Horace Cheung highlights complementary strengths of the mainland and HK legal sectors 

A cohort of 60 mainland lawyers has arrived in Hong Kong to participate in a specialized foreign-related training program, marking a significant step in cross-border legal collaboration.

The opening ceremony for the program, jointly organized by the All-China Lawyers Association (ACLA) and Peking University Law School, was held on Sunday (June 28) morning.

Speaking at the ceremony, Deputy Secretary for Justice Horace Cheung Kwok-kwan highlighted that mainland and Hong Kong lawyers each possess unique, complementary strengths.

Cheung noted that while mainland lawyers are well-versed in statute laws and national policies, the Hong Kong legal profession has considerable experience in common law and cross-border dispute resolution. 

"Hong Kong’s legal system is also highly aligned with international rules on investments, making it well-suited to serve as a super-connector," Cheung added.

Meanwhile, the chairman of the Hong Kong Bar Association (HKBA), José-Antonio Maurellet, noted that Hong Kong is the only bilingual common law jurisdiction under "one country, two systems."

With the increase in cross-border investment and exchanges, Maurellet said Hong Kong barristers, as specialists in advocacy, can continue to make significant contributions to cultivating foreign-related legal talent, thereby consolidating the city's position and competitiveness as an international legal and dispute resolution center.

Maurellet noted that there are currently more than 10,000 foreign-related lawyers in the mainland. He stressed that as cross-border investments rise, disputes are also bound to emerge, requiring a larger pool of foreign-related legal talent to handle them. 

Furthermore, he added that Hong Kong consistently ranks among the world’s top preferred arbitration venues.

With the Judiciary planning to establish the Hong Kong International Commercial Court within a year, and the International Organization for Mediation successfully handling its first case last month, it is expected that more commercial disputes will be handled in Hong Kong.  

He envisaged that within five to ten years, Hong Kong could see more large-scale disputes being resolved here than anywhere else in the world.

𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗔𝗽𝗽 ↓