The Middle Temple Society in Hong Kong

06/05/2023

Congratulations from everyone at The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple to their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla on their Coronation. Long live the King!

©️Hugo Burnand

07/10/2022

07/10/2021

Stella Thomas was Called to the Bar at the Inn on 10 May 1933 after having been admitted in 1929. Thomas became West Africa’s first female Magistrate and was a founding member of the League of Coloured Peoples.

Stella was not the only Middle Templar in her family - her elder brother Stephen was also a member of the Inn, and Called on the same date, later becoming the first Chief Justice of the Mid-Western region in Nigeria.

Another brother, Emanuel, was also a member. Although never Called, he went on to become Flight Lieutenant Emanuel Peter Thomas, the first Black African to be commissioned as an officer in the Royal Air Force.

10/05/2021

Lessons Learned During Covid-19: The Importance of Witness preparation

Join the Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, the Singapore Middle Temple Society, the Malaysia Middle Temple Alumni Association (TMMTA), and the Middle Temple Society in Hong Kong for a collaborative event that will explore the fallibility of eyewitness evidence, memory, and oral testimony, and how to prepare witnesses for trial.

This is your opportunity to hear from and question experienced judges and practitioners in a Q&A moderated by The Hon. Justice Quentin Loh.

Speakers will include:

Master John Scott
Dato' Sunil Abraham
Master Thio Shen Yi
Master David Joseph
Introductions by Master Maura McGowan, Deputy Treasurer
Moderated by Master Quentin Loh

Register for this event at https://www.middletemple.org.uk/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=40763 or email [email protected]

24/03/2021

Thank you for joining us earlier on this month for our online workshop, "Civility in Court and the Art of e-Advocacy". We were honoured to have been joined by a wonderful panel of speakers from Hong Kong and the UK.

In case you missed the workshop, the Honourable Society of the Middle Temple has uploaded the video onto YouTube.

As professional advocates, what are the qualities that we most hope for in our tribunal? What happens when a judge’s personality takes the lead in a less-tha...

04/02/2021

Civility in Court and the Art of e-Advocacy

Middle Temple and the Middle Temple Society in Hong Kong are running a collaborative event exploring the issues of Civility in Court and the Art of e-Advocacy.

As professional advocates, what are the qualities that we most hope for in our tribunal? What happens when a judge’s personality takes the lead in a less-than-positive way and advocates are left wondering whether they’ve done something to offend the judge, or they feel unable to object to unreasonable demands placed on them by the judge during a case?

What should you do when you find yourself against an opponent who is unnecessarily aggressive, hostile or a bully?

Virtual hearings are increasingly becoming the new norm for international arbitrations and court proceedings due to COVID-19. This represents a new frontier for many advocates. How can advocates effectively persuade the Tribunal and cross-examine witnesses when participants are no longer in the same physical space?

This is your opportunity to hear from and question experienced judges and practitioners from both Hong Kong and the UK in a Q&A moderated by The Hon Mr Justice Joseph Fok.

Hong Kong Speakers:

The Hon. Mrs Justice Audrey Campbell-Moffat
Douglas Lam SC
Catrina Lam
The Hon. Mr Justice Joseph Fok (moderater)

UK Speakers:

The Rt Hon Lord Justice Jonathan Baker
Nikki Singla QC
Scott Maidment, President of The Advocates' Society in Canada, 2019

To register for this event, please email: [email protected]. For HK members who are members of the Inn, you can also register via Middle Temple’s website at this link: https://www.middletemple.org.uk/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=40686

16/12/2020

The Inns of Court College of Advocacy has set out to create a film showcasing some of the leading UK women judges and barristers in 2020 who have each contributed to the development of the law and the practice of advocacy.

2020 saw the retirement of Lady Brenda Hale, the first-ever woman President of the Supreme Court, and the loss of Ruth Bader Ginsberg. Both of these remarkable women have been strong advocates for gender equality.

In an extraordinary year, we celebrated Kamala Harris, former Attorney General of California, becoming the first-ever woman elected as Vice-President of the USA.

Our film sets out to provide expert guidance in various aspects of advocacy. We hope that it inspires many others to follow in the footsteps of those who have gone before them and helps to shape the lawyers of the future.

The ICCA has set out to create a film showcasing some of the leading UK women judges and barristers in 2020 who have each contributed to the development of the law and the practice of advocacy.

19/11/2020

The Rt Hon Sir John Major KG CH, Master Treasurer of The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, gave a wonderful lecture on 9 November 2020.

The lecture is entitled, "The State We’re In". It looked at the fractious world in which we live, one where the values of liberal society are stalled, if not in retreat.

The recording and the transcript are available on the website.

Introduction by The Rt Hon Sir Brian Leveson, Master Treasurer of The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple. Monday 9 November 2020 (recorded Wednesday 4 November 2020).

05/11/2020

In the most recent issue of The Middle Templar, the Middle Temple Society in Hong Kong makes an appearance! Ms. Catrina Lam and Ms. Cordelia Yeung talk about the General Adjourned Period and the Coronavirus Pandemic in Hong Kong.

The Middle Templar is published by the Honourable Society of the Middle Temple annually. The magazine contains information about the Inn, its members, and events.

06/05/2020

Bombs, Blazes and Buckets of Tea – Life at the Inn during World War Two

The latest edition of ‘Archive of the Month’ explores dramatic first-hand accounts of air raids at the Middle Temple and the bravery of the individuals involved in its defence throughout World War Two.

http://ow.ly/MZkZ50znzuw

03/11/2019

One of the most important parts of life at Middle Temple in the 16th century was legal education. During the legal term when the courts sat at Westminster Hall, Middle Temple students were expected to attend proceedings and learn by observing judges and lawyers conducting the cases.

During law vacations (e.g. Easter and August), students - or "members under the Bar" as they were referred to - were required to attend various Readings and exercises taking place in the Inn. The senior member of the Inn delivered the course of lectures on written texts (e.g. statute law) from the "Cupboard" was known as the Autumn Reader or the Lent Reader. Having read to the students, the reader would be eligible to join the ranks of Masters of the Bench ("Bencher") from whose number the Treasurer was elected.

During mooting exercises, the Middle Temple Hall was arranged so that it resembled a court with bar and bench. The junior students sat inside the bar, and were called the "inner barristers". As the students became more senior, they were Called to the Bar (hence the origin of the term used today to describe qualifying as a barrister!) and became known as "utter" or outer barristers as they took up their places standing outside the bar during moots.

Source: Middle Temple: A Guide.

The Middle Temple Society in Hong Kong Society fosters a collegial spirit between barristers and judges in Hong Kong, and strengthens links with the Honourable Society of the Middle Temple in London.