練錦鴻

English

Ernest Michael Lin Kam-hung (born 1958 in Hong Kong) is a District Judge. He obtained an LL.B. (1982), a Postgraduate Certificate in Laws (1983), a Master of Social Sciences in Criminology (1995) and a Master of Laws in Human Rights (2002), all from the University of Hong Kong. He was called to the Hong Kong Bar in 1983 and practised in private practice from 1984. He joined the Judiciary as a Permanent Magistrate in 1992, hearing criminal cases in the magistracy, and from 2001 served as a Principal Magistrate, overseeing the operation of the magistracy. On 21 August 2019 he was appointed a District Judge by the Chief Executive on the recommendation of the Judicial Officers Recommendation Commission. Judge Lin holds degrees spanning law, criminology and human rights law, and has experience both at the Bar and on the bench. The magistracy handles the great majority of criminal cases in Hong Kong and is the first tier of the criminal justice system, while the District Court deals with criminal cases of moderate seriousness and civil claims of moderate value. Having moved from private practice to the magistracy and then to the posts of Principal Magistrate and District Judge, he has served in the magistracy for nearly three decades and is familiar with different levels of court.