Hong Kong Legal Week 2026, themed “Collaboration & Innovation: Legal Synergy for a Shared Future” concluded today.
Comprising a series of events over five consecutive days, this year’s Legal Week demonstrated Hong Kong’s role as an international legal hub by attracting more than 6,000 registrants from over 50 jurisdictions. Participating both online and offline, they held in-depth discussions spanning various topics.
The Fourth Legal Forum on Interconnectivity & Development was held yesterday.
Supported by the Legal Affairs Department of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the forum was co-organised by the Department of Justice and the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Hong Kong SAR.
Deputy Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong SAR Yuan Gujie and Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Hong Kong SAR Cui Jianchun delivered welcome remarks.
This was followed by Counsellor of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Wang Chen and Chief Judge of the High Court Jeremy Poon delivering keynote speeches.
The forum featured two keynote sessions exploring Hong Kong’s role as an all-round international dispute resolution hub and its position in the country’s development of foreign-related rule of law.
The Second Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) Lawyers Forum, themed “Rule of Law & Legal Innovation in the GBA: Bridging Legal Talents, Fostering Synergy”, was held today, ending the week on a high note.
A leader from the Ministry of Justice, Wang Limin, delivered opening remarks and a keynote speech on the topic of supporting Hong Kong’s and Macau’s legal sectors to integrate into and serve the development of China’s rule of law.
Secretary for Justice Paul Lam, Director-General of the Department of Justice of Guangdong Province Chen Xudong and Chief of Office of the Secretary for Administration & Justice of the Government of the Macao Special Administrative Region Chang Cheong all delivered opening remarks.
Mr Lam said that the GBA has unique advantages under “one country, two systems and three jurisdictions”, adding that dual-qualified GBA lawyers are pioneers who turn the differences among the three jurisdictions’ legal systems into institutional strengths.
He outlined that the GBA lawyers’ scheme has been regularised from September, and that more than 700 legal practitioners from Hong Kong and Macau have obtained the relevant practising qualifications to date.
Mr Lam urged Hong Kong legal professionals to enrol in the GBA Legal Professional Examination so as to join the team of GBA lawyers as soon as possible and seize opportunities. This is also one of the objectives set out in Hong Kong’s First Five-Year Plan.
In a thematic sharing session, representatives from the GBA Lawyers Organization, the Law Society of Hong Kong, and the Hong Kong Bar Association exchanged insights on topics including the regularisation of the GBA lawyers’ scheme, the integration of GBA legal talent and professionals, and the role of Hong Kong legal practitioners in GBA dispute resolution.
In a subsequent panel discussion, top GBA and Mainland lawyers drew on their practical experiences to explore how dual-qualified GBA lawyers can capitalise on the unique advantages of “one country, two systems and three jurisdictions” across fields such as cross-boundary commercial litigation, lawtech and green finance, to facilitate Mainland enterprises in “going global”.
The afternoon session brought together renowned Hong Kong, Mainland and Macau mediators to explore the interface of different regulatory frameworks in the GBA through the staging of a mock mediation conducted under the GBA Cross-Boundary Disputes Mediation Model Rules.
Deputy Secretary for Justice Cheung Kwok-kwan highlighted in his closing remarks that the establishment of the Task Force on Expediting the Alignment of Rules & Mechanisms in Guangdong, Hong Kong & Macao, announced in the Chief Executive’s 2026 Policy Address, will allow him to co-ordinate with relevant bureaus on ways of advancing the alignment of rules and mechanisms within the GBA. He said the task force should be established early next year.
Mr Cheung explained that the task force will draw up a list of matters relating to the alignment of rules and mechanisms, with a view to commencing relevant work with the Mainland at an early stage.