The Cutting Edge of the Law Lecture Series

Professor Henry Litton, GBM, CBE, MA (Oxon)

Former Judge of the Court of Final Appeal

Lecture 2

To What Extent is a Pure Administrative Process Open to Challenge on Judicial Review?  

Date: Friday, 22 November 2019 at 6:00 pm

Venue: Academic Conference Room, 11/F, Cheng Yu Tung Tower, HKU

This will be a half-hour lecture focussed on examining the scope open to parties to challenge the Town Planning Board’s process in preparing Outline Zoning Plans. The First Instance judgment in Chan Ka Lam v Chief Executive in Council, the subject of this year’s Bluebell Prize, will come under scrutiny.  The Bluebell Prize award ceremony will follow immediately after this short lecture.

About the Speaker: Henry Litton, GBM, CBE, MA (Oxon) is a former Judge of the Court of Final Appeal.  Born in Hong Kong, his family goes back three generations as Hong Kong belongers.   He excelled in school (Diocesan Boys’ School, Kowloon and King’s College, Taunton, England) and graduated from Merton College, Oxford, with honors in jurisprudence in 1956.  After passing the Bar exams in 1959, he entered into private practice in Hong Kong where he was eminently successful as a barrister.  He was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 1970 and co-founded the Hong Kong Law Journal, serving as its editor-in-chief for 21 years.  He was Chairman of the Bar from 1971-1977.  He was appointed in 1989 an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire for his contribution to the law, and was elevated from the Bar to the Court of Appeal in 1992, the first of such appointment in Hong Kong.  He became Vice-President of the Court of Appeal in 1995 and a Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal in 1997 when China resumed its sovereignty over Hong Kong.  During his time on the Bench he has delivered many significant judgments and has played a prominent role in developing Hong Kong law.  Henry Litton has been a great friend of the Faculty over very many years and his contribution to our prosperity has been considerable.  In 2010 he delivered a lecture on Language and the Law as part of the Faculty’s Common Law Lecture Series, and is an Honorary Professor in the Faculty.

RSVP: https://hkuems1.hku.hk/hkuems/ec_hdetail.aspx?guest=Y&ueid=66880

Enquiries: Lydia Bute at

*** ALL ARE WELCOME ***