Michael David Thomas
| The Right Honourable Michael David Thomas 唐明治 CMG, QC, SC | |
|---|---|
| Attorney General of Hong Kong | |
| In office 1983-1988 | |
| Governor | Edward Youde David Wilson |
| Preceded by | John Calvert Griffiths |
| Succeeded by | Jeremy Fell Mathews |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 8 September 1933 |
| Spouse(s) | Jane Lena Mary (m.1958 div.1978) Gabrielle Blackmore (m.1981 div.1988) Lydia Dunn (m.1988) |
| Relations | Cardigan Thomas (father) Kathleen Thomas (mother) |
| Alma mater | Chigwell School London School of Economics Middle Temple |
Michael David Thomas (唐明治), CMG, QC, SC (September 8, 1933-) was the penultimate Attorney General of Hong Kong before the Transfer of sovereignty of Hong Kong in 1997. He served the post from 1983 to 1988, under the Governorship of Sir Edward Youde and Lord Wilson of Tillyorn.
Early life
Thomas was born to parents Cardigan and Kathleen Thomas in southeast England. He attended Chigwell School and later the London School of Economics. He received a Middle Temple Blackstone Entrance Scholarship in 1952. He was called to the Middle Temple and became a barrister in 1955.
Practice in England
Until 1983 in England, Thomas specialised in commercial and maritime law. He was Treasury Counsel for the Ministry of Defence and Royal Navy as a junior and advised on the ‘Torrey Canyon’ casualty. He acted for the Tribunal at several maritime inquiries and an inquiry into an aircraft crash near Heathrow.
He was made a Queen's Counsel in 1973. He was appointed a bencher of Middle Temple in 1979.
In silk, he appeared as counsel before tribunals in England (including the House of Lords and Privy Council), Singapore, Hong Kong, New York and Lisbon. He sat as Chairman of Boards of Investigation appointed by the UK government and by the Liberian government into shipping casualties.[1]
Attorney General of Hong Kong
In 1983, he was invited to become Attorney General of Hong Kong and served in that position until 1988. In his capacity as Attorney General, he was a member of the Executive and Legislative Councils and Joint Chairman of the Law Reform Commission. In 1984, he played a part in the ultimate settlement of the Sino-British Joint Declaration in 1984. For this he was made a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG).
Practice in Hong Kong and England
After finishing his term as Attorney General, he recommenced private practice at the bar in England and Hong Kong. In Hong Kong, he was considered one of the best, if not the best, advocate in practice.
Before his retirement he specialised in appellate advocacy before the Court of Final Appeal or Court of Appeal and cases of judicial review, but stopped undertaking trial work at first instance, either civil or criminal.[1]
He argued in cases on the government's behalf in 2005[2] and 2009.[3]
Retirement
Thomas retired from practice at the end of 2013. His last court hearing was in the Hong Kong Court of Appeal in the case of Re Mably. The Court of Appeal in their judgment thanked Thomas for his service to Hong Kong as follows:
"We were told that this is the last case in which Mr Thomas would appear in court as counsel. In the circumstances, we consider it appropriate to join Mr Shieh and Mr Jat in paying tribute to Mr Thomas’ contribution to the healthy growth and development of the Hong Kong Bar when he served as the Attorney General of Hong Kong and thereafter as an eminent silk in the local Bar."[4]
Marriages
Thomas has been married three times.
His current wife is Lydia Dunn, Baroness Dunn, who was the Senior Unofficial Member of the Legislative Council and Executive Council in Hong Kong in 1985-1992.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Thomas' CV on Temple Chambers website
- ↑ Albert Wong (April 14, 2005). "Time against CE review". The Standard. Retrieved 2011-01-03. "In what appears to be an attempt to avert a face-off with the court, senior counsel for the government, Michael Thomas, praised the good intentions of Chan's application and insisted they had no objections to granting the judicial review. ``"
- ↑ Nickkita Lau (February 24, 2009). "Prison-vote suspension appeal put on hold". The Standard. Retrieved 2011-01-03. "Senior Counsel Michael Thomas, for the government, argued that although third parties may still launch proceedings to challenge the law during the suspension period, Cheung's judgment had already set a precedent, so someone seeking judicial reviews could not use the same ground for complaints as the three applicants."
- ↑ Re Mably, CACV 173/2013, Yeung VP, Lam and Lunn JJA
| Legal offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by John Calvert Griffiths |
Attorney General of Hong Kong 1983 – 1988 |
Succeeded by Jeremy Fell Mathews |