Robert Ribeiro (born 1949) is a Hong Kong

Hong Kong

Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...

 judge

Judge

A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...

 and honorary lecturer

Lecturer

Lecturer is an academic rank. In the United Kingdom, lecturer is a position at a university or similar institution, often held by academics in their early career stages, who lead research groups and supervise research students, as well as teach...

 in law

Law

Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...

 at the University of Hong Kong. He is currently serving one of the three permanent judges for the Court of Final Appeal in Hong Kong.

Early life and education

Born Roberto Alexandre Vieira Ribeiro, he received his elementary

Primary education

A primary school is an institution in which children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as primary or elementary education. Primary school is the preferred term in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth Nations, and in most publications of the United Nations Educational,...

 and secondary education

Secondary education

Secondary education is the stage of education following primary education. Secondary education includes the final stage of compulsory education and in many countries it is entirely compulsory. The next stage of education is usually college or university...

 in Hong Kong. He studied in La Salle College

La Salle College

La Salle College is a boys' secondary school in Hong Kong. It was established by the Brothers of the Christian Schools, a Roman Catholic religious teaching order founded by St...

.

Upon graduating with honours from the London School of Economics

London School of Economics

The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...

 (LL.B. 1971, LL.M. 1972), Ribeiro returned to Hong Kong, and joined the faculty of law of the University of Hong Kong as a lecturer in 1972.

Legal career

After seven years of academic

Academia

Academia is the community of students and scholars engaged in higher education and research.-Etymology:The word comes from the akademeia in ancient Greece. Outside the city walls of Athens, the gymnasium was made famous by Plato as a center of learning...

 life, Ribeiro entered into private practice

Lawyer

A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...

 in 1979, and quickly established himself as an expert in admiralty

Admiralty

The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the Kingdom of England, and later in the United Kingdom, responsible for the command of the Royal Navy...

 and maritime law. He was appointed Queen's Counsel

Queen's Counsel

Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...

 in 1990, and is a patron of the Oxford University Commonwealth Law Journal

Oxford University Commonwealth Law Journal

The Oxford University Commonwealth Law Journal is a postgraduate-edited international and comparative law journal from the University of Oxford Faculty of Law, covering the study of legal trends and developments within and between Commonwealth jurisdictions.-Content:The journal includes articles,...

.

Judicial career

In 1997, Chief Executive

Chief Executive of Hong Kong

The Chief Executive of Hong Kong is the President of the Executive Council of Hong Kong and head of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The position was created to replace the Governor of Hong Kong, who was the head of the Hong Kong government during British rule...

 Tung Chee-Hwa appointed Ribeiro a Recorder

Recorder (judge)

A Recorder is a judicial officer in England and Wales. It now refers to two quite different appointments. The ancient Recorderships of England and Wales now form part of a system of Honorary Recorderships which are filled by the most senior full-time circuit judges...

 (part-time judge) of the High Court

High Court (Hong Kong)

The High Court in Hong Kong consists of the Court of Appeal and the Court of First Instance. It deals with criminal and civil cases which have risen beyond the lower courts. It was named the Supreme Court before 1997.- High Court Building :...

.

Ribeiro quickly rose through the ranks, and was promoted a full Judge of the High Court in 1999, a Justice of Appeal of the Court of Appeal (High Court)

Court of Appeal (Hong Kong)

The Court of Appeal deals with appeals on all civil and criminal cases from the Court of First Instance and the District Courts of Hong Kong. It is one of two courts that makes up the High Court of Hong Kong....

 in 2000, and a Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal the same year.