The Law Society of Hong Kong is a professional association for solicitors in Hong Kong vested with statutory powers to regulate the professional conduct of solicitors, trainee solicitors and foreign lawyers. It was incorporated in 1907 as a company limited by guarantee.
The Law Society speaks for the solicitors’ profession in Hong Kong and ensures our voice are accurately and purposefully communicated to relevant parties
The Law Society is dedicated to providing relevant and effective support to our members including professional training and legal practice updates.
The Law Society is committed to facilitating the attainment and maintenance of the highest professional standards by our members in the interest of the community
The Law Society reaches out and maintains a wide local and global network for knowledge exchange, experience sharing and collaboration between our members and different sectors of both the local and international communities.
The Law Society strives to raise general public legal awareness, facilitate public access to legal services and promote a culture of giving back to the community among our members.
At the invitation of the Law Society of England and Wales and the Bar Council of England and Wales, President C. M. Chan and Immediate Past President Melissa Pang (also as the President of LAWASIA) attended the Opening of the Legal Year (“OLY”) 2023 in England and Wales held in London, U.K., from 1 to 2 October 2023.
As part of the OLY, the Law Society and the Bar Council of England and Wales co-organised a Bar Leaders’ Discussion on 1 October which discussed ways to safeguard the independence of the legal profession in a modern, ever-evolving legal landscape. 2 October marked the opening of the legal year in England and Wales with a service conducted by The Very Reverend Dr David Hoyle, Dean of Westminster at Westminster Abbey. In a seminar with the Judiciary on the same day, the Bar Leaders explored ways the legal profession to maximise the opportunities of technology such as online courts, AI transcription system and remote hearings to increase efficiency and to provide more affordable services, while resolving challenges related to digital access and lack of human involvement.
Apart from participating in the formal events of the OLY in England and Wales, the Law Society delegates also met the Vice-President of the Law Society of England and Wales Nick Emmerson (later became the president of the Law Society of England and Wales). The two law societies exchanged views on topics of mutual interest, such as the rule of law, the impact of the global and regional economic outlook on the legal profession, and the latest legal developments in respective jurisdictions.
On 3 October, the Law Society delegates attended a Members’ Briefing organised by The Hong Kong Association (“HKA”) with the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of Hong Kong Bar Association which was attended by partners and senior members of law firms and large corporates on the membership of the HKA. They introduced the thriving advantages of Hong Kong solicitors who possess exceptional common law expertise in cross-border legal affairs and provide professional legal and dispute resolution services that can particularly facilitate foreign investments in the Greater Bay Area and the entirety of the Mainland, as well as Mainland enterprises going global. They also introduced the latest legislative initiatives that aim to enhance the competitiveness of Hong Kong’s legal and dispute resolution services.
On this special occasion, the Law Society jointly organised a students’ gathering with the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London. The President took the opportunity to assure the students of the diverse legal opportunities Hong Kong can offer, given Hong Kong’s development as a centre for international legal and dispute resolution services in the Asia-Pacific region under the national 14th Five-Year Plan, and the opportunities arising from the Belt and Road Initiative and the Greater Bay Area development. Meanwhile, Ms Pang encouraged the students to have curiosity towards the world and challenge preconceptions to shape themselves to be able to embrace diversity of views and cultures. She also shared on how participation in community and pro-bono work can develop a sense of social responsibility, empathy and social justice.
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President C. M. Chan and Immediate Past President Melissa Pang took part in the OLY in England and Wales which is an important international legal event especially for the common law jurisdictions.
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This meeting enabled U.K. legal professionals and business leaders who have commercial endeavours in Hong Kong, the Mainland and beyond to hear first-hand information about the legal and economic landscape from the perspectives of the leaders of the lawyers’ associations representing the two branches of Hong Kong’s legal profession.
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The Law Society representatives engaged in a fireside chat moderated by two law students, with an audience of students coming from the London School of Economics Asian Careers Society and the Joint University Hong Kong Careers Society. These two students’ associations in the U.K. include students of Hong Kong origin or otherwise who are studying law or pursuing an interest in the legal issues and economic landscape in Hong Kong.
