Hong Kong welcomes Greater Bay Area lawyers rules
Bastillepost · 2 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago4 MIN
Summary
Hong Kong’s Department of Justice said it welcomed the Ministry of Justice’s issuance and implementation of the Administrative Measures for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Lawyers’ Practice Examination and Practice Activities, which came into force on October 5. The department said the revised Lawyers Law, together with the new measures, establishes the Greater Bay Area lawyers practice system and its implementation details for long-term operation.
Key Points
- The Ministry of Justice issued the Administrative Measures on Greater Bay Area lawyers’ examination and practice activities, and the rules formally took effect on October 5.
- Secretary for Justice Paul Lam Ting-kwok (林定國) said the amended Lawyers Law and the new measures together provide a firmer legal basis and clearer guidance.
- The Department of Justice said the multi-year pilot scheme for Greater Bay Area lawyers expired on October 4 before the system was regularised.
- Earlier, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress amended the Lawyers Law to make the Greater Bay Area lawyers system permanent.
- The new measures set out examination eligibility, application procedures, scope of practice, and require the relevant examination to be held once every two years.
Why It Matters
For Hong Kong’s legal sector, the change turns a time-limited pilot into a standing framework, giving lawyers more certainty if they want to build cross-boundary practices in the Greater Bay Area. The Department of Justice said it will align follow-up work with Hong Kong’s first five-year plan and the Policy Address to deepen legal services cooperation among Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao.