Johnny Ma SC

Career

Johnny Ma SC obtained his LLB from the University of Hong Kong in 1998 with first class honours. After finishing his BCL in the University of Oxford and his pupillage, he joined Chambers in 2001.

Whilst having a broad civil and commercial practice, Johnny specializes particularly in probate and administration matters. He acted for Chinachem Charitable Foundation Limited in the probate action at all levels from the Court of First Instance up to the Court of Final Appeal, and also subsequently in the proceedings dealing with the construction and implementation of Nina Wang’s will. He regularly advises on contentious as well as non-contentious probate and administration matters such as validity and/or construction of wills, procedural matters in obtaining grants, duties of personal representatives, beneficiaries’ rights and entitlement, etc. He has also acted and advised on matters involving mentally incapacitated persons and issues involving mental capacity in different contexts such as contentious probate, Mental Health Ordinance (Cap. 136) proceedings, and Enduring Power of Attorney Ordinance (Cap. 501) proceedings.

In recent years, Johnny also has developed a strong focus on judicial review matters and appeared in a number of cases involving constitutional rights and legal issues with great general or public importance. These include cases touching on equality and discrimination on the ground of sexual orientation (e.g. the right to same-sex marriage or civil partnership in MK, the right of same-sex couples married overseas to elect joint tax assessment in Leung Chun Kwong), and the right to freedom of expression, assembly and/or demonstration (e.g. the right to hold public meetings in the Forecourt of CGO East Wing). He has also acted and appeared (for applicants as well as respondents) in judicial review applications regarding disciplinary proceedings and sanctions.