Registrar (Hong Kong)

Last updated

Registrars are judicial officers appointed by the Chief Executive of Hong Kong to assist in the work of Hong Kong's various courts, including the Court of Final Appeal, the High Court, and the District Court. Registrars may also hold a concurrent judicial role, such as being a judge, in a lower court. [1]

Contents

The title of Registrar-General was also previously in use in the executive branch until 1993, as the name of the government official in charge of the registries for lands, companies, marriages, bankruptcies, and more. Before the creation of the post in 1949, some of these duties were carried out by the registrar of the Supreme Court. The head of each registry is today known as a registrar.

Registrar of the Court of Final Appeal

Registrar of the Court of Final Appeal of Hong Kong
Regional Emblem of Hong Kong.svg
Appointer Chief Executive of Hong Kong
Term length Life tenure (until statutory retirement at age 70, but may be extended by 5 years until age 75)
Inaugural holderEdward Timothy Starbuck Woolley, 1997
Formation1 July 1997;28 years ago (1997-07-01)

Duties

The Registrar will consider each leave application (applying to appear in front of the Court of Final Appeal) has any reasonable grounds for arguing an appeal. If an appeal is considered arguable, it will appear before an Appeal Committee, who will then make a final decision. If the Registrar determines there is no grounds for an appeal, a "Rule 7 Summons" will be issued, in which the applicant is invited to show on paper why the Appeals Committee should hear their appeal.

The Registrar also helps with listing cases and liaising with the non-permanent judges from both Hong Kong and other common law jurisdictions on sitting in appeal cases.

"The Registrar". Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal. Archived from the original on 2018-05-26.
  • "Wayback Machine" (PDF). www.cr.gov.hk. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-12-30. Retrieved 2025-08-30.
  • Norton-Kyshe, James William (1898). The history of the laws and courts of Hongkong. T. Fisher Unwin, London.
  • "Judicial Appointments". www.info.gov.hk. Retrieved 2025-08-30.
  • "Judicial Appointment". www.info.gov.hk. Archived from the original on 2019-10-27. Retrieved 2025-08-30.
  • "Judicial Appointment". www.info.gov.hk. Archived from the original on 2024-12-15. Retrieved 2025-08-30.
  • "Judicial appointment". www.info.gov.hk. Archived from the original on 2024-12-15. Retrieved 2025-08-30.
  • "List of Judges and Judicial Officers". www.judiciary.hk. Archived from the original on 2025-07-02. Retrieved 2025-08-30.
  • "G.N. 8230 of 2013". www.gld.gov.hk. December 2012. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
  • "Judicial appointments". www.info.gov.hk. Archived from the original on 2025-05-12. Retrieved 2025-08-30.
  • "Judicial appointment". www.info.gov.hk. Archived from the original on 2025-04-21. Retrieved 2025-08-30.
  • Registrar
    Traditional Chinese 香港終審法院司法常務官
    Transcriptions