General Course Information
1.1 Course details
| Course code: | LLAW3093 |
| Course name: | Administrative Law |
| Programme offered under: | LLB Programme |
| Semester: | Second |
| Designated research course: | Not applicable |
| Specialization: | Not applicable |
| Prerequisites: | Constitutional Law |
| Course offered to non-law students: | No |
| Credit point value: | 6 credits |
1.2 Course description
The course will introduce Hong Kong law on judicial review of administrative action. Topics that may be covered in any particular year include: theories of administrative decision-making, grounds of judicial review (errors of law and fact, procedural impropriety, errors in the exercise of discretion, legitimate expectations), the public-private divide, the practical aspects of bringing an action for judicial review, and non-curial means of control and scrutiny of administration action (Ombudsman, Administrative appeals, public enquiries). The course will guide students on how to apply the law in factual scenarios and encourage students to reflect upon various theoretical issues in Administrative Law.
1.3 Course teachers
| Name | E-mail address | Office | Consultation | |
| Course convenor / tutor | Edward Lui | elylui@hku.hk | TBC | By email |
| Course convenor / tutor | Ernest Ng | ernest.cy.ng@gmail.com | N/A | By email |
| Course tutor | Kristine Chan | ckykristine@gmail.com | N/A | By email |
| Course tutor | Jason Ko | TBA | N/A | By email |
| Course tutor | Martin Kok | martin.htk@gmail.com | N/A | By email |
| Course tutor | Ping Kan Kwan | pingkan.kwan@dvc.hk | N/A | By email |
| Course tutor | Samantha Lau | slau@dcc.law | N/A | By email |
| Course tutor | S K Lee | sklee1@hku.hk | CCT 301B | By email |
| Course tutor | Jeffrey Tam | TBA | N/A | By email |
Learning Outcomes
2.1 Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs) for this course
CLO 1 Understand the nature of administrative law, administrative powers, administrative processes and judicial review.
CLO 2 Explain the doctrine of ultra vires and reflect on its suitability as a theoretical basis of judicial review.
CLO 3 Explain the law of Hong Kong on established grounds of judicial review, including illegality, procedural impropriety, irrationality and legitimate expectations, apply such law in fact situations, critically evaluate such law, and assess the desirability of judicial recognition of new grounds of review.
CLO 4 Explain, apply and evaluate the basic legal procedures for challenging administrative actions.
CLO 5 Examine the impact of judicial review on administrative practices and processes and ascertain the relationship between judicial review and good governance.
CLO 6 Critically analyze the court’s reasoning and approach in administrative law cases.
2.2 LLB Programme Learning Outcomes (PLOs)
Please refer to the following link: https://course.law.hku.hk/llb-plo/
2.3 Programme Learning Outcomes to be achieved in this course
| PLO A | PLO B | PLO C | PLO D | PLO E | PLO F | |
| CLO 1 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| CLO 2 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| CLO 3 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| CLO 4 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| CLO 5 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| CLO 6 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Assessment(s)
3.1 Assessment Summary
| Assessment task | Due date | Weighting | Feedback method* | Course learning outcomes |
| Research essay | 27 Apr 2024 | 50% | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 | |
| In-hall exam | 9 May 2024 | 50% | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 |
| *Feedback method (to be determined by course teacher) | |
| 1 | A general course report to be disseminated through Moodle |
| 2 | Individual feedback to be disseminated by email / through Moodle |
| 3 | Individual review meeting upon appointment |
| 4 | Group review meeting |
| 5 | In-class verbal feedback |
3.2 Assessment Detail
To be advised by course convenor(s).
3.3 Grading Criteria
Please refer to the following link: https://www.law.hku.hk/_files/law_programme_grade_descriptors.pdf
Learning Activities
4.1 Learning Activity Plan
| Lecture: | 2 hours / week for 12 teaching weeks |
| Tutorial: | 2 hours / week for 12 teaching weeks |
| Private study time: | 8.5 hours / week for 12 teaching weeks |
Remarks: the normative student study load per credit unit is 25 ± 5 hours (ie. 150 ± 30 hours for a 6-credit course), which includes all learning activities and experiences within and outside of classroom, and any assessment task and examinations and associated preparations.
4.2 Details of Learning Activities
To be advised by course convenor(s).
Learning Resources
5.1 Resources
| Reading materials: | Reading materials are posted on Moodle |
| Core reading list: | Stephen Thomson, Administrative Law in Hong Kong (Cambridge University Press, 2018) |
| Recommended reading list: |
|
5.2 Links
Please refer to the following link: http://www.law.hku.hk/course/learning-resources/