Ambrose Lam

In this Hong Kong name, the surname is Lam. In accordance with Hong Kong custom, the Western-style name is Ambrose Lam and the Chinese-style name is Lam San-keung.
Ambrose Lam
林新強
Lam in 2023
Member of the Legislative Council
In office
1 January 2022 – 31 December 2025
Preceded byDennis Kwok (2020)
Succeeded byNicholas Chan
ConstituencyLegal
President of the Law Society of Hong Kong
In office
21 May 2013 – 19 August 2014
Preceded byDieter Yih
Succeeded byStephen Hung
Personal details
BornAugust 1961 (age 64)
Hong Kong
Alma materUniversity of Essex
OccupationSolicitor

Ambrose Lam San-keung JP (Chinese: 林新強; born August 1961) is a Hong Kong solicitor and former politician. He was a member of the Legislative Council representing legal functional constituency from 2022 to 2025 and the president of the Law Society, the professional association for solicitors in Hong Kong, from 2013[1] until his resignation in 2014.[2]

As president of the Law Society, he was known for his outspoken support for Beijing,[3] having made various comments in 2014 in support of a government-proposed electoral reform and the Chinese Communist Party.[4] These comments culminated in his resignation.[5]

Early life and education

Lam San-keung was born in Hong Kong[6] in August 1961. He studied at the University of Essex and graduated with a Bachelor of Laws.

Lam was admitted as a solicitor in Hong Kong in 1988.[7][8] In 1991, he founded the law firm Lam Lee & Lai as a partner, specialising in conveyancing and commercial law.[7]

He was then admitted in Singapore and in England and Wales in 1993.[8] In 2003, he was appointed as a China-Appointed Attesting Officer by the Chinese Ministry of Justice. Lam had also been a mediator for the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission, the Guangzhou Arbitration Commission, the Xiamen Arbitration Commission and the Shenzhen Court of International Arbitration.[8]

In 2014, Lam, Lee & Lai's joint venture with a mainland Chinese firm was approved as the first joint-operation firm to operate in the Qianhai special economic zone in Shenzhen.[6][9] In 2016, Lam became a partner at L&Y Law Office[10] and remained until February 2018.[11] The next month, Lam founded his firm, Ambrose Lam & Co.[12] In May, Lam's firm established an association with the Hong Kong branch of Grandall Law Firm, and a year later, in April 2019, Lam joined F. Zimmern & Co as a managing partner, merging his business into the firm.[13]

The Law Society of Hong Kong

In 2004, Lam joined the Council of the Law Society.[7] He was first elected as a vice-president of the society in 2011.[7] He also led 12 candidates and council members to participate in the 2011 Election Committee subsector elections, but none of them were successful.[1]

Presidency

Lam was elected president of the society in May 2013.[14] Five months into the office, Lam criticised the Occupy Central movement that planned to block roads in the business district of Central if the Hong Kong government did not advance a plan for "full democracy" in the 2017 Chief Executive election.[15]

In June 2014, during which an electoral reform proposal was discussed, the State Council Information Office published a white paper that said Hong Kong judges have the "political requirement" of loving China and described them as one of the city's "administrators" responsible for safeguarding China's "sovereignty, security and development interests".[16] The paper was welcomed by Chinese state media,[17] the Hong Kong government and pro-Beijing politicians in the city,[18] and was criticised by the Hong Kong legal sector for undermining judicial independence.[19][20][4]

Lam said the white paper's patriotism requirement did not undermine judicial independence and that classifying the judiciary as "administrators" was not a cause of concern[21][22] because the broad definition of "administration" includes all three branches of government.[23] His views were criticised by other lawyers but he refused to withdraw his comments.[24] In a later interview about the white paper, he said he admired the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and described it as "very great" but "flawed",[25][26] which drew further criticism.[24] He later attributed his opinion to a 1979 incident at a European airport, when a flight attendant closed the gate on him as he ran late — an act he believed was discrimination because he was Chinese.[6]

In response to Lam's opinions on the white paper, three solicitors, including Kevin Yam and Priscilla Choy, tabled a non-binding motion of no confidence against him that would be voted on by Law Society members.[27] Before the vote, Apple Daily also alleged that Lam and his wife, Pamela Ku, had profited from a conflict of interest arising from an agreement to operate a conference centre.[28] The report led Lam to sue Apple Daily and its editor-in-chief Cheung Kim-hung for defamation.[29]

