The Faculty of Law is delighted to share that students from the LLM in Maritime Law Specialisation enjoyed an engaging and enjoyable seminar and junk trip hosted by Reed Smith Richards Butler LLP earlier this month.
The event brought together students from this newly launched LLM specialisation programme, which commenced in September 2025, for an afternoon of intellectual exchange and professional networking on Hong Kong’s picturesque waters.
Learning and Dialogue
During the seminar section, Mr Li Lianjun, a senior parter and head of Commercial and Shipping Litigation Practice of Reed Smith Richards Butler LLP, delivered an insightful presentation introducing the firm’s international practice and offering an overview of Hong Kong maritime, shipping, and admiralty law.
Mr Li’s talk sparked lively discussion among students, who were eager to deepen their understanding of the practical and regulatory challenges facing today’s maritime sector. Mr Li’s vast international experience provided valuable perspectives on how Hong Kong continues to play a pivotal role as a maritime legal and arbitration hub in Asia. Students were particularly interested in the firm’s structure and career perspective in the shipping law area.
Professional Networking at Sea
Following the seminar, participants embarked on a junk trip and seafood dinner, continuing their conversations in a relaxed and informal setting. The Faculty was honored to be joined by Mr Kumar Abhishek Singh, a founding partner of Anoma Legal, one of the leading commercial and shipping law firms in India Ms Zhang Chen, a senior lecturer of Guangzhou Marine Navigation Institute/Maritime Law and Transportation Management School of Guangzhou Jiaotong University (being set up), Ms Amy Lam and Ms Cynthia Wu of Reed Smith and Hong Kong University Alumni, all of whom shared their professional insights and experiences with students throughout the evening.
The trip offered a wonderful opportunity for HKU LLM (Maritime Law) students to connect personally with respected practitioners in the maritime law community. Against the backdrop of Hong Kong’s skyline and harbour views, the event fostered camaraderie, mentorship, and a shared appreciation of maritime tradition and legal scholarship.
A Promising Start for the New Programme
Launched in September 2025, the LLM in Maritime Law specialisation aims to prepare students for careers in the international shipping, trade, and dispute‑resolution sectors by combining rigorous academic training with close engagement with leading law firms and industry experts. This seminar and junk outing marked the programme’s first extracurricular event.
The Faculty expresses its thanks to our gracious hosts at Reed Smith Richards Butler LLP, and to all distinguished guests who joined us in making this event both intellectually enriching and memorably enjoyable.