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UCL Laws alumni dinner in Hong Kong
8 December 2016
On 5 December 2016, UCL Professor Sir Robin Jacob and Vice-Dean of Laws (Education) Ms. Olga Thomas were honoured at a lecture/reception/dinner held at the exclusive Sports Club in Central, Hong Kong
Sir Robin gave a wide ranging talk entitled “The Death of Intellectual Property?,” attended by celebrity alumni, including Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal, the Hon. Mr Justice Joseph Fok; Legislative Council & Executive Council Member, Mr. Martin Liao; Chairman of the Bar Association, Ms. Winnie Tam S.C. and Mr. Winston Chu. During a lively Q & A session, Sir Robin and participants shared their experiences on how IP law was developing in the PRC and other judicial systems. Students, student counsellors, laws and non-laws alumni also attended the talk.
There followed a free drinks reception with about 100 guests of different age groups flowing into the club and creating a fantastic energy and buzz inside the ballroom as well as the adjoining terrace on a beautiful December evening, perfect for an al fresco inside–out event.
Before the banquet, more V.I.P.s joined the reception, including President of the Bentham Association and Chief Justice the Hon. Mr. Justice Geoffrey Ma; former Vice-President of the Court of Appeal, Mr. Justice Woo Kwok Hing; Companies Court Judge, Mr. Justice Jonathan Harris; former Solicitor General Mr. Daniel Fung S.C.; and Chairman & C.E.O. of First Eastern Investment Group, Mr. Victor Chu.
The evening was filled with fun, music and magic, with the audience treated to an acapella group, a singer and band called “Jeremy Bentham & the Utilitarian Band Live,” a dance act and a magician.
View more images on the UCL Laws Flickr account
As Dean of Laws, Professor Dame Hazel Genn was unable to join the Hong Kong party, she broadcast a pre-recorded video message about the Bentham House redevelopment and the contributions of Hong Kong students and alumni to UCL.
Olga Thomas, Vice Dean (Education) and Faculty Tutor at UCL Faculty of Laws, said:
‘An evening of great fun and entertainment was organised by the Hong Kong Laws Alumni Association. It was an absolute pleasure to attend such an enjoyable event and to meet so many of our Hong Kong alumni. The Faculty enjoys a close, special and increasingly important relationship with the Hong Kong Laws Alumni which this event certainly punctuated and it was a privilege to witness the alumni’s total commitment to UCL and their tireless support and enthusiasm for our Faculty’s work and mission.’
We were then treated to a sumptuous Chinese banquet featuring old-style Chinese regional cuisine from a by-gone era. The food was beautifully paired with Dom Perignon (sponsored by Winston Chu) and Bordeaux including Chateau Angelouse from Mr. Vincent Cheung’s magnificent collection.
The main aim of the night was for the UCL Scholarship Hong Kong Foundation Ltd (a locally registered charity) to raise money for UCL Laws. The charitable donations were tax deductible and Vincent Cheung generously offered to match donations 1:1. To date, the monies donated or pledged so far in the UCL Hong Kong campaign for UCL Laws Faculty exceeds HK$1 million.
Let’s hope this is a great start to a successful year-long fund-raising campaign. If you would like to donate to this campaign, please complete the form below.
Top image from left to right: Andrew Ng, Angelina Lee, Olga Thomas, Professor Sir Robin Jacob and Dr Nancy Leung