paul Roberts, Simon NM Young & David Dixon (eds), The Integrity of Criminal Process(Oxford: Hart Publishing, 2016) 33-51
BOOK: The Integrity of Criminal Process: From Theory into Practice (Oxford: Hart Publishing, 2016) 408 pp. (co-edited with Jill Hunter, Paul Roberts and David Dixon)
“Criminal Law” in SNM Young & Y Ghai (eds), Hong Kong’s Court of Final Appeal(Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2014) ch 17 (447-469)
“Role of the Criminal Law in Maintaining Hong Kong as an International Financial Centre” in Jiaxiang Hu, Matthias Vanhullebusch & Andrew Harding (eds), Finance, Rule of Law and Development in Asia: Perspectives from Singapore, Hong Kong and Mainland China (Leiden: Brill, 2016) 457-478
Report on Reforming Suspended Sentences in Hong Kong (Hong Kong: Centre for Comparative and Public Law, University of Hong Kong, 2012) 55 pp. (with Sharron Fast)
“The Importance of Continuing Education for Prosecutors”, Yearly Review of the Prosecutions Division 2011, Department of Justice, HKSARG, 2012, pp 52-55.
“Chapter 11: The Hearsay Rule” in Archbold Hong Kong 2012 (Hong Kong: Sweet & Maxwell, 2011) 833-850
“Prosecutions Division of the Department of Justice” in M Gaylord, D Gittings & H Traver (eds), Introduction to Crime, Law and Justice in Hong Kong (Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press, 2009) 111-130
“The Hong Kong Multinational Judge in Criminal Appeals” (2008) 26 Law in Context 130-150
“Sentencing” in WH Chui & TW Lo (eds), Understanding Criminal Justice in Hong Kong(Cullompton, UK: Willan Publishing, 2008) 165-185
BOOK: The Annotated Ordinances of Hong Kong: Crimes Ordinance (Cap. 200) 2008 reissue (Hong Kong: LexisNexis, 2008) 300 pp. (co-annotator with L Course)
BOOK: Hong Kong Evidence Casebook (Hong Kong: Sweet & Maxwell Asia, 2004) 930 pp.
“Cargate – An Alternative Legal Opinion” (2004) Hong Kong Lawyer (Feb issue) 37-41
“Justifying Sentencing Discounts for Foreigners” (2001) 31 Hong Kong Law Journal 369-379
“Kant’s Theory of Punishment in a Canadian Setting” (1997) 22 Queen’s Law Journal 347-88
The Annotated Ordinances of Hong Kong: Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Ordinance (Cap 525) (Hong Kong: LexisNexis, 2020).
“Book Review: Introduction to the International Criminal Court by William Schabas” (2003) 33 Hong Kong Law Journal 508-511