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Preface

Erected atop a pediment in the principal elevation of the Supreme Court building (1903- ) is a 9 feet tall granite statue of the Lady Justice. The depiction of Lady Justice evolved from the Roman goddess of justice, Justitia, who wielded scales in her left hand and a double-edged sword in her right hand. Our Lady Justice is perhaps left-handed. The conception of Justitia came from the Greek Titaness of divine order, Themis. Credit: wikimedia.

This is my attempt to put together a biographical sketch of legal professionals existing in Hong Kong between 1841 and 1941. As in the case of my previous similar endeavors targeting different groups of residents of Hong Kong, I will begin by listing as many names as I can find and will begin working on individual biographies only when the roll is more or less completed. Unlike the medical profession, which was opened, at least during the early years, to persons trained, apprenticed and/or qualified outside the British system, the gentlemen (and ladies) of the law in Hong Kong were a close society. Only persons trained and/or qualified in lands making up the British Empire were eligible to be admitted by the Supreme Court to practice the profession of law in Hong Kong^[1].

Accredited solicitors and/or barristers (whether practicing or not during their times here), sitting judges, law officials, and paralegals who resided in Hong Kong during the period between 1841 and 1941 are all to be included in this dictionary – naturally, only those whose records I can find. 1841 and 1941 respectively signify the year British troops took possession of Hong Kong by force and the one Hong Kong came under the attack and in under three weeks was taken by the Japanese.

The legal scene of the Nineteenth Century Hong Kong, as the dictionary will show, could be fascinating at times, made possible by maverick characters and bizarre true stories. How about a chief justice suspended on charges of habitual drunkenness, a puisne judge beat the colonial governor in an empty-hand vs. umbrella fight to settle the matter of the judge's flirting with the governor's wife, a crown prosecutor accused of piracy, a chief justice, who was not happy with how he was treated by the claimant's counsel at a trial he was presiding, settled the score days later by adjudging the very barrister guilty of six distinct contempt charges, or a former opium farmer [i.e. holder of the opium monopoly], who had been adjudged bankrupt, appointed as clerk and shroff to the court of summary jurisdiction. It was quite wild, [in my opinion, I must add, to please Her Honor Patrice Lessner], but if you are looking for the like of Judge Roy Bean and Miss Lillie Langtry story, you'd still need to head West.

Rudi Butt
Hong Kong, August 23, 2016
rudibutt@hotmail.com

[1] The original provisions were ascribed in Clause 9 of Ordinance #15 of 1844, "An Ordinance to establish a Supreme Court of Judicature at Hong Kong", enacted on August 21, 1844. It reads:

And be it further enacted and ordained, that the said Supreme Court of Hong Kong is hereby authorized and empowered, to approve, admit, and enroll such and so many persons having been admitted barristers at law, or advocates in Great Britain and Ireland, to act as barristers and advocates; or having been admitted writes, attorneys, or solicitors in the said Court; and which person so approved, admitted, and enrolled as aforesaid, shall be, and are hereby authorized to appear, and plead, and act, in their several respective characters, for the suitors of the said court, …

Explanatory Notes

1. Numeric date format applicable in this dictionary is m/d/y.
2. An image zoom plugin has been installed to enable detailed viewing of images. A magnifying glass will appear when the cursor hovers over an image.
3. Chinese names of certain persons, establishments, and places are added for the benefit of others researching similar stories as those told in this dictionary, particularly when reviewing papers in the Chinese language.