The Honourable Andrew Li Kwok Nang served as the First Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China from July 1997 to August 2010. As Chief Justice, he presided in that Court and was the Head of the Judiciary charged with its administration.
He has been widely recognized as a great Chief Justice who provided visionary leadership.1 He has left “an indelible mark in the annals of the history of the HKSAR”.2 He was “the main impetus” in the development of the Court of Final Appeal.3
He was born in Hong Kong in December 1948 into a well-known family originally from Heshan in Guangdong. He was educated at St Paul’s Co-Educational College and its Primary School and Repton School in England and graduated from Cambridge University. He practiced at the Hong Kong Bar from 1973 and was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 1988.
Before 1997, his community service had included serving as a member of the Executive Council, the Chairman of the University Grants Committee, and a Steward of the Jockey Club. His contribution was recognized in 1993 by the award of the Commander of the British Empire.
Thirteen honorary degrees have been conferred on him, including nine by universities in Hong Kong, Tsinghua University, the University of Oxford, and the University of New South Wales. His awards include the Grand Bauhinia Medal by the Hong Kong Government in 2008 and the Woodrow Wilson Award for Public Service.