Paths of Justice / Johannes M. M. Chan.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Chan, Johannes M. M., Author.

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource (264 p.) : 8 b&w illus.

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Hong Kong : Hong Kong University Press, [2018]

Language Note:

In English.

Summary:

In Paths of Justice, Johannes Chan illuminates fundamental themes and basic values in Hong Kong’s legal system by using his own experience and drawing on interesting and important cases. The book explains and demystifies some of the most frequently asked questions about the law: How does a lawyer defend someone who is guilty? Does the law favour the rich and the resourceful? Is there a duty to obey the law in all circumstances? How can human rights and national security coexist in balance if their goals conflict in certain situations? How can fairness be reconciled with administrative efficacy? Is an abuse of freedom a justification for denying it? He also casts light on legal profession and professionalism, arguing that the legal profession is honourable only because lawyers, by and large, do live up to a high ethical standard and are committed to the values of justice and fairness. These cases cover a wide range of legal discussion and span several decades of Chan’s professional practice, from when he was a young barrister to his years as Honorary Senior Counsel. Through the description of these real-life court cases, he gives readers not only a better understanding of how Hong Kong’s legal system works in practice, but also the essential tools to think deeply about legal institutions, the legal profession, the role of justice in a modern society, and the importance of the rule of law.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Preface

I. Joining the Legal Profession

1. Town and gown

II. Professionalism and Professional Privilege

2. In memory of Mr Justice Charles Ching: One of the best advocates of our times

3. A clarification that did not clarify anything

III. Public Interest: Whose Interests?

4. David v Goliath: Reclamation of Victoria Harbour

5. The most misunderstood case: The Zhuhai Bridge case

6. Defending an unpopular cause: The social welfare case

7. The story of Eva: The foreign domestic helper case

8. Big brother is watching: Covert surveillance

IV. Equality before the Law: Law for the Rich and the Resourceful?

9. The Westies

10. The rich, the poor, and the sandwiched: Pro bono legal service

V. Presumption of Innocence

11. The Sham Shui Po drug addicts case

12. The best interest of the client: The MTR case

13. A confession that came too late

14. Disturbing the past and paralysing the future

VI. Fairness in Public Administration: What a Mess!

15. Right to legal representation

16. The three sisters

17. A duty to give reasons

VII. The Labyrinth of Legal Process and Civil Justice Reform

18. Justice delayed is justice denied

19. Vexatious litigants

VIII. Free Speech

20. Human rights are not absolute: A right to defame?

21. ‘I do not report the matter to him’: The paparazzi case

IX. Fair Hearing and Personal Liberty

22. Trial observers and humanitarian missions

23. Liberty of the person

X. Law and Politics

24. The whole is more than the sum of its parts: The Shen Yun case

25. The mysterious case of the missing documents

26. My trip to Macau

XI. When the Law Is Absurd

27. Could we shoot the red light?

28. Let’s kill all the lawyers! When is a pigeon not a pigeon?

XII. Law and Moral Choices

29. Whose life is it anyway?

30. When a woman is not a woman: The transgender case

Index

About the author

Notes:

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 19. Oct 2024)

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

988-8876-15-5

OCLC:

1454830377