Michael Hor grew up and went to school in Ipoh, Malaysia, before going to Singapore to read for an LLB. On graduation he joined the Singapore Legal Service where he administered bankruptcies and companies in liquidation and sat as a Magistrate. He joined the Faculty of Law, National University of Singapore and went off to Oxford University to read for a BCL. On his return he became a Lecturer at the Faculty. He is qualified as an Advocate and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Singapore, and also read for an LLM in the University of Chicago.

He specializes in most matters related to criminal justice. He has taught and published in criminal law, evidence, and criminal procedure. He has been a Consultant to the Ministry of Law, Singapore, and the Criminal Practice Committee of the Law Society of Singapore. He has also been Chief Editor of the Singapore Journal of Legal Studies, a member of the editorial boards of the Singapore Academy of Law Journal and the Asian Journal of Comparative Law, and an advisor to the Singapore Law Review and the Criminal Justice Club, NUS. He has also been Chairman of the Faculty Search (Hiring) Committee and a member of the Faculty Promotion and Tenure Committee, NUS.

He has been a Distinguished Visitor at the Law Faculty of the University of Toronto, a Visitor at the Oxford Centre for Criminology, and Visiting Professor at the University of Hong Kong Law Faculty, where he was also an advisor to its Centre for Comparative and Public Law.

He considers it an honour and a heavy responsibility to have been appointed to the Faculty of Law, University of Hong Kong, and looks forward to working with the Faculty, its students, administrators and teachers to build and improve its achievements and reputation.