Three days before the no-confidence vote, Lam told Law Society members that his views were consistent with those of others on the Law Society leadership. He also said his opinion on the CCP was "personal" and criticised the extraordinary general meeting called for the vote as the "beginnings of politicisation".[29]

Members of the Law Society passed the motion against Lam on 14 August with 2,392 votes (62%) in favour and 1,478 votes against.[30][3] Another resolution was passed requesting Lam withdraw his statement in support of the white paper, with 2,574 votes for (65%) and 1,367 against.[30] Solicitors faced pressure from some mainland Chinese clients[31] and mainland-linked firms not to support the motion.[4]

Lam resigned as president five days after the motion was passed.[5] Lam had declined interviews by Hong Kong media.[32]

Political career

After resigning as president of the Law Society, Lam continued to be active in public life. In 2016, he and 11 other pro-Beijing figures in the legal sector urged the Hong Kong government to prosecute advocates of Hong Kong independence for sedition.[33]

Member of the Legislative Council

Lam contested the legal functional constituency in the 2021 general election against his only opponent, Chen Xiaofeng of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong & Macao Studies,[34] who campaigned on a platform of "no change".[35] It was the first time only pro-Beijing candidates ran in the constituency, which had long been considered a safe seat for pan-democratic candidates before the electoral changes of 2021.[36]

During his campaign, he said he had "little personal opinion" on the legislation of Article 23 being drafted by the government and refused to comment on whether the law should make jury trials optional or exempt the media from the theft of state secrets offence.[36] Lam also stated that he aimed to create opportunities for lawyers in Hong Kong and broaden the scope of legal services, given that local lawyers faced intense competition. He also said he would serve as a bridge between Hong Kong and mainland China.[37]

He received 1,637 votes (70.8%), while Chen received 674 votes.[38] After his resignation as president of the Law Society, his electoral success has been described as a "comeback".[39][40]

As a legislator, Lam opposed foreign law firms having significant share of the Hong Kong legal services market due to geopolitical risks. He criticised the government for not protecting local firms, causing British and US firms to dominate in M&A and capital market transactions.[41] He urged the government to allow law firms to operate as limited‑liability companies, which he believed would encourage Hong Kong firms to merge and enlarge, thus attracting business from more mainland Chinese enterprises.[42]

Lam also supported banning lawyers without legal qualifications obtained in Hong Kong from taking part in national security cases, after the government blocked Jimmy Lai from retaining Tim Owen KC—who had never been called to the bar in Hong Kong[43]—in a national security case.[44] He believed that foreign lawyers did not intend to win lawsuits but instead wanted to incite Hongkongers to oppose the government.[45]

On social issues, Lam voted to defeat a bill that would have created a system to legally recognise same-sex partnerships to encourage childbirth.[46]

He did not stand for re-election in the 2025 election for various reasons, including to focus on his law firm business.[47]

Personal life

Lam is married to Pamela Ku.[28]

