Machine learning and the challenges of digital transformation in the law

On May 29, 2020, I was invited by the Centre for Financial Regulation and Economic Development (CFRED), a research center of the Law Faculty of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) to present a webinar on “Machine learning and the challenges of digital transformation in the law.” Over 70 attendees joined the webinar, including legal

Continue reading
No comments

Would Hong Kong COVID relief funding fan flames of legal innovation? Three key questions

HK LawTech Fund is open for applications today. From April 28 to June 26, HK law firms and barristers’ chambers with 5 or fewer practitioners may apply for reimbursement of up to HK$50,000 for procuring and upgrading approved IT systems and training. Further details on the Law Society and Bar Association websites.   The legal

Continue reading

More Technology in Hong Kong Courts: Easy Consensus … or Formidable Challenge?

The shutting down of many courtrooms and drastic reduction of court services in Hong Kong in February and March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic has led to major concerns about a significant backlog of cases and applications piling up. The public has raised questions relating to why readily available technologies, such as telephone and

Continue reading

Hong Kong pegs US$58 million to rule of law project: An investment in the future of law?

As I heard the news about the new government budget pegged to the “Vision 2030 for Rule of Law” project, three questions floated in my mind: What does the rule of law of mean in this project? What does the rule of law look like in contemporary Hong Kong?  What are the implications on the

Continue reading

Listening to In-house Legal’s Voices: A Quick Primer

Understand your end clients, deeply. Discovering the client’s pain points, needs, and wants is the only way to develop the best products and services. That’s the mantra we hear all the time exalted by those reading from the books of agile practice and lean methodology. In the legal sector, success in listening to in-house counsel

Continue reading
No comments

Legal Innovation Surveys Around the World

Legal innovation surveys and market research reports have cropped up in several jurisdictions and regions in recent years to take the pulse of the legal profession undergoing the innovation journey. These are highly valuable and hopefully there will be quality longitudinal data gathered, as continuous feedback is a critical factor of legal innovation. The following

Continue reading

Hong Kong LegalTech Outlook 2020

“Not yet” is still the short answer. Private sector adoption by law firms in Hong Kong has been growing pretty well, and the buyers’ market reflects comparably to leading international trends in the U.S. and Europe. So, what would it take for Hong Kong’s legaltech moment to truly arrive? The Fundamentals Hong Kong should be

Continue reading

Roaring into the ’20s: Dispelling 10 personal beliefs to welcome the next 10 years

Over the last nine years, I have learnt a lot. My best lessons are where strongly held beliefs are dispelled, or significantly changed. Now, I’d like to believe that these beliefs were held strongly because there was some truth to them. So, to dispel such beliefs, there must have been greater truth discovered and insight

Continue reading

Small Contributions to Academic Scholarship

Over the last few years, I have published on a range of topics, including anti-corruption, environmental regulation, legal innovation, and property law, among other areas. It is intellectually rewarding to see that academics and professionals from Australia, Hong Kong, the U.S., and other regions have cited some of my published pieces in their scholarship and

Continue reading