Events
Events
The Middle Temple Society in Hong Kong runs annual events locally on its own as well as joint events with the Honourable Inn of Middle Temple, and other Middle Temple chapters around the world.
Annual Drinks Parties
The annual drinks party serves as an important occasion to bring our members together, foster a collegiate spirit between members and judges, and to promote the Bar to aspiring law students.
Amity Visits
In September 2018, Master Christopher Clarke led a prominent delegation from the UK to Hong Kong for a 3-day visit, which included the appointment of 4 new benchers at a ceremony held at the Hong Kong Club on 21 September 2018. The distinguished appointees were the Hon Mr Justice Stuart-Moore, former Vice-President of the Court of Appeal, Ian Pennicott QC, SC, the Hon Mr Justice Pang, Justice of Appeal of the Court of Appeal, and the Hon Justice Campbell-Moffat, Judge of the Court of First Instance.
The Amity Visit also reinforced the close ties between Middle Templars in London and the Middle Temple Society members in Hong Kong. One particular highlight was the rare opportunity to observe seasoned advocates from the UK and Hong Kong housting in an advocacy demonstration and moot on criminal joint enterprise before a panel chaired by Master Geoffrey Ma, the former Chief Justice of Hong Kong.
Online events
More recently, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, there have been online events jointly hosted by the Middle Temple Society in Hong Kong and the Honourable Society of the Middle Temple in London.
In March 2021, the two societies organised a collaborative event exploring the issues of Civility in Court and the Art of E-Advocacy. The panel was an excellent opportunity to hear about virtual hearings from experienced judges and practitioners in both Hong Kong and the UK. The panel was moderated by the Hon Mr Justice Joseph Fok. The speakers from Hong Kong included the Hon Mrs Justice Audrey Campbell-Moffat, Mr Douglas Lam SC, and Ms Catrina Lam; and from the UK, the Rt Hon Lord Justice Jonathna Baker, Mr Nikki Singla QC, and Mr Scott Maidment.
In May 2012, a collaborative event was run by the Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, the Singapore Middle Temple Society, the Malaysia Middle Temple Alumni Association, and the Middle Temple Society in Hong Kong. The event focused on the lessons learnt during COVID-19, and the importance of witness preparation in particular. The panellists were Master John Scott QC SC, Dato' Sunil Abraham, Master Thio Shen Yi, and Master David Joseph. The panel was introduced by Master Maura McGowan, and moderated by Master Quentin Loh.