Family Court (Hong Kong)

The Family Court of Hong Kong is a court (part of the District Court)[1] which mainly deals with cases relating to divorces and welfare maintenance for children.[2]

Family Court (Hong Kong)
LocationHong Kong
Authorized byHong Kong Basic Law
Websitehttp://www.judiciary.gov.hk/en/index/index.htm
Principal Family Judge
CurrentlyHis Honour Judge C K Chan

Composition

The current Judges sitting in the Family Court (as at 21 August 2019) are (ranked according to seniority):[3]

Principal Family Judge

  • His Honour Judge Chan Chan-kok

District Judges

  • Her Honour Judge Sharon Melloy
  • His Honour Judge Hebert Au-Yeung Ho-wing
  • His Honour Judge Simon Lo Kit-man
  • His Honour Judge George Own
  • His Honour Judge Ivan Wong Lai-wing
  • His Honour Judge Pang Ka-kwong

Deputy District Judges

  • Deputy District Judge Josephine Chow Pok-fun
  • Deputy District Judge Susan Wong
  • Deputy District Judge Michelle Lam Mei-sze
  • Deputy District Judge Doris To Kit-ling

Divorce law

Hong Kong residents can start a petition for divorce only if having been married for at least 1 year and be able to prove reasons (or "grounds") for saying that the marriage has irretrievably broken down. They have to fill in a petition form and take it personally to the Family Court Registry. If the couple jointly apply to the court, they should together fill in a joint application form. If there are children of the family who are under the age of 18, Their custody and access must be included. Petitioners seeking legal advice can contact The Duty Lawyer Service's free Legal Advice Scheme for preliminary legal advice including matrimonial law in District Offices.

Family mediation

The Family Court holds family mediation designed to help couples who are divorcing or separating reach their own mutually acceptable agreements about ongoing arrangements for their children and / or how to resolve financial matters.

It is a voluntary process in which a specially trained, impartial third person, the mediator, seeks to help both sides to communicate effectively and to negotiate issues in dispute, all in a completely confidential setting.

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gollark: * reasons

References
  1. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 28 August 2005. Retrieved 26 June 2016.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 15 September 2008. Retrieved 20 September 2008.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. "Hong Kong Judiciary: List of Judges and Judicial Officers". Archived from the original on 6 January 2018. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
  • "Hong Kong Family Court Tables" published by the Hong Kong Family Law Association, includes essential information, such as a summary of family law principles, guide to case law and statutes, and a glossary of relevant terms related to the Hong Kong Family Court.
  • "Keith Hotten on Family Law in Hong Kong" includes updated information on Hong Kong family law.

See also
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