References

  1. ^ a b "Lin Xinqiang ren Lüshi Hui huizhang" 林新強任律師會會長 [Lam San-keung becomes Law Society president] (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Hong Kong: Apple Daily. 21 May 2013. Archived from the original on 19 August 2014. Retrieved 19 August 2014.
  2. ^ "Lin Xinqiang ciren Xianggang Lüshi Hui huizhang liuren lishi" 林新強辭任香港律師會會長 留任理事 [Lam San-keung resigns as President of Law Society of Hong Kong, remains as council member]. TVB News (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). 19 August 2014. Retrieved 13 March 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. ^ a b "Hong Kong legal body votes to oust its pro-Beijing president". Hong Kong. AFP. 15 August 2014. Archived from the original on 19 August 2014. Retrieved 19 August 2014 – via Yahoo! News.
  4. ^ a b c Rose, Adam; Torode, Greg (15 August 2014). "Hong Kong lawyers take stand for independence from Beijing". Hong Kong: Reuters. Archived from the original on 7 March 2016. Retrieved 19 August 2014.
  5. ^ a b Ng, Joyce (19 August 2014). "Law Society president Ambrose Lam resigns following Historic No". Hong Kong: South China Morning Post. Retrieved 19 August 2014.
  6. ^ a b c Ng, Joyce (24 November 2014). "Ousted head of Law Society Ambrose Lam is 'better off now'". South China Morning Post.
  7. ^ a b c d "New President for The Law Society of Hong Kong" (PDF) (Press release). Hong Kong: Law Society of Hong Kong. 24 May 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 February 2023.
  8. ^ a b c "林新強". Lam, Lee & Lai Solicitors & Notaries (in Traditional Chinese). Archived from the original on 14 January 2016. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
  9. ^ "Pinsent Masons, China Commercial Law establish joint venture". China Business Law Journal. 10 March 2026.
  10. ^ "Partnerships and Firms". Hong Kong Lawyer. No. March 2016. Thomson Reuters.
  11. ^ "Partnerships and Firms". Hong Kong Lawyer. No. April 2018. Thomson Reuters.
  12. ^ "Partnerships and Firms". Hong Kong Lawyer. No. May 2018. Thomson Reuters.
  13. ^ "Grandall Hong Kong's Association with F. Zimmern & Co". Grandall Law Firm. 31 July 2019.
  14. ^ "The Law Society of Hong Kong elected a new President" (Press release). Hong Kong: The Law Society of Hong Kong. 20 May 2013.
  15. ^ But, Joshua (31 October 2013). "Law society condemns Occupy Central plan". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 31 October 2013. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
  16. ^ State Council Information Office of the People's Republic of China (2014). The Practice of the "One Country, Two Systems" Policy in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region . State Council Information Office – via Wikisource.
  17. ^ "China media: White paper on Hong Kong". BBC. 11 June 2014.
  18. ^ "Jianzhipai wei baipishu zhengyi jiangwen Yuan Guoqiang: Faguan jiuzhi xuanshi yi tixian "aiguo aigang"" 建制派為白皮書爭議降溫 袁國強：法官就職宣誓已體現「愛國愛港」 [Pro-establishment camp turns down temperature on white paper controversy, Yuen Kwok-keung: Judges' oaths already demonstrates "loving the country and loving Hong Kong"]. Hong Kong Economic Journal (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). 13 June 2014.
  19. ^ Cheung, Gary; Cheung, Tony (11 June 2014). "Hong Kong barristers hit out at Beijing's white paper, vow to protect judicial independence". South China Morning Post.
  20. ^ Rose, Adam; Sun, Nikki (27 June 2014). "Hong Kong lawyers march in protest against perceived China meddling". Reuters. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
  21. ^ Wong, Hilary (17 June 2014). "Law Society defends white paper on 'patriotic' judges". The Standard. Hong Kong. Archived from the original on 18 August 2014. Retrieved 19 August 2014.
  22. ^ Wong, Altis (19 June 2014). "Law Society chairman urged to step down". Hong Kong: RTHK. Archived from the original on 19 August 2014. Retrieved 19 August 2014.
  23. ^ Cheung, Tony; Siu, Phila (16 June 2014). "Law Society defends white paper on Hong Kong after harsh words from Bar Association". South China Morning Post.
  24. ^ a b Lam, Jeffie (6 August 2014). "Society chief refuses to back down". Hong Kong: South China Morning Post. Retrieved 19 August 2014.
  25. ^ Pang, Ngai-sze (22 November 2017). "Ziping "Gongchandang hao weida" lun Lin Xinqiang: Yin wo ganyan cu jinzao lifa 23 tiao" 自評「共產黨好偉大」論 林新強：因我敢言 促盡早立法23條 [Said ‘The Communist Party is truly great’, Lam San-keung: Because I spoke my mind, urges the early enactment of Article 23 legislation]. HK01 (in Chinese (Hong Kong)).
  26. ^ "CY dinner off the menu after Legco protests". Hong Kong: South China Morning Post. 19 June 2014. Retrieved 19 August 2014.
  27. ^ Cheung, Tony (19 June 2014). "Law Society chief to face no-confidence vote after backing white paper". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 20 June 2014. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
