Andrew Li

Infobox Judge
honorific-prefix = The Honourable Mr. Justice
name = Andrew Li (李國能)
honorific-suffix = GBM, CBE


imagesize =
caption =
order = 1st
office = Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal
term_start = 1997
term_end =
nominator =
appointer = Tung Chee Hwa
predecessor =
successor =
office3 = Deputy High Court Judge
term_start3 = 1991
term_end3 = 1997
office2 = Justice of the Peace
term_start2 = 1985 [ [http://www.info.gov.hk/cml/miscell/index3h.htm Civil And Miscellaneous Lists] ]
term_end2 =
office4 = Deputy Judge of the District Court
term_start4 = 1982
term_end4 = 1985
birth_date = December 1948
birth_place = Hong Kong
nationality =
spouse =
relations =
children =
alma_mater = Fitzwilliam College, University of Cambridge

Andrew Li Kwok-nang, GBM, CBE (zh-ts|t=李國能|s=李国能, born December, 1948) is a judge in Hong Kong, and is currently Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal of Hong Kong, ranking second only to the Chief Executive of Hong Kong in the Hong Kong order of precedence and a post he held since 1997 Hong Kong handover.

Early life and education

Born in Hong Kong, Li received his early education at St. Paul's Co-educational College, and then at Repton School in Derbyshire, England. After obtaining an M.A. and an LL.B. from the University of Cambridge, where he was a scholar at Fitzwilliam College, he passed his bar finals in 1973 and commenced his practice of law in Hong Kong.

Judicial career

He was appointed a Deputy (part time) Judge of the District Court of Hong Kong in 1982, a Justice of the Peace in 1985, Queen's Counsel in 1988 and a Deputy High Court Judge in 1991.

In 1992, he was appointed at-large member of the Executive Council of Chris Patten (later Lord Patten), last British governor of Hong Kong, and was appointed Commander of the Order of British Empire] the same year.

In 1997, Li was elevated to Chief Justice by Tung Chee-Hwa, the first Chief Executive of Hong Kong after the handover. He has since developed a moderate jurisprudence and is a consensus builder in the Court of Final Appeal.

Aside from his judicial duties, Chief Justice Li was also a steward of the Hong Kong Jockey Club. He is known to actively socialize with senior members of the Hong Kong and Chinese government and was recently featured in a portrait to celebrate the Hong Kong hand-over, standing shoulder to shoulder with the Chief Executive of Hong Kong and other political leaders from mainland China.

References