Bar Association chair communicates with legal professionals worldwide at Commonwealth Conference

Jose-Antonio Maurellet, the Hong Kong Bar Association chairman, continued his trip in Malta and participated in the biennial Commonwealth Law Conference.

Maurellet said Wednesday (Apr 9) that he communicated with legal leaders from various jurisdictions in the conference and all of them are actively consolidating public confidence in the judicial system. 

He noted that legal professionals from different jurisdictions agreed that the independence of the judiciary is crucial for upholding the rule of law, and rejecting any groundless attacks against judges. 

During a discussion session, Maurellet said the legal professionals agreed and respected the tripartite separation of executive, legislative and judicial power. 

A judge from a European nation articulated that while fact-based commentary from the public regarding court judgments is a component of open justice, unfounded attacks that seek to undermine the competence and integrity of judges are entirely unacceptable.

The five-day conference, organized by the Commonwealth Lawyers Association (CLA) at the Hilton Portomaso, St Julian’s and kicked off on Sunday (Apr 6), attracted around 600 delegates including some of the finest legal professionals in the world to discuss issues of interest to the profession.