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Ⅰ. The Macro-environment of the GBA

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development as an international legal service and dispute resolution hub. According to the statistics of The
Law Society of Hong Kong, as of February 29, 2024, there are a total of 11,264 members holding practising
certificates in Hong Kong, and 1,484 registered foreign lawyers from 31 jurisdictions. There are 924 Hong Kong

law firms, of which 46.3% are sole proprietorships, 41.8% are law firms with 2 to 5 partners, and 59 law firms
are limited liability partnerships formed pursuant to the Legal Practitioners Ordinance. There are 72 registered

foreign law firms from 19 jurisdictions, including 14 limited liability partnerships formed pursuant to the Legal
Practitioners Ordinance. There are 29 registered associations between Hong Kong law firms and registered

foreign law firms (including Mainland law firms). The case statistics released by the Hong Kong International
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Arbitration Centre indicate that Hong Kong accepted 500 cases in 2023. Among them, 281 cases were arbitration

cases, which is the highest number of cases received in the past decade. 27

Business models of Hong Kong law firms

11.9%

46.3%

41.8%

Sole proprietorship law firms

2 to 5 partner law firms
Limited liability partnership law firms and other law firms formed in accordance with the
Legal Practitioners Ordinance

25 Speech by Mr. C. M. Chan, President of The Law Society of Hong Kong, at the Opening Ceremony of the 2022 Legal Year (January
24, 2022). https://www.hklawsoc.org.hk/-/media/HKLS/Press-statement/SC/2022/20220124_SC.pdf
26 Monthly statistics of The Law Society of Hong Kong (as of February 29, 2024),
https://www.hklawsoc.org.hk/zh-CN/About-the-Society/Profile-of-the-Profession
27 HKIAC releases statistics for 2023 (March 6, 2024), https://www.hkiac.org/zh-hans/news/hkiac-releases-statistics-2023

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