Hong Kong Cases

Hong Kong Cases is the only complete series of law reports covering court decisions dating back to 1842 when common law was first applied in Hong Kong.

A cite to behold

Hong Kong Cases selects judgments based on the legal value of the case, frequently reporting cases
with legal points which might not have been previously dealt with

Since 1842

The only law report series in Hong that includes a selection of judgments from the period 1842 – 1941
that are still cited today. A notable example is the 1914 decision in lbrahim v The King, which has been
and continues to be cited in common law courts around the world on the admissibility of inculpatory
statements in criminal proceedings.

We're on the case

"You need a guide like the headnote to tell you whether it's going to be fruitful to
read the entire judgment." - William S Clarke

Providing you a quick answer without having to pore through hundreds of pages of the judgment

Clarity and consistency

Headnotes have been regularly lauded for their style, providing case details and in-depth analysis with the practitioner in mind.

Comprehensive and timely

Covers all areas of Hong Kong Law, and important judgments are reported quickly and accurately every two weeks.

Strong cross-referencing

Citations are linked to all our other major works such as Halsbury's Laws of Hong Kong, The Annotated Ordinances of Hong Kong and other commentary works which means that no important reference is excluded.

Smart and cohesive headnoting

Headnotes include para references to the judgments for ease of reference to the judgment on a particular point because the reader may only be interested in one or two of several different issues covered in a particular judgment.

From the Author's Desk

Bill Clarke, Former General Editor of Hong Kong Cases on what makes a case significant and worthy of reporting.

When research is being conducted on a particular legal point, the judges, practitioners and academics, like to have a quick entree into the judgment so they know what it's about and whether it's worth reading the whole thing in order to help solve the particular legal problem which they are facing.

Headnotes have always had that role, and have always been very popular with lawyers but I think headnotes are even more important now because judgments have become much longer than they used to be.

William S ClarkeFormer General Editor, Hong Kong Cases

I always prefer Hong Kong Cases. Its superior selection and professional format make research so much easier.

Prof. Alice LeeDepartment of Law, University of Law

More Information

Updates: Reported cases are published bi-weekly in looseparts and bi-monthly in bound volume. Hong Kong Cases Unreported and Casebase are updated daily on our database

Format: HKC available in Looseparts, Bound Volumes & Lexis Advance^® Hong Kong; HKCU & Casebase are online only publications

Consultant Editorial Board

PY Lo, Barrister, General Editor

I Grenville Cross, SBS, QC, SC, Director of Public Prosecutions, Hong Kong (1997-2009); Vice-Chairman, Senate, International Association of Prosecutors, Sentencing Editor

WS Clarke, BA, LLB, LLM, General Editor (2007-2018)

Vinci WS Lam, Senior Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions

Malcolm Merry, Barrister, Adjunct Professor and Former Head of the Department of Professional Legal Education, Faculty of Law, University of Hong Kong

Judith Sihombing, Faculty of Law, Chinese University of Hong Kong