CUHK appoints former top judge Ma as honorary prof

Retired chief justice Geoffrey Ma Tao-li has been appointed an honorary professor of law by Chinese University.

Ma, 65, will play an important role in advising the law faculty on the development of legal education, CUHK said.

President Rocky Tuan Sung-chi said the university is honored to welcome Ma, whom he also "sincerely thanked" for accepting the appointment.

"Ma has served on the Hong Kong judiciary for over two decades and his contributions to the legal system and legal education are tremendous," Tuan said.

"His wealth of experience and legal expertise are bound to bring valuable benefits to our students."

Dean of law Lutz-Christian Wolff said: "We are delighted to have such an outstanding personality on board. Students and colleagues will gain a lot from working with [Ma]."

Ma retired as the chief justice in January - a position he had held since 2010. Before joining the judiciary in 2000, he was in private practice in Hong Kong and Singapore and was appointed Queen's Counsel in 1993. Ma is currently a patron of the Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law and the International Advocacy Training Council.

The CUHK appointment came days after Ma's post-retirement career came to light as he confirmed he will serve as an international arbitrator in Hong Kong, Britain and Singapore in an effort to "keep up with the law."

Ma's decision raised some eyebrows as people in the legal circle expressed concern regarding the potential for conflicts of interests.

In response, Ma said many retired judges become arbitrators as he declined to comment further "without knowing the details behind why those concerns arose." It is understood he will be a door tenant at Temple Chambers in Hong Kong, where he was head of chambers prior to his judicial appointment in 2000.

Ma also raised concerns in March over a "strange provision" in the national security law that allows the chief executive to appoint judges to handle national security cases.

But he later tried to allay fears by saying judges are to be designated from the existing pool.

He said he supposed it is an important protective measure to ensure that justice is done or is seen to be done.

michael.shum@singtaonewscorp.com