__NOTOC__ {{short description|Hong Kong politician and lawyer}} {{Use British English|date=March 2015}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2015}} {{family name hatnote|[[Liu|Lau]]|Miriam Lau|Lau Kin-yee|lang=Hong Kong}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = | name = Miriam Lau Kin-yee | native_name = {{nobold|劉健儀}} | native_name_lang = zh-hk | honorific_suffix = {{Post-nominals|country=HKG|GBS|OBE|JP}} | image = Miriam Lau Kin Yee.jpg | office = Chairwoman of the [[Liberal Party (Hong Kong)|Liberal Party]] | term_start = 8 September 2008 | term_end = 9 September 2012 | predecessor = [[James Tien (politician)|James Tien]] | successor = [[Vincent Fang (entrepreneur)|Vincent Fang]] ''(acting)'' | office1 = Member of the [[Legislative Council of Hong Kong]] | predecessor1 = ''New parliament'' | successor1 = [[Frankie Yick]] | constituency1 = [[Transport (constituency)|Transport]] | term_start1 = 2 July 1998 | term_end1 = 16 July 2012 | term_start2 = 22 February 1997 | term_end2 = 8 April 1998 | constituency2 = [[Provisional Legislative Council]] | term_start3 = 11 October 1995 | term_end3 = 27 June 1997 | constituency3 = [[Transport (constituency)#Transport and Communication (1995–97)|Transport & Communication]] | predecessor3 = ''New constituency'' | successor3 = ''Replaced by [[Provisional Legislative Council]]'' | appointer4 = [[David Wilson, Baron Wilson of Tillyorn|Sir David Wilson]] | constituency4 = Appointed | term_start4 = 22 September 1988 | term_end4 = 17 September 1995 | alma_mater = [[University of Hong Kong]]<br />[[University of Macau|University of East Asia]] | spouse = {{marriage|Alfred Lau Tit-hon|1979|2001|end=div}} | party = [[Liberal Party (Hong Kong)|Liberal Party]] <small>(1993–2022)</small> | other_party = | occupation = [[Legislative Councillor]]<br />solicitor | profession = | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1947|4|27}} | birth_place = [[Guangzhou]], [[Guangdong|Canton]], [[Republic of China (1912–49)|China]] }} {{Infobox Chinese | order = ts | title = Miriam Lau Kin-yee | showflag = | t = 劉健儀 | s = 刘健仪 | j = Lau<sup>4</sup> Gin<sup>6</sup>ji<sup>4</sup> | y = Làuh Gihn Yìh | p = Liú Jiànyí }} '''Miriam Lau Kin-yee''' {{Post-nominals|country=HKG|GBS|OBE|JP}} ({{lang-zh|t=劉健儀|}}, born 27 April 1947) is a Hong Kong lawyer and former politician who served as a member of the [[Legislative Council of Hong Kong]] from 1988 to 2012, first as an appointee of the [[Governor of Hong Kong|Governor]] from 1988 to 1995, and subsequently as the representative of the transport industry [[Functional constituency (Hong Kong)|functional constituency]] from 1995 to 2012.
Lau served as the Chairman of the House Committee from 2003 to 2012, and often presided over debates as Deputy President in the absence of [[Rita Fan]] and [[Jasper Tsang]].
== Early life and education == Miriam Lau was born on 27 April 1947 in [[Guangzhou]], [[Republic of China (1912–1949)|China]] to a working-class family, moving to Hong Kong at a young age and settling in subdivided flat in Sham Shui Po. She studied at [[Maryknoll Convent School]] and later graduated from the [[University of Hong Kong]] in 1968 with a [[Bachelor of Arts]] degree in English with [[British undergraduate degree classification|second-class honours]].
== Legal career == Lau was admitted as a [[solicitor]] in Hong Kong in March 1977, and was subsequently admitted to practice in [[England and Wales]] in July 1981.<ref>{{Cite web |date=13 December 2024 |title=The Law List |url=https://www.hklawsoc.org.hk/en/Serve-the-Public/The-Law-List/Member-Details?MemId=5218 |website=The Law Society of Hong Kong}}</ref> She was with the [[law firm]] of Alfred Lau, her ex-husband, from 1979 to 2001.<ref>[http://210.177.208.185/miriam.html The Honourable Miriam LAU Kin Yee, GBS, JP]{{dead link|date=February 2018|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}}</ref> Lau currently is a consultant with the law firm [[King & Wood Mallesons]], specialising in litigation.<ref>[http://www.kingandwood.com/lawyer.aspx?id=miriam-lau-kin-yee-gbs-jp&language=en Profile at King & Wood]</ref>
== Political career == Lau entered politics in 1985 as an appointed member of the [[Urban Council]], serving until 1991.
