Acknowledgments

Many have helped in the preparation of this Interim Report and Consultative Paper. The Working Party wishes gratefully to acknowledge in particular the assistance of The Right Honourable the Lord Woolf, Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales. The debt to Lord Woolf is self-evident throughout the Report. Lord Woolf also gave generously of his time and wisdom during his visits to Hong Kong in April 2000 and August 2001. Special thanks are also due to Professor David Weisbrot and Dr Kathryn Cronin, President and Deputy President of the Australian Law Reform Commission who kindly shared their scholarship and insights with members of the Working Party in Sydney in May 2000. Their Report entitled "Managing Justice, A review of the federal civil justice system" has obviously been heavily drawn on in this Paper. We would also like to thank the Honourable J J Spigelman, Chief Justice of New South Wales; the Honourable Justice H L Cooper, Acting Chief Judge of the District Court of New South Wales; Mr Warwick Soden, Registrar of the Federal Court of Australia, Professor Martin Chalkley, Mr Neil Kaplan, Mr Christopher To, Mr Martin Rogers, Mr Harry Anderson and Mr Arthur Marriott for generously sharing their views with the Working Party.