Mr Peter Sit Kien-ping, Senior Partner of Sit, Fung, Kwong & Shum, has dedicated over 40 years to the legal sector. He was inducted into the Law Society of Hong Kong’s Roll of Honour in 2018 for his invaluable contributions to the legal profession. Passionate about nurturing the next generation of professionals, Mr Sit has played a vital role in advancing higher education. Serving as a PolyU Council Member from 2015 to 2021 and as a Court Member since 2021, Mr Sit has offered a wealth of professional advice to the University, while also undertaking significant responsibilities on numerous committees.
Mr Peter Sit Kien-ping, Senior Partner of the highly-regarded law firm Sit, Fung, Kwong & Shum, has been serving the legal sector for over 40 years. Abided by the motto “quantum potes, tantum aude”, or “do as much as you are able” in English, Mr Sit has spared no effort in any endeavour, both as a solicitor and as an advocate for progressive reforms in legal practice.
In 2018, Mr Sit was inducted into the Roll of Honour of the Law Society of Hong Kong in recognition of his distinguished contribution to the legal sector, the development of the legal profession, and the practice of law in Hong Kong. This prestigious list celebrates the outstanding achievement of solicitors. Only 40-odd practitioners have made it to the list since the Society was founded in 1907. Serving on the Council of the Law Society from 1995 to 2000, Mr Sit contributed his valuable time and expertise to the Society by joining numerous committees over the years including chairing the Hong Kong Lawyer Editorial Board, and the Standing Committee on Compliance. Highly optimistic about the future of the Greater Bay Area (GBA), Mr Sit is among the second cohort of Hong Kong lawyers qualified to practice in GBA.
Once an examiner and a part-time lecturer, Mr Sit is enthusiastic about educating the next generations of professionals. His dedication to this cause is evident in his longstanding commitment to PolyU. Having served as a Council Member from 2015 to 2021, and as a Court Member from 2021, he actively contributes to steering the University towards continuous advancement. Throughout his tenure, Mr Sit has provided invaluable professional advice to the University, he also played a crucial role in various committees including the Governance Committee, Campus Development Committee, Task Force on Governance Report of University Grants Committee (UGC), and several search committees for senior management of the University.
Mr Sit believes in an “industry approach” to legal practice in a bid to improve efficiency and uncork the bottlenecks in the judiciary system, as well as to recruit more practitioners and attract more students to pursue an education and a career in law-related sectors. He also believes the education sector may benefit from an industry-university-research approach where the contents of curricula and knowledge align with evolving social needs and contexts.
Chairman Lam, University Council Members, President Teng and honoured guests,
I am deeply humbled and very honoured to be awarded a University Fellowship by The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU). I always knew PolyU was a world-class institution providing quality higher education to students, equipping them with sufficient knowledge, skill sets and confidence to be leaders of our beloved city Hong Kong and beyond. Yet, it was only when I became a Council Member of PolyU that I realised its profundity, diversity, and its noble vision and mission for its students and researchers ‘to learn and to apply, for the benefit of mankind’.
During those six years as a Council Member from 2015 to 2021, and now as a Court Member of the University, I have had the opportunity to chair the Governance Committee to draft a Code of Practice on Governance for PolyU, participate in search committees for senior management of the University, and join the Campus Development Committee and Task Force on Governance Report of UGC, as well as the Task Force on recovering much-needed campus areas for the University.
The above meaningful work allows me to apply the knowledge I have gained from my legal practice since 1978 in an educational setting, quite different from other law-related public services I had performed, such as being a member of the Inland Revenue Board of Review, Standing Committee on Directorate Salaries and Conditions of Service, Air Transport Licensing Authority, and Town Planning Appeal Board Panel.
Currently, the Judiciary of Hong Kong is undergoing updates to render its processes more efficient and user-friendly. Litigants want the judgments handed down in six weeks and not six months, their disputes resolved in six months and not six years. Practitioners need accurate, instant and multilingual transcription services so that all the parties in a court room can together review, refer to and more importantly rely on the transcribed evidence given by witnesses. We need good software to build and prepare both hard and soft copy bundles for trial judges and litigation parties in days, not weeks, before a trial.
Some commercial providers offer transcription services and litigation support to litigants at exorbitant prices, implying the rich get better service and defeating the notion that all people are treated equally under the law. I suppose PolyU is in a unique position to offer affordable and proper tools to both practitioners and the judiciary. The legal services in Hong Kong should enjoy the patronage of not only Hong Kong people, but also compatriots and others in nearby cities and countries.
I believe the legal profession can benefit much from PolyU’s research outcomes in resolving those challenges. It is my wish that I can be part of that meaningful venture.
