It is that time of the year – January – the start of a legal year, marked by a decidedly Western ceremonial event.
This month alone, the Bar has sent representatives to attend Opening of the Legal Year ceremonies in Singapore, Malaysia and, of course, Hong Kong. Similar ceremonies are also part of the tradition in other common law jurisdictions, such as England and Wales and Ireland, as well as civil law jurisdictions like France.
Each jurisdiction’s ceremony has its own flavour, but one feature is common to all – the judges and lawyers appear in full ceremonial attire, and representatives from other jurisdictions are invited to attend and bear witness.
The Hong Kong version features an inspection by our Chief Justice of a ceremonial guard mounted by the Hong Kong Police Force.
That is followed by speeches by the Chief Justice, the Secretary for Justice, the chairman of the Bar and the president of the Law Society, with all judges, judicial officers and senior counsel in their full ceremonial attire sitting behind them, in front of guests from around the world.
It should come as no surprise that the ceremony in Hong Kong started in colonial times and closely followed the style of that in England and Wales, which itself, at least in its current form, dates back to the late 1800s.
