Civil Justice Reform in Hong Kong - Its Progress and Its Future

Abstract

The Civil Justice Reform process in Hong Kong began in February 2000 and is expected to reach its culmination with new Rules of the High Court in April 2009. Nine long years therefore separate its beginning and end. This article attempts to answer the questions “Why did the process begin?”, “Where has it led?” and “What will it mean for the courts, litigants and the legal profession?”. In doing so, the article considers the English Civil Procedure Rules, which form the basis of many of the new Rules of the High Court in Hong Kong. In particular it looks at the changes that may result from the introduction of the proposed underlying objectives, sanctioned offers and the expanded scope of discovery.

Keywords: Civil litigation, Civil Justice Reform, Hong Kong