On 27 January 2018, PILnet Hong Kong hosted the inaugural Law for Change Student Competition Conference and Award Ceremony, sponsored by the WYNG Foundation. The event was held at the Miller Theater at the Asia Society Hong Kong Center and was the culmination of the Law for Change Student Competition which was launched in September 2017.
This competition paired law students and pro bono lawyers together to develop innovative solutions to entrenched social justices needs in Hong Kong, while raising general awareness about the role of law as a tool for change.
In Fall 2017, six competition finalists were selected and matched with their legal mentors to develop full proposals around the chosen theme of this year’s competition, “Equality”. At the conference and award ceremony, the finalists made presentations on their projects and their proposals were evaluated by the panel of judges, which included The Honourable Mr. Justice Kemal Bokhary, Prof. Raees Baig, and Mr. Robert Precht who are experts on the rule of law and social justice issues in Hong Kong.
The winner of the competition was “OUTLET” (Outreach Legal Talks Initiative), a student team from University of Hong Kong (HKU) consisting of team members: Ms Hansika Agrawal, Ms Kim Soyoung, Ms Veronika Kramar Mandelj, and Mr Yuen Man Yiu. OUTLET will be awarded a seed grant of HK$50,000 to implement their project in the next 12 months. Their project aims to provide free talks by law students directly to elderly and subdivided flat tenants on common legal issues as a preventive measure to avoid legal problems from arising.
The finalists’ dynamic and diverse proposals were extraordinary examples of how the law can be used as a tool for social change in bringing forth equality, especially for the low-income and vulnerable communities in Hong Kong. The student teams presented their proposals to the judges and audience members with enthusiasm, and student teams confidently demonstrated knowledge in their respective topics during an engaging Q&A period with the judges.
Shortlisted project proposals address a variety of access to justice issues in Hong Kong:
| Project Title | Team Members | |
| Team 1 | Equalising Rights of the Intellectually Disabled in the Context of Access to Justice and Political Participation | Ms Ho Hiu Ching Cherry, Ms Law Yuen Shan, Ms Tang Wai Ching and Ms Woo Hiu Ching from University of Hong Kong |
| Team 2 | What Are We Abandoning: Scavengers or Trash | Ms Ip Yun Yi Angela and Ms Wai Lok Yan Venisa from University of Hong Kong |
| Team 3 | Community Mediation Clinic | Tang Chuen Ngai Matthew from Chinese University of Hong Kong, Ms Chow Tuen Ting Tiffany, Ms Kwan Kei Yan Rhoda from University of Hong Kong and Ms Tan Ning Sang Jessica and Ms Kobayashi Lui Yukiko from University of Cambridge |
| Team 4 | Outreach Legal Talks Initiative (“OUTLET”) | Ms Hansika Agrawal, Ms Kim Soyoung, Ms Veronika Kramar Mandelj and Mr Yuen Man Yiu from University of Hong Kong |
| Team 5 | Mobile App Just Law | Ms Li Pui Wun Alison, Ms Kwok Yuet Yi from University of Hong Kong and Ms Tse Yik Ting from Chinese University of Hong Kong |
| Team 6 | Nutri-care | Ms Liu Ho Yee Bobbo, Ms Li Tin Wai Tiffany and Ms Murjana Marafa from City University of Hong Kong |
Click here to read or download the student proposals.
Click here to read a follow up interview with this year’s winning team, OUTLET.
Once again, PILnet would like to thank all our supporters and partners who have dedicated their time, resources, and expertise in contributing to the success of PILnet’s inaugural Law for Change Student Competition. PILnet will be organising the competition again this year in the fall.
