Jimmy Ma Appointed to the Panal of Mediators for Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area (2024)

On 30 December 2024, the legal departments of Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao jointly published the Unified List of Mediators for the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area (2024) online. Liberty Chambers Jimmy Ma SBS JP was appointed.

Today (13 January 13), the Department of Justice held a certificate presentation ceremony for Greater Bay Area mediators at the Former French Mission Building (previously the Court of Final Appeal). The Secretary for Justice, Mr Paul Lam Ting-kwok, and the Deputy Secretary for Justice, Mr Cheung Kwok-kwan, attended the event.

Mr Lam remarked that the three governments, having regard to the distinctive features of their respective mediation regimes, have successfully turned “differences in systems” into “advantages of systems” by issuing a series of unified rules. These include qualification and assessment standards for Greater Bay Area mediators, a code of best practices for professional conduct, and model rules for cross-border dispute mediation.

He expressed the hope that all the mediators present would make even greater contributions to the development of the Greater Bay Area in their future work.

Inclusion on the List Represents Recognition of Professional Competence

Mr Lam explained that the mediator list was jointly prepared by the Department of Justice of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, the Department of Justice of Guangdong Province, and the Legal and Judicial Affairs Bureau of the Macao Special Administrative Region Government. It was endorsed by the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area Mediation Working Committee and approved by the Joint Conference of the Legal Departments of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao.

He emphasised that being included on the list is both an affirmation of the mediators’ professional abilities and recognition of their contributions to advancing the rule of law and dispute resolution in the Greater Bay Area.

Furthermore, Mr Lam believes that these unified rules, together with the shared mediator list that serves as a common standard across the three jurisdictions, establish a solid institutional framework for promoting the wider adoption of mediation throughout the Greater Bay Area. He likened the interconnection and mutual referencing of these rules to the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macao Bridge that physically links the three places, stating that they will create a “high ground” for the alignment of rules and mechanisms, and help position the Greater Bay Area as a preferred venue for international commercial dispute resolution.