Mr Justice Mohan Bharwaney, SBS, SC, FCIArb
包華禮先生
Admitted to the Hong Kong Bar in 1978, he has been in private practice as a Barrister and, later, as a Senior Counsel for over 30 years. He has appeared in all levels of courts, including the Privy Council and the Court of Final Appeal. He is a specialist in Insurance Law, Commercial Law, Personal Injuries and Medical Negligence.
He was appointed to the High Court of Hong Kong in 2010 and served for 11 years before retiring to return to his previous practice as an Arbitrator and a Mediator. He was appointed as Judge in Charge of Personal Injuries List for 9 years from May 2010 to May 2019. He was also appointed as Judge in Charge of Commercial List from August 2012 to November 2014. He has served as a Member of the Civil Justice Reform Monitoring Committee from April 2012 to April 2020. He was also appointed as Panel Judge under the Interception of Communications and Surveillance Ordinance from October 2014 to October 2020.
He was a Member of the Panel of Arbitrators of the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre from 2003 to 2009. He has been reinstated as a Member of the Panel of Arbitrators after his retirement from the Judiciary. He has been a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators since 2015. He has been on the ARIAS Asia Panel of Arbitrators since March 2023. He now enjoys an active arbitration practice and has delivered final awards in commercial and insurance related arbitration proceedings.
He has been a CEDR Accredited Mediator since 2009 and a HKMAAL Accredited Mediator since 2013. He has been on the ARIAS Asia Panel of Mediators since November 2022. He now also enjoys an active mediation practice, relating to personal injury cases and commercial disputes, with a high success rate.
His services and activities related to the legal field include, amongst others:
2009 to 2025 Adjunct Professor, Department of Professional Legal Education, HKU;
Member of the Sub-Committee of the Law Reform Commission on Periodical Payments for Future Pecuniary Loss in Personal Injury Cases since March 2015. The Sub-Committee’s Final Report was published on 19 January 2023.
"Try to follow your heart as much as possible."
You've got to understand that it's always a balance between heart and mind. What does your heart desire? What are your passions? And on the rational side, what do you need to do? One of my saddest moments was on the last day of her pupillage, my pupil told me she would become a solicitor instead. I immediately asked her if I had done anything wrong. But she told me it was due to the certainty of a pay cheque at the end of the month. One may really need that pay cheque at the end of the month, whereas your passion is to be a barrister and to advocate in court. But if you need the pay cheque, the mind will say, you better become a solicitor. And that pupil is a senior partner now. Probably she is earning a lot more than she would have been had she become a barrister. It's always a fine balance. But I would say you've got to follow your heart as well. Try to follow your heart as much as possible.
Glossary
Key terms to aid your reading experience.
HKU Experience
LLB (Bachelor of Laws)
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An undergraduate law degree in common law jurisdictions, currently offered in Hong Kong by the University of Hong Kong, Chinese University of Hong Kong, and City University of Hong Kong.
JD (Juris Doctor)
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A graduate-entry professional degree preparing individuals for law practice. In the U.S. and Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree.
PCLL (Postgraduate Certificate in Laws)
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A mandatory professional qualification program in Hong Kong that prepares law graduates to become solicitors or barristers.
Hall of residence
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Living in a residential hall is an HKU tradition, fostering independence and close interaction among students from diverse backgrounds.
HKU Law Campuses
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Caine Road Campus (1969 - 1973)
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Knowles Building (1973 - 1989)
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K.K. Leung Building (1989 - 2012)
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Cheng Yu Tung Tower (2012 - present)
UK Postgraduate Education
United Kingdom Bar Exams (“London Bar Final”) (formerly in place)
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A now-obsolete two-part qualification exam for aspiring barristers wishing to practice in the UK or Hong Kong, held three times a year at three-month intervals. Graduates could take multiple exams simultaneously, often sitting them early after graduation or the next summer.
Training
Traineeship
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Aspiring solicitors who completed the PCLL must be employed under a two-year training contract with a law firm to qualify as solicitors. This period is also referred to as an “articleship” in some interviews.
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Non-law graduates were previously able to serve five years as a solicitor’s clerk to qualify as solicitors. The significance of this system subsequently waned due to the popularisation of legal education.
Pupillage
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Aspiring barristers who completed the PCLL must complete a one-year pupillage, assisting barristers with case research, drafting, court attendance, and other tasks to qualify as barristers.