Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng today attended a seminar on Hong Kong legal professionals’ practice and opportunities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

She thanked the central government and relevant authorities and organisations for their staunch support, arranging officials to explain the arrangements for Hong Kong lawyers to practise in the bay area and the national initiatives for backing the Hong Kong legal profession, which help promote the local legal sector’s integration into the country’s development.

Highlighting that the Plan for Comprehensive Deepening Reform & Opening Up of the Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Co-operation Zone and liberalisation measures in the bay area will create huge opportunities for the Hong Kong legal sector, Ms Cheng called on legal practitioners to seize these opportunities.

This can be achieved by integrating the country’s needs with the city’s strengths, and embodying the country’s support for Hong Kong to establish itself as a centre for international legal and dispute resolution services in the Asia-Pacific region under the National 14th Five-Year Plan, in order to foster the long-term development of the city, the bay area and the country, she added.

Co-organised by the Department of Justice and the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Liaison Office's Department of Law, and supported by the Law Society of Hong Kong, today’s seminar was conducted concurrently on-site and online. The Department of Justice expressed hope that the event could produce synergy in the legal community.

Head of the Ministry of Justice Lawyers’ Work Bureau Zhou Yuansheng explained the details of the opening up of the Mainland’s legal services market for the Hong Kong legal profession, and policies for supporting the profession’s development, including the GBA Legal Professional Examination, enhancements on partnership associations set up between Hong Kong and Mainland law firms, and the China-Appointed Attesting Officers exam.

Guangdong Department of Justice Deputy Director-General Liang Zhen briefed the participants on the development of legal services in Guangdong, as well as the market outlook in the province and the bay area's nine Mainland municipalities. Intensive training and the application for practice qualification after passing the GBA Legal Professional Examination were also discussed.

China Law Society external relations department head Ji Daxin introduced the country’s achievements in the building of the rule of law.

Legal professionals attending the seminar also shared their insights and understanding of the national policies benefitting Hong Kong and their views on exploring the bay area during the exchange session.