Where should someone go to law school to practice in Hong Kong?

[fooze]

Hi,

I've noticed there are several posters who seem quite knowledgable on law practices in HK, so I was hoping someone would help me answer a few quick questions.

My friend who completed undergrad at a top US college is currently researching law schools to enroll in. I trying to help her work out what would be the best choice for her if she wanted to eventually practice in HK.

She has several options: a decent US law school, top Canadian law school or trying to get into a program in HK / UK. My Qns are as follows:

1) I know that HK follows British law, how portable is a US / Canadian degree? Is it a matter of taking a simple bar exam(s) to be able to practice here or is it more complex?

2) What do the top tier HK firms look for? Experience in the US? What school you came from? Any preference for US vs. UK vs. Canada grads?

3) British law programs tend to start in undergrad and follow straight into a masters I believe. Would it be difficult to jump into a HK / British law program coming out of a US institution?

If anyone could shed some light on any (or all!) of these points, I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks for your time!

[hello_there]

The answers to all your questions entirely depend on whether you want to practice US/ UK law in HK as a foreign registered lawyer or work as a locally qualified lawyer. The majority of "top" firms in HK are US or UK based and many of the lawyers at these firms are foreign registered lawyers who do not practice HK law. A degree from a top US law school is typically the way a US person would go, and a degree from a top UK school typically the way a UK person would go. Recruiting at the top firms follows the NY/ London model, where grades and school attended matter. I know of very few Canadian lawyers in HK, and it may pose a problem for a new grad to get foreign registration as you need a "supervisor" qualified in your jurisdiction for the first two years of practice.

[fooze]

Thanks, thats already quite helpful! The reason I asked about Canadian law is that UBC (Canadian Uni) has a exchange program with HKU, so it seemed like a good segway into the HK market.

My friend does plan on working at a multinational firm, so I guess that she would be practicing US/UK law in HK rather than HK law. (Although I thought HK law was based on British, i.e. UK law?)

Really no lawyers from Canada?? Haha I met quite a few ppl in law who did degrees at UToronto at Canada Day.. maybe I lucked out.

[pin]

the HK / English system (btw there is no such thing in in reality as British or UK law especially in terms of private practice) normally requires you to have studied one year in a post graduate course and then have two years training experience before you can qualify as a solicitor.

I understand in Canada, you do your undergrad and then go to law school, and upon completing law school exams you are qualified as a lawyer of that province (please correct me if I am wrong).

I think to do the PCLL in HK (which is the postgraduate course) you are required to have an equivalent law degree, however its probably best to check with HK law society and the PCLL providers.

Once you have done that, you need to get a training contract with a law firm practising Hong Kong law and train with them for two years, after that, you become a HK solicitor.

Now, if you are a foreign lawyer (i.e. Canadian / US, etc), you can come over to HK and become a Registered Foreign Lawyer. This entitles you to work in Hong Kong under the law that you are registered with. In reality (but this is highly dependant on the firm you join), you will end up doing some Hong Kong law work. The majority of big firms here actually do practice Hong Kong law as well as English or US law. The smaller US firms probably only practice US law and are normally staffed by US lawyers (as well as local paralegals).

As a foreign lawyer you can take the OLQE to convert to become a Hong Kong lawyer. The number of exams will depend on various factors, such as how long you have practised law for, etc.

[fooze]

Thank you! That was extremely helpful. I'll follow up with my friend and have her check out some of the resources you mentioned. Thanks again for both of your informative replies