A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings,either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. In an adversarial system,the judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case,assesses the credibility and arguments of the parties,and then issues a ruling in the case based on their interpretation of the law and their own personal judgment. A judge is expected to conduct the trial impartially and,typically,in an open court.
Judicial independence is the concept that the judiciary should be independent from the other branches of government. That is,courts should not be subject to improper influence from the other branches of government or from private or partisan interests. Judicial independence is important for the idea of separation of powers.
George Graham Winterton was an Australian academic specialising in Australian constitutional law. Winterton taught for 28 years at the University of New South Wales before taking up an appointment of Professor of Constitutional Law at the University of Sydney in 2004.
Anthony Murray Gleeson is an Australian former judge who served as the 11th Chief Justice of Australia,in office from 1998 to 2008.
Sir Francis Gerard Brennan was an Australian lawyer and jurist who served as the 10th Chief Justice of Australia. As a judge in the High Court of Australia,he wrote the lead judgement on the Mabo decision,which gave rise to the Native Title Act.
Sir Noel Plunkett Power,was a senior judge in Hong Kong and Brunei Darussalam. He had been a barrister-at-law in his home-country Australia when he joined the judiciary of Hong Kong in 1965 as a magistrate in the Lands Tribunal. Since then,he had been successively promoted as President of the Lands Tribunal,a puisne judge of the Supreme Court and Vice-President of the Court of Appeal. In 1996,he became acting Chief Justice of the Supreme Court when Sir Ti-liang Yang resigned and contested for the first ever election of the Chief Executive. After the transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong from Britain to People's Republic of China in 1997,he was appointed Vice-President of the Court of Appeal of the High Court. He retired from the High Court in 1999 but remained as a non-permanent judge of the Court of Final Appeal.
The Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal (HKCFA) is the final appellate court of Hong Kong. It was established on 1 July 1997,upon the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region,replacing the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council as the highest judicial institution under Hong Kong law. As defined in Articles 19 and 85 of the Hong Kong Basic Law,the Court of Final Appeal "exercises judicial power in the Region independently and free from any interference." The Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal Ordinance and the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal Rules set out the detailed functions and procedures of the court.
The Judiciary of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is the judicial branch of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Under the Basic Law of Hong Kong,it exercises the judicial power of the Region and is independent of the executive and legislative branches of the Government. The courts in Hong Kong hear and adjudicate all prosecutions and civil disputes,including all public and private law matters.
The Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) is a special economic zone in Dubai covering 110 ha,established in 2004 as a financial hub for companies operating throughout the Middle East,Africa,and South Asia (MEASA) markets.
Wayne Stewart Martin is a lawyer and former judge who served as Chief Justice of Western Australia from 2006 until 2018,and Lieutenant-Governor of Western Australia from 2009 to 2019.
Monash University Faculty of Law,or Monash Law School,is the law school of Monash University. Founded in 1964,it is based in Melbourne,Victoria and has campuses in Malaysia and Italy. It is consistently ranked as one of the top law schools in Australia and globally,and entry to its Bachelor of Laws (LLB) programme is highly competitive.
In most legal jurisdictions,a supreme court,also known as a court of last resort,apex court,and highcourt of appeal,and court of final appeal,is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking,the decisions of a supreme court are binding on all other courts in a nation and are not subject to further review by any other court. Supreme courts typically function primarily as appellate courts,hearing appeals from decisions of lower trial courts,or from intermediate-level appellate courts. A supreme court can also,in certain circumstances,act as a court of original jurisdiction.
Clayton Utz is an Australian law firm headquartered in Sydney. Established in 1833,it is a large-sized firm,known as one of the big six Australian law firms. The firm is recognised for its litigation practice,government clients,pro bono services and high-profile alumni. In 2013,the firm had an annual revenue of $436 million. As of 2021 it had 179 partners and 1,600 personnel in six offices.
James Leslie Bain Allsop is an Australian judge,currently serving as a foreign Non-Permanent Judge of the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal. He was the Chief Justice of the Federal Court of Australia,in office from 1 March 2013 to 6 April 2023. He was also previously President of the New South Wales Court of Appeal,where he presided from 2 June 2008 to 28 February 2013. In 2024,he was appointed as an International Judge to the Singapore International Commercial Court.
Patrick Anthony Keane is an Australian judge currently serving as a non-permanent judge of the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal since 6 April 2023,after his retirement as a Justice of the High Court of Australia. He is currently the Chair of the Expert Advisory Group set up by the Australian Government to guide reforms to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal. He is a former Chief Justice of the Federal Court of Australia.
Geoffrey Ma Tao-li is a retired Hong Kong judge who served as the 2nd Chief Justice of the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal—the court of last resort in Hong Kong. Between 2001 and 2010,he held various positions in the High Court of Hong Kong,including Chief Judge,Justice of Appeal,and Judge of the Court of First Instance. Before his judicial career,he was a barrister-at-law in private practice at Temple Chambers,and was qualified to practice in England and Wales,Hong Kong,Australia and Singapore.
Michael John HartmannGBS is a senior judge. He is Chairman of the Market Misconduct Tribunal and the Securities and Futures Appeals Tribunal in Hong Kong.
King &Wood Mallesons (KWM) is an international commercial law firm based in Asia-Pacific. It is the largest international law firm in Asia-Pacific. It has 26 offices and more than 3,000 legal professionals across Australia,China,Hong Kong,Japan,Singapore and the United States.
