何慧縈

English

Miss Ho Wai-yang is a magistrate in Hong Kong, born in 1976. She obtained an LL.B. and a Postgraduate Certificate in Laws from the University of Hong Kong in 1998 and 1999 respectively, and an LL.M. in Corporate and Financial Law from the University of Hong Kong in 2006. She was called to the Hong Kong Bar in 1999 and has been in private practice since 2000. On 17 September 2012 she was appointed a Permanent Magistrate, by the Chief Executive on the recommendation of the Judicial Officers Recommendation Commission. Ho took her law degree, professional certificate and master's degree in corporate and financial law in succession at the University of Hong Kong, giving her a complete academic record; she came from the Bar and later joined the Judiciary. The magistracy is Hong Kong's court of first instance for criminal matters, handling the great majority of criminal cases, covering traffic, theft, assault and various summary offences, and magistrates must deal with cases quickly and accurately in a busy schedule. Her academic background in corporate and financial law is relevant to cases involving commercial elements or financial records. All judges and judicial officers of the courts of the HKSAR are appointed by the Chief Executive on the independent recommendation of the Judicial Officers Recommendation Commission, under the Basic Law. Article 88 provides that judges shall be appointed by the Chief Executive on the recommendation of an independent commission, and Article 92 provides that they shall be chosen on the basis of their judicial and professional qualities and may be recruited from other common law jurisdictions. Having qualified as a barrister in her twenties, Ho spent some twelve years in private practice before becoming a magistrate, standing out among her contemporaries and reflecting the Judiciary's regard for young legal talent with both academic grounding and practice experience.