Class actions in Hong Kong– yes, no, maybe

Abstract

Although the Civil Justice Reform brought about many changes to the Hong Kong courts, multi-party claims are still governed by rules whose origins are over a hundred years old. In 2006, the Hong Kong Law Reform Commission undertook the task of considering whether a scheme for multi-party litigation should be adopted in Hong Kong and, if so, to make whatever recommendations were needed to bring this into being. The Law Reform Commission eventually proposed the creation of a ‘class action regime’. This proposal has met with a mixed response from the legal profession, industry groups and the wider public. Its fate may soon be decided by a cross-sector working group chaired by the Solicitor General.