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Professor Anthony Cooray

Professor of Law

The City Law School Academic law programmes

Contact details

About

Overview

Professor Anton Cooray graduated from University of Colombo (1972), passed the Bar examination at the Sri Lanka Law College with First Class Honours (1974) and enrolled as an attorney at law (1975). He was awarded a PhD by University of London in 1979 and a second PhD by University of Colombo in 1989 for his work on constitutional law. Before joining City University of Hong Kong in 1990, he was Dean of Law, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka.

He was Professor of Law and Associate Dean of Law at City University of Hong Kong before he joined City, University of London in 2013. He has held visiting appointments in the USA and France. He was a Commonwealth Scholar in the UK (1975-1979), Commonwealth Academic Fellow in the UK (1986-1987) and British Council Academic Visitor (1991). He was awarded two UK-HK Joint Research Grants to study town planning law and administrative law jointly with academics and practitioners from the UK.

He was the Chairman of the Hong Kong Town Planning Appeal Board and Deputy Chairman of the Hong Kong Town Planning Board panel of members. He was a World Bank consultant on legal and judicial reform in Sri Lanka and has conducted a series of training programmes for the judges, State Counsel and academics from Sri Lanka.

He conducts training programmes for the Attorney-General's Department of Hong Kong. His research interests are in constitutional law, planning law and comparative law.

Qualifications

  • PhD, School of Oriental and African Studies, London, United Kingdom, 1975 - 1979

Publications

Publications by category

Books (8)

  • Cooray, A. (2018). Environmental Law in Hong Kong. USA: Kluwer Law International. ISBN 9789041194701.
  • Cooray, A. (2017). Constitutional Law in Hong Kong. USA: Kluwer Law International. ISBN 9789041187406.
  • Cooray, A. (2015). Environmental Law in Hong Kong. Kluwer International. ISBN 9789041158857.
  • Cooray, A. (2015). Town Planning: Halsbury's Laws of Hong Kong. Hong Kong: LexisNexis. ISBN 9789888301119.
  • Cooray, M.J.A. (2014). Trustee Ordinance Commentary and Annotations. ISBN 9789626617106.
  • Cooray, A. (Ed.), (2014). Personal Property: Halsbury's Laws of Hong Kong. Hong Kong: LexisNexis. ISBN 9789888232987.
  • Cooray, A. (2013). Environment: Halsbury's Laws of Hong Kong. Hong Kong: LexisNexis. ISBN 9789888231195.
  • Cooray, A. (2010). Constitutional law: Halsbury's Laws of Hong Kong. Hong Kong: LexisNexis. ISBN 9789888054107.

Chapters (13)

  • Cooray, A. (2025). The Trusts Ordinance of Sri Lanka: Frozen in Time or a Living Instrument? (pp. 37-54). Hart Publishing. ISBN 9781509972951.
  • Cooray, A. (2022). Adaptation of the Law of Trusts to Regulate Administration of Places of Religious Worship in Sri Lanka. Asia-Pacific Trusts Law, Volume 2 Hart Publishing. ISBN 9781509954605.
  • Cooray, A. (2021). Implied Trusts in Sri Lanka as a Creature of Legislation: The Way Forward. Asia-Pacific Trusts Law Hart Publishing. ISBN 9781509934799.
  • Cooray, A. (2019). Developing an Indian Constitutional Jurisprudence Drawing on Judicial Thinking in the Rest of the Common Law World. Judicial Cosmopolitanism (pp. 177-193). Brill | Nijhoff. ISBN 9789004243118.
  • (2016). The Reception of Islamic Law in Sri Lanka and Its Interplay with Western Legal Traditions. In Mixed Legal Systems, East and West (pp. 232-243). Routledge.
  • Cooray, A. (2016). Environmental Offences. In Bokhary, K. (Ed.), Archbold Hong Kong 2017 (pp. 2211-2239). Hong Kong: Sweet and Maxwell. ISBN 9789626619056.
  • Cooray, A. (2015). The reception of Islamic law in Sri Lanka and its interplay with western legal traditions. Mixed Legal Systems East and West (pp. 213-224).
  • Cooray, A. (2014). Entering the Political Thicket: The Role of the Judiciary as an Arbiter in Relation to Making and Implementation of Public Policy. The Culture of Judicial Independence (pp. 200-216). Brill | Nijhoff. ISBN 9789004257801.
  • Cooray, A. (2014). Environmental Torts. In Bokhary, K. (Ed.), Tort Law and Practice in Hong Kong (pp. 677-702). Hong Kong: Sweet and Maxwell. ISBN 9789626616321.
  • Guarnieri, C. and Piana, D. Judicial Independence And The Rule Of Law: Exploring The European Experience. The Culture of Judicial Independence (pp. 111-124). Brill.
  • Hatchard, J. and Perry-Kessaris, A. (2012). Law and Development. Routledge-Cavendish.
  • Cooray, A. Standards Of Judicial Behaviour And The Impact Of Codes Of Conduct. The Culture of Judicial Independence (pp. 349-358). Brill.
  • Cooray, A. (2010). Oriental and Occidental Laws in Harmony: The Case of Trusts in Sri Lanka. Mixed Legal Systems at New Frontiers (pp. 241-264). London: Wildy, Simmonds and Hill Publishing. ISBN 9780854900701.

Journal articles (5)

  • Cooray, A. (2014). Hong Kong's Court of Final Appeal: The Development of the Law in China's Hong Kong. ASIA PACIFIC LAW REVIEW, 22(1), pp. 157-159
  • Cooray, A. (2012). Access to Non-Judicial Justice Through Islamic Courts in Sri Lanka: Palm Tree Justice or Accessible Justice? Asia Pacific Law Review, 20(1), pp. 113-134. doi:10.1080/10192557.2012.11788257

    [publisher’s website]

  • Cooray, A. (2011). Comparative Law in a Small State: The Mixing of Indigenous Laws in Sri Lanka. Interdisciplinary Studies of Comparative and Private International Law, II, pp. 211-224
  • Cooray, A. (2009). Some Reflections on the Legislative Context of the Hong Kong Ombudsman. Asia Pacific Law Review, 17(1), pp. 53-72. doi:10.1080/10192557.2009.11788192

    [publisher’s website]

  • Cooray, A. (2008). Oriental and Occidental Laws in Harmony: The Case of Trusts in Sri Lanka. Journal of Comparative Law, 3(1), pp. 133-150

Professional activities

Editorial activity (2)

  • Journal of International and Comparative Law, Sweet and Maxwell Hong Kong, Joint Editor, 2013 - present.
  • International Journal of Law and Management (Emerald), Member of Editorial Advisory Board, 2012 - present.