黃瑞珊

English

Ms Susan Wong is a magistrate in Hong Kong, born in Hong Kong in 1963. She obtained an LL.B. in England in 1987 and passed the Solicitors' Final Examinations of the College of Law in the United Kingdom in 1988. She was admitted as a solicitor in Hong Kong in 1991 and has been in private practice since that year. On 17 September 2012 she was appointed a Permanent Magistrate, together with a number of other judicial officers; the appointment was made by the Chief Executive on the recommendation of the Judicial Officers Recommendation Commission. Coming from a career as a solicitor of more than twenty years before joining the Judiciary, Wong brings extensive practical experience to the bench. The magistracy is Hong Kong's court of first instance for criminal matters, hearing the great majority of criminal cases; magistrates also deal with certain civil and small claims procedures. The caseload is diverse, from traffic offences and shoplifting to assault and various summary offences, and magistrates must maintain both accuracy and efficiency in a tight schedule and a consistent standard of professionalism across a large volume of cases. 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. Moving from solicitor to magistrate is a common source of judicial appointments in Hong Kong; such officers have long worked on the front line of litigation and are familiar with procedure and the requirements of proof, experience they can apply to adjudication. Wong's long career in private practice before joining the Judiciary illustrates this well-trodden path from practising lawyer to judicial officer.