Foster YIM
“A friend is our alter ego.” We laugh, we cry and we grow together. Looking back the dates in the law school, Foster would regard his groups of 12 ‘Apostles’ (in the part-time study group) and Red Cross 4 people (in the Humanitarian Moot Team) as the most valuable companions not only in the process of knowledge seeking but also in different stages of life.
“It was Derek and Suzanne who drove me home when I was feeling terribly ill in one Saturday class, Thomas to hear me whine (and vice versa) during happy hours, Rowena to be my civil celebrant, Alex and Nancie to be my wedding MC, Ian to offer me external marker job in my first 2 years of practice…Life is just full of serendipities; I was once receiving and learning from all these great people, and now I have the chance to give and teach in return.”
Foster has started to take minis and pupils in the recent 3 years, interestingly, quite a portion of them are the juniors from his former mentors. This (endless) process of transformation, for example from the above take to give (resemblance of Hegal’s Dialectics) is what this no-longer-junior-bar treasures most for his profession. He was a pure criminal practitioner in the first 2 years of his practice, now around 70% of his cases are from the civil side.
From all of the cases he handled so far, Foster would definitely most remember the death inquest of the Hot Air Balloon accident happened in Luxor, Egypt in 2013, which caused the loss of the lives of 9 Hong Kong people (he was representing 6 of the 9 deceased families). Not only it was his first death inquest case versus one of the best senior counsel in town but the exceptionally sad nature of the accident caused strong sentiments amongst the people in Court. The subsequent common law claim was not easy at the initial stage, the travel agent had even tried to dismiss the claim on Order 12, rule 8A ground but successfully resisted. It was glad that the claim was finally settled amicably after 3 rounds of difficult negotiations.
Beside practicing law, Foster is currently a member of the Joint Chinese University of Hong Kong – New Territories East Cluster Clinical Research Ethics Committee; the Vice President of the Hong Kong Translation Society; and a member of the Advisory Board of the Department of Translation in two tertiary institutes.
CHAI Wenwen
Born in an unknown little town in northern China and raised in Beijing, Wenwen completed her secondary and university education in Australia, graduating with a double-degree in Law and Economics in 2012 from the Australian National University.
Prior to starting the PCLL Programme at CUHK, she had very little connection to Hong Kong. Unlike many other students who completed their primary law degree at CUHK and naturally continued onto the PCLL Programme, her choice for CUHK was a conscious and deliberate one. Looking back, she said it was definitely the correct one too. She found her experience to be both rewarding and heartwarming. Learning skills and forging friendships that last long after the completion of the programme. For those thinking about choosing PCLL at CUHK, her advice is to enjoy the course and do not be afraid to try new things. It is okay to choose, for example, the trial advocacy course, even if you are not the best public speaker. We often surprise ourselves in how much fun it is to step out of our comfort zone.
After graduating, Wenwen joined Baker & McKenzie as a trainee solicitor and qualified into its Tax Practice Group as an associate in September 2016. She was admitted as a lawyer in the state of New South Wales, Australia in November 2016 and admitted as a solicitor in Hong Kong in February 2017. Her current practice includes tax advisory and litigation as well as wealth management work. On why she has decided to pursue such a niche practice area, she said, “Because it is one of the most intriguing practice areas I tried as a trainee. Admittedly this was entirely unexpected. On some level it is incredibly relevant to our daily lives – everyone pays tax, however grudgingly. Other times, it can be very technical and theoretical. It is a very personal choice. At the end of the day, we should all try to find an area we enjoy.”
Terence SIU
“Change” is always an indispensable part of Terence’s DNA – leaving his family to pursue college education in the US, moving his career from the IT to legal field and opting to become a regulator shortly after having qualified as a solicitor, not to mention his decision to take on a one-year secondment as a personal assistant to the CEO of the SFC last year.
When facing changes, Terence will take a positive view. While it is inevitable that changes would give rise to insecurity and uncertainty, with a well-defined goal, a determined mind and appropriate preparation, a lot of these negative feelings could in fact be overcome. In some circumstances, changes could even broaden one’s horizon, lead to new opportunities and bring unforeseeable benefits. In his own experience, such belief is particularly true in relation to his move from being an IT professional to a legal practitioner, which has provided him with exposure to the regulatory arena and led him to the path of being a securities regulator.
Apart from that, the decision to take up the secondment as a personal assistant to the CEO is another classic example. With the goal of further developing his career as a regulator, Terence decided to leave his comfort zone and embarked on a journey which, in hindsight, was tough yet rewarding. During his secondment, Terence had close relationship with the CEO and other senior members of the SFC. He was involved in a number of matters which, as he suggested, were definitely beyond his expertise. While his secondment experience could be challenging from time to time, Terence was able to acquire a deeper understanding of how different divisions in the SFC operate as well as developing a “thinking out of the silo” mentality which is invaluable and helpful to his subsequent role after the secondment. On top of that, having an opportunity to work closely with the most senior executives of a prominent regulator is itself priceless.
Reflecting on the time since his completion of the PCLL, Terence is grateful for the high quality legal education that he received at the Faculty of Law of the CUHK. The practicality of the JD & PCLL’s curriculum has provided him the essential tools for surviving in the fast-paced, complex and ever-changing environment we are facing nowadays. On that note, Terence is also thankful for the guidance, encouragement and support from his professors and fellow classmates. Without any one of them, his journey would never be as fruitful as what he has encountered.