Lau was the chairwoman of the [[Liberal Party (Hong Kong)|Liberal Party]] after [[James Tien (politician)|James Tien]]'s resignation following the party's poor performance in the [[2008 Hong Kong legislative election]] until 2012, when she stood down for the same reason: in [[2012 Hong Kong legislative election|that election]], the party secured only 2.64 percent of the popular vote. She also lost her own seat, having stood in the [[geographical constituency]] of [[Hong Kong Island (constituency)|Hong Kong Island]], rather than in the (safer) option of her existing functional constituency.<ref>[http://www.legco.gov.hk/general/english/members/yr04-08/lkym.htm Hon Miriam LAU Kin-yee, GBS, JP] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040925081656/http://www.legco.gov.hk/general/english/members/yr04-08/lkym.htm |date=25 September 2004 }}</ref>
Lau resigned from the [[Liberal Party (Hong Kong)|Liberal Party]] in 2022 along with former chairman and leader [[James Tien (politician)|James Tien]] and [[Selina Chow]], in protest of the new leadership's decision to abolish the position of honorary chairman.
== Personal life == Lau is [[Catholic Church|Catholic]] and has one child.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2008-08-02 |title=Membership |url=http://www.legco.gov.hk/general/english/members/yr00-04/lky.htm |access-date=2024-12-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080802154048/http://www.legco.gov.hk/general/english/members/yr00-04/lky.htm |archive-date=2 August 2008 }}</ref> She was previously married to Alfred Lau, a lawyer, from 1979 to 2001.
== Honours ==
* [[Justice of the peace|Justice of the Peace]] (1991) * [[Order of the British Empire|Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire]] (1992) * [[Gold Bauhinia Star|Golden Bauhinia Star]] (2004)
==See also== * [[Politics of Hong Kong]]
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * [https://web.archive.org/web/20080802154048/http://www.legco.gov.hk/general/english/members/yr00-04/lky.htm Legco profile (2000–04)]
{{s-start}} {{s-par|hk}} {{s-new|constituency}} {{s-ttl|title=Member of Legislative Council|district=[[Transport (constituency)#Transport and Communication (1995–97)|Transport and Communication]] |years = 1995–1997}} {{s-non|reason=Replaced by [[Provisional Legislative Council]]}} {{s-new|parliament|rows=2}} {{s-ttl|title=Member of [[Provisional Legislative Council]]|years=1997–1998}} {{s-non|reason=Replaced by [[Legislative Council of Hong Kong|Legislative Council]]}} {{s-break}} {{s-ttl|title = Member of Legislative Council|district=[[Transport (constituency)|Transport]]|years = 1998–2012}} {{s-aft|after=[[Frankie Yick]]}} {{s-bef|before=[[Selina Chow]]}} {{s-ttl|title=Chairman of House Committee|years=2003–2012}} {{s-aft|after=[[Andrew Leung]]}} {{s-ppo}} {{s-bef|before=[[Ronald Arculli]]}} {{s-ttl|title=Vice-Chairperson of the [[Liberal Party (Hong Kong)|Liberal Party]]|years=2000–2008 |alongside=[[Selina Chow]]}} {{s-aft|after=[[Vincent Fang (entrepreneur)|Vincent Fang]]}} {{s-bef|before=[[James Tien (politician)|James Tien]]}} {{s-ttl|title=Chairperson of the [[Liberal Party (Hong Kong)|Liberal Party]]|years=2008–2012}} {{s-aft|after=[[Vincent Fang (entrepreneur)|Vincent Fang]]|as=Acting chairman}} {{s-hon}} {{s-bef|before=[[James Tien (politician)|James Tien]]}} {{s-ttl|title=Honorary Chairperson of the [[Liberal Party (Hong Kong)|Liberal Party]]|years=2012–present}} {{s-inc}} {{s-prec}} {{s-bef|before = [[Timothy Fok]]<br /><small>''Recipients of the Gold Bauhinia Star''</small>}} {{s-ttl|title = [[Hong Kong order of precedence]]<br /><small>''Recipients of the Gold Bauhinia Star''</small>}} {{s-aft|after = [[Haider Barma]]<br /><small>''Recipients of the Gold Bauhinia Star''</small>}} {{end}}
{{HK Liberal Party}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lau, Miriam}} [[Category:1947 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Alumni of the University of Hong Kong]] [[Category:Hong Kong solicitors]] [[Category:Delegates to the 11th National People's Congress from Hong Kong]] [[Category:Delegates to the 12th National People's Congress from Hong Kong]] [[Category:Officers of the Order of the British Empire]] [[Category:Recipients of the Gold Bauhinia Star]] [[Category:Leaders of political parties]] [[Category:Members of the Regional Council of Hong Kong]] [[Category:Liberal Party (Hong Kong) politicians]] [[Category:Politicians from Guangzhou]] [[Category:Members of the Provisional Legislative Council]] [[Category:HK LegCo Members 1988–1991]] [[Category:HK LegCo Members 1991–1995]] [[Category:HK LegCo Members 1995–1997]] [[Category:HK LegCo Members 1998–2000]] [[Category:HK LegCo Members 2000–2004]] [[Category:HK LegCo Members 2004–2008]] [[Category:HK LegCo Members 2008–2012]] [[Category:Hong Kong women lawyers]] [[Category:University of Macau alumni]] [[Category:Members of the Selection Committee of Hong Kong]] [[Category:20th-century Chinese politicians]] [[Category:21st-century Chinese politicians]]