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Chinese Customary Family Law

By Centre for Rights and Justice, Faculty of Law, The Chinese University of Hong Kong

Date and time

Fri, 6 Feb 2015 12:30 - 14:00 HKT

Location

The Warren Chan Moot Court, CUHK Graduate Law Centre

2/F Bank Of America Tower Central, Hong Kong Hong Kong

Description

Chinese Customary Law in Hong Kong

A Centre for Rights and Justice Seminar Series

gate

Chinese Customary Family Law

Friday, 6 February 2015
12:30 pm – 2:00 pm

The Warren Chan Moot Court, CUHK Graduate Law Centre,
2/F, Bank of America Tower, Central, Hong Kong
(map)

with

Professor Anne Scully-Hill
Associate Professor, Faculty of Law
The Chinese University of Hong Kong

Mrs Judith Sihombing
Faculty of Law, The Chinese University of Hong Kong

Conducted in English

This is a free event.

Abstract

Despite significant reform of the law on marriage in 1971, Chinese customary law in relation to the formation of marriage and other family relationships continues to be relevant in Hong Kong family law today. This presentation will explore the ongoing impact of Chinese customary law in terms of status, family finance and family obligations including the categorisation of familial relationships, legitimacy and eligibility for maintenance and inheritance. The reasons for legislative overriding of Chinese customary family law will be discussed and the effectiveness of the legislation in achieving its stated aims will be considered.

Biographies

Anne Scully-Hill (LL.B [hons] and LL.M Lond.) has been Associate Professor at the Faculty of Law at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) for the past eight years. Prior to coming to Hong Kong, she lectured in law in London for several years. Prof Scully-Hill’s research interests include public law and family law. She is the co-author of Hong Kong Administrative Law (2010) and the author of several articles and commentaries on family law and child law including publications in the Child & Family Law Quarterly, The International Survey of Family Law, the Hong Kong Law Journal and the Annotated Ordinances of Hong Kong. Prof Scully-Hill is an accredited mediator and an advisor to the Hong Kong Ombudsman.

Judith Sihombing (LL.B Melb. and LL.M Malaya) is Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Victoria and of the High Court of Australia. After long years of teaching at University of Hong Kong (HKU) and University of Malaya, she now teaches part-time in the Faculties of Law at CUHK and HKU. Prior to teaching, she spent a short time in practice in Melbourne; and in Malaya she was a consultant to the Legal Aid Bureau in its early days. Her main areas of publications are property, commercial, corporate and financial laws, with an interest in customary laws from Sumatera, Malaysia and the Hong Kong New Territories.

The Hong Kong Law Society has awarded this seminar 1.5 Continuing Professional Development (CPD) points.

All are welcome! If you would like to attend, please register by 9:00 am, 6 February 2015.
Registration is limited and will be accepted on a first come first served basis.

Organised by

The Centre for Rights and Justice (CRJ) at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) Faculty of Law was established in December 2010 to bring together and deepen the Faculty’s research and teaching on rights and justice. At present, CRJ has the following areas of focus: comparative constitutional law; criminal justice; environmental law; gender and the law; international human rights law; refugee law; and transitional justice. In light of its geographic position, CRJ addresses issues arising in its focus areas as they affect Hong Kong and mainland China, as well as other jurisdictions at the global level. An engagement with access to justice and advocacy also runs through our research in different areas.

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