Due to unexpected circumstances, the public lecture “The Cutting Edge of the Law Series – Precedents: Do they help or hinder the resolution of legal issues?” by Professor Henry Litton on 15 September 2023 (Friday) will be CANCELLED.
[CANCELLED]
The Cutting Edge of the Law Series:
Precedents: Do they help or hinder the resolution of legal issues?
Date: 15 September 2023 (Friday)
Time: 6:00pm – 6:45pm
Venue: Academic Conference Room, 11/F, Cheng Yu Tung Tower, The University of Hong Kong
Abstract:
It is rare to find two identical sets of human events: as rare as two identical snow-flakes. It follows that in solving legal problems, the use of “authorities” must be handled with circumspection and care. One is seldom comparing like with like. The misuse of “authorities” has often distorted the reasoning in cases, leading to error. A far more reliable tool is analytical thinking: a process sadly lacking in many cases. This lecture will explore these issues, with illustrations from recent judgments, the most egregious of which is probably Leung Kwok Hung aka “Long Hair” v Commissioner for Correctional Services.
Speaker:
Professor Henry Litton, GBM, CBE, MA (Oxon)
Former Judge of the Court of Final Appeal
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.
All are welcome. Please register at https://hkuems1.hku.hk/hkuems/ec_regform.aspx?guest=Y&ueid=89846.
For inquiries, please contact Ms. Phoenix To at .