The Bar: 1985–2001 Cheung was
called to the Hong Kong Bar in 1985 as a pupil of
Audrey Eu and began private practice the following year in the chambers of
Henry Litton. His practice mainly involved civil and commercial cases. In 1995, he was admitted as an advocate and solicitor of the
Supreme Court of Singapore. In June 2011, Cheung succeeded
Geoffrey Ma as the
Chief Judge of the High Court and President of the
Court of Appeal, making him the fourth local judge to hold this position. In his speech to the Legislative Council moving the resolution to endorse Cheung's appointment, the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr.
Henry Tang, described Cheung as an outstanding lawyer with the ability to handle difficult and complex cases and the potential of being a good administrator of the High Court. He was elected an Honorary
Bencher of
Lincoln's Inn in 2017. On 21 March 2018, the
Judiciary announced his appointment as a Permanent Judge of the
Court of Final Appeal with effect from 25 October 2018, succeeding
Robert Tang. Cheung's appointment was accompanied by the appointments of
Baroness Hale and
Beverley McLachlin as Non-Permanent Judges of the city's top court. He held the office of
Chief Judge of the High Court for 7 years, 127 days – the longest serving of the four judges who had served in the role. Cheung is a member of the
Judicial Officers Recommendation Commission, which makes recommendations to the
Chief Executive on judicial appointments. He is a member of the
Law Reform Commission and also chairs or is a member of various committees and working parties within the
Judiciary. Cheung was announced as the 3rd
Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal on 24 March 2020, succeeding Geoffrey Ma. His appointment took effect on 11 January 2021. He is the first local law graduate to be appointed Hong Kong's Chief Justice. ==References==