HONG KONG BAR ASSOCIATION
2
The Rt Hon. Sir Alec Douglas-Home
25th January, 1973
In
The Chief Justice of Hong Kong, as administrative head of a large and variegated Judiciary, fulfils functions much wider than that of a Puisne Judge. Hong Kong, the Chief Justice performs many of the functions which are individually performed in England by the Lord Chief Justice, the Lord Chancellor, the President of the Probate, Divorce and Admiralty Division and the Master of the Rolls. In Court he is a Judge, but out of Court he is both Judge and Administrator. The qualities necessary for the office of Chief Justice require time and experience for maturity. The Chief Justice has to be personally acquainted with all the court officials, heads of tribunals, magistrates, judges, lawyers and practitioners of all kinds and bears direct personal responsibility in respect of all appointments. Further, the Chief Justice has to see that the Judiciary as a whole is matching up adequately to the demands made upon it by a rapidly developing community. This task is the more exacting at present in that Hong Kong is undergoing a period of unprecedented change and development.
Since his appointment as Chief Justice of Hong Kong on 14th January, 1970, Sir Ivo Rigby has taken on the burden of his office with great vigour and has been quick to appreciate the full measure of his heavy responsibilities. But, however talented a Chief Justice might be, he requires time for the full measure of his actions to take effect. The grooming-in period for a Chief Justice could properly be regarded as an investment of the community in his high office. The legal profession in Hong Kong feels that this investment would be prematurely cut short if Sir Ivo Rigby were to retire in May this year.
The demands upon the personal resources of the Chief Justice of Hong Kong are great and these demands increase with the growing sophistication and development of Hong Kong as a centre of industry, commerce and finance. Since the appointment on the 14th January, 1970 Sir Ivo Rigby has initiated and successfully implemented a large number of needed reform in the administration of justice in the Colony, thus ensuring that the service
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