Dean of UCL Laws visits Hong Kong to connect with alumni, students and key partners

Professor Eloise Scotford (Dean of UCL Laws) and Professor Erin Delaney (Leverhulme Professor of Comparative Constitutional Law, UCL Laws) have recently returned from a productive week-long visit to Hong Kong to strengthen connections with Laws alumni, prospective and current students, and academic and research partners, including those at the University of Hong Kong (HKU).

Their visit (21-26 April) began with a series of insightful meetings focused on research collaboration and key issues in comparative and public law, held at HKU Faculty of Law’s impressive Centennial Campus, located against the tree-clad hillsides of Lung Fu Shan. The Faculty is the oldest law school in Hong Kong, and partners with UCL Laws on the four-year LLB Bachelor of Laws degree. Professors Scotford and Delaney also had the honour of being welcomed to the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal by Chief Justice Andrew Cheung and Permanent Judge Joseph Fok (UCL Laws 1984), emphasising the strong professional ties between UCL Laws and the region’s legal institutions.

Throughout the visit, Professor Scotford and Professor Delaney connected with distinguished Laws and UCL alumni to cement enduring relationships and spark new connections. This included attending the Spring Dinner of the UCL Hong Kong Club, a prominent alumni group established in the 1970s. The Club – which has been led by alumnus Andrew Ng (LLB Laws 1985) for more than two decades – is a vital hub for UCL graduates in Hong Kong and has played a key role in supporting thousands of alumni to build their networks, develop new skills and forge lasting friendships. Meetings also took place with eminent friends of the Faculty, including alumni who generously support financial gifts, scholarships, work placements and student mentoring.

The trip concluded with a fantastic ‘UCL Laws and Careers in Law’ event at Denis Chang’s Chambers, where accomplished alumni shared insights from their varied legal careers with current and prospective students. With thanks to our panellists Voon Keat Lai, Lea-Anne Lee, Clement Cheung, Isabel Tam and Randy Shek who generously provided their time and advice, creating an inspiring forum for mentorship and connection. Voon Keat also signed copies of his new book, The AI-Empowered Lawyers’ Cookbook: A guide to integrating AI into legal practices from a practising lawyer’s perspective, and kindly donated proceeds from the evening to UCL Laws’ hardship fund, which supports students experiencing financial difficulties.

Reflecting on the trip, Professor Scotford said: “This visit to Hong Kong was important and inspirational on many levels. Building on decades of excellent global legal education at UCL Laws, we are lucky to have a wide network of incredibly successful and engaged alumni in Hong Kong who work generously to maintain strong connections with each other and to UCL and the Faculty of Laws. It was wonderful to deepen existing friendships with UCL alumni, to develop new connections, and to see how our current and future students gain motivation, encouragement and support from this collaborative community who are doing such impressive things in Hong Kong’s legal world. Our visit included exciting discussions about potential and ongoing industry and academic partnerships, and opportunities that will benefit our current and future students, and we’re excited see where this leads. Thank you to everyone who made the trip so productive.”

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Image credits: Hong Kong skyline at night by Daniam Chou (Unsplash); Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal by 高德 小露 (Unsplash)