許偉強

English

Richard Khaw Wei-kiang (born 1971 in Mainland China) is a Hong Kong senior counsel and a Recorder of the Court of First Instance of the High Court. He studied law at the City University of Hong Kong, graduating with an LLB in 1992 and a Postgraduate Certificate in Laws in 1993, and then obtained a Master of Laws from the University of Cambridge in 1994. Called to the Hong Kong Bar in 1993, he has practised in private practice since 1995 and was appointed Senior Counsel in 2016. He sat as a Deputy High Court Judge between 2018 and 2021, and in 2021 was appointed a Recorder of the Court of First Instance, sitting part-time thereafter. Having completed his legal training locally before postgraduate study at Cambridge, Mr Khaw combines a solid academic background with extensive practice, mainly in civil and commercial litigation. Recorders are experienced barristers or solicitors who sit part-time to help the Court of First Instance with its caseload, usually for a term of three years that may be renewed, an arrangement that allows the Judiciary to deploy judicial resources flexibly. Judicial appointments in Hong Kong are made by the Chief Executive on the recommendation of the independent Judicial Officers Recommendation Commission, and a Recorder must be of a standing comparable to that of a High Court judge. His appointment as Senior Counsel after more than two decades of practice, and his part-time judicial service, reflect the Judiciary's confidence in his ability.