  28. ^ a b Lau, Chris; Lam, Jeffie. "Law Society head denies newspaper claims". South China Morning Post.
  29. ^ a b "Lin Xinqiang kong Pingguo feibang chaxun dianyou ye she'an" 林新強控蘋果誹謗 查詢電郵也涉案 [Lam San-keung sues Apple Daily for defamation, emails for query also involved]. Ming Pao Canada (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Ming Pao. 12 August 2014. Archived from the original on 22 January 2026.
  30. ^ a b Ng, Joyce (14 August 2014). "Solicitors vote to unseat Law Society president Ambrose Lam". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 15 August 2014. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
  31. ^ "Hong Kong Law Society president forced to go amid row over independence from China". Legal Business. 1 September 2014. Archived from the original on 14 June 2025.
  32. ^ "Lin Xinqiang jianchi Gongchandang hao weida cheng yinyan huozui" 林新強堅持共產黨好偉大 稱因言獲罪 [Lam Sun-keung insists the Communist Party is truly great, claims he was punished for his words]. Ming Pao Canada (in Traditional Chinese). 27 August 2014. Archived from the original on 26 January 2026. Retrieved 26 January 2026.
  33. ^ She, Kam-hung (5 May 2016). "Jianzhi lushi cu jiankong chang gangdu zhe" 建制律師促檢控倡港獨者 [Pro-establishment lawyers urge prosecution of Hong Kong independence advocates]. Apple Daily (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Archived from the original on 2 October 2017.
  34. ^ Lau, Chris; Wong, Natalie; Heung, Sammy; Lam, Jeffie (20 December 2021). "As it happened: 'No one size fits all' democracy for Hong Kong, Lam says". South China Morning Post.
  35. ^ "Armed with a hard lesson, Ambrose Lam pushes lawyers". The Standard. 6 December 2021.
  36. ^ a b Chow, Ho-yi; Chan, Ka-lok (10 December 2021). "Zhuanfang | Lin Xinqiang: reng xinfeng "Gongchandang hao weida" 23 tiao lifa xu yu guo'anfa kanqi" 專訪｜林新強：仍信奉「共產黨好偉大」 23條立法須與國安法看齊 [Exclusive interview | Lam San-keung Still Believes "The Communist Party is Great"; Article 23 Legislation Must Align with the National Security Law]. HK01 (in Chinese (Hong Kong)).{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  37. ^ Ng, Cheuk-on (2 December 2021). "Falu jie fanmin quexi jianzhi huhan Chen Xiaofeng chang dazhuang beishang Lin Xinqiang xiao cheng xiang zuo zhengxie" 法律界泛民缺席建制互撼　陳曉鋒倡大狀北上　林新強笑稱想做政協 [Legal Sector's Pan-Democrats Absent as Establishment Candidates Clash: Chen Xiaofeng Advocates for Barristers to Head North; Lam San-keung Jokes About Aspiring to Join the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference]. HK01 (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Archived from the original on 9 December 2021.
  38. ^ Electoral Affairs Commission (18 March 2022). Report on the 2021 Legislative Council General Election (PDF) (Report). Hong Kong.
  39. ^ Liu, Kristen. "Ambrose Lam Member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong, Legal Constituency". Hong Kong Lawyer. No. March 2022. Thomson Reuters.
  40. ^ Lau, Chris (21 January 2022). "Hong Kong lawmaker mounts a comeback after his ousting as Law Society head". South China Morning Post.
  41. ^ Man, Wai-kwong (12 December 2022). "Lin Xinqiang chi Gangfu ren waiguo lüsuo zhungda shize: bendi falü shichang yao you bendi lüshi kongzhi" 林新強斥港府任外國律所壯大失責：本地法律市場要由本地律師控制 [Lam San-keung criticises Hong Kong government of negligence by †allowing foreign law firms to grow stronger: local legal market should be controlled by local lawyers]. HK01 (in Chinese (Hong Kong)).{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  42. ^ Au, Cheuk-yin (18 March 2025). "Falü hangye | Lin Xinqiang: Gang lüshi shiwusuo guimo tai xiao zhi neidi qiye kan bu shang yan qi jinkuai luoshi lüshi fatuan moshi zhiye" 法律行業｜林新強：港律師事務所規模太小致內地企業看不上眼　冀盡快落實律師法團模式執業 [Legal industry | Lam San-keung: Hong Kong law firms too small to attract mainland firms; urges prompt implementation of lawyer–corporation practice model]. Hong Kong Economic Times (in Chinese (Hong Kong)).
  43. ^ "Mr Timothy Owen KC". Middle Temple. Middle Temple. Archived from the original on 20 January 2026. Retrieved 26 February 2026.
  44. ^ Wu, Willa (17 March 2023). "Legal change to overseas lawyers' role in Hong Kong cases not retrospective". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
  45. ^ Fung, Tsz-kin (10 May 2023). 立法會通過限海外律師處理國安案　林新強：仍是無掩雞籠促一刀切 [LegCo passes ban on overseas lawyers handling national security cases; Lam San-keung: Still a paper tiger, urges a blanket ban]. HK01 (in Chinese (Hong Kong)).
  46. ^ Kwan, Shawna (10 September 2025). "HK Rejects Bill Giving Rights to Same-Sex Couples Married Abroad". Bloomberg.
  47. ^ Lam, Jeffie; Wu, Willa (5 November 2025). "Hong Kong lawyer Ambrose Lam becomes 29th lawmaker to withdraw from Legco poll". South China Morning Post.
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