Date: 4 September 2026 (Friday)
Time: 9:45am-5:30pm
Venue: Academic Conference Room, 11/F, Cheng Yu Tung Tower, Centennial Campus, The University of Hong Kong (This is an in-person event.)
Registration: click here (First come, first served)
Programme: click here
Abstract
For over two decades on the Court of Final Appeal, Mr Justice Robert Ribeiro has shaped Hong Kong’s jurisprudence and enriched the common law far beyond its shores.
This Symposium to celebrate his jurisprudence brings together eminent judges, practitioners, and academics from Hong Kong and across the common law world. Speakers at the Symposium will reflect on the enduring influence of his judgments on the development of the common law.
Opening Remarks and Tributes
09:45 Dean Hualing Fu
09:50 The Hon Mr Justice Andrew Cheung CJ
09:55 The Hon Andrew Li
Session 1: Public Law and Criminal Law
Chair: The Hon Mr Justice Patrick Keane NPJ
10:00 The Hon Geoffrey Ma and the Hon Mr Justice Joseph Fok PJ
Confronting the Impossible: The Balancing Act of Constitutional Law
10:25 Professor Albert Chen and Professor Cora Chan
The Public Law Legacy of Mr Justice Ribeiro in Hong Kong
10:50 The Hon Mr Justice Frank Stock NPJ
Criminal Law: An Exercise in Clarity
11:15 Professor Simon Young
Unravelling Complexity and Delineating the Limits of the Law in Criminal Cases
11:40 Refreshments
Session 2: Tax, Conflict of Laws, and Civil Procedure
Chair: The Hon Maria Yuen
12:10 Mr David Goldberg KC and Mr Stewart Wong SC
Ribeiro PJ: Clarifying the Opaque
12:35 Professor Adrian Briggs KC
A Rock of Stability in the Conflict of Laws
13:00 Mr Paul Shieh SC
Title to be confirmed (Topic: Civil Procedure)
13:25 Lunch for speakers, moderators, and invited guests
Session 3: The Law of Obligations
Chair: Professor Steven Elliott KC
14:30 Dr Jonas Atmaz Al-Sibaie and Dr Jordan English
Contracts, Unjust Enrichment, and Third Parties
14:55 Professor Craig Purshouse
Mr Justice Ribeiro and the Law of Defamation in Hong Kong
15:20 The Hon Mr Justice William Gummow NPJ (via video conference)
Equity and Trusts
15:45 Refreshments
Session 4: Company, Family, and Property
Chair: Professor William Swadling
16:15 The Hon Mr Justice Godfrey Lam JA
Title to be confirmed (Topic: Company Law)
16:40 The Hon Mr Justice Johnson Lam PJ and the Hon Bebe Chu
Title to be confirmed (Topic: Family Law)
17:05 The Rt Hon Lord Neuberger NPJ
Reconciling Principle and Practicality: Deciding Property Law Cases
17:30 End of Conference
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