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Ⅰ. The Macro-environment of the GBA

up the service industry market and updated commitments to facilitate service trade, reducing the barriers for

Hong Kong and Macao enterprises and professionals to enter the Mainland market.
It has been more than three years since the General Office of the State Council published the “Pilot Measures

for Hong Kong and Macao Legal Practitioners to Obtain Mainland Practice Qualifications and to Practise as

Lawyers in the Nine Mainland Municipalities in the GBA” (“Pilot Measures”). Since the pilot measures were

launched, with close cooperation from all aspects, all work has been steadily and orderly progressing. As of
November 23, 2023, three GBA Legal Professional Examinations have been successfully conducted, with over
廣東省合夥聯營律師事務所數量
師
事
數
量
務
所
律
夥
營
聯
東
廣
合
省
1,500 Hong Kong and Macao lawyers enrolled. Among them, 372 Hong Kong and Macao lawyers have obtained
城市 合夥聯營律師事務所數量
the Lawyer’s License (GBA). This measure is of great significance for promoting the development of the GBA,
32
leveraging the professional roles of Hong Kong legal practitioners and Macao practising lawyers, breaking
1. 深圳
10
down exchange and cooperation barriers among the legal profession of Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao,
2. 廣州 4
deepening the connection and cooperation in the legal field among the three regions, promoting the development
3. 東莞 1
of high-end legal services in the GBA, and enhancing the overall international competitiveness of lawyers in the
GBA. 4. 珠海 5
The setup of partnership associations between Guangdong and Hong Kong/Macao law firms is a significant
共計：
20
practice in the integrated construction of the legal service market in the GBA. As of April 30, 2024, there are a

total of 20 partnership associations in Guangdong Province, located in Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Dongguan and
Zhuhai respectively. P16 页表格

Number of Partnership Associations in Guangdong Province
Number of Partnership Associations in Guangdong Province
Number of partnership associations
City City Number of partnership associations
1. Shenzhen
1. Shenzhen 10 10
2. Guangzhou
2. Guangzhou 4 4
3. Dongguan
3. Dongguan 1 1
4. Zhuhai
4. Zhuhai 5 5
Total：
Total： 20 20
Source: Guangdong Legal Services Website
33
1.3.3 Development opportunities and challenges for the legal profession in the
32 Ministry of justice: Study and refine the supporting measures and mechanisms for mainland practice pilot of Hong Kong and Macao
GBA
lawyers in the GBA, GBA Portal, (November 23, 2023), https://www.cnbayarea.org.cn/news/focus/content/post_1142365.html
The development prospects of the legal profession in the GBA are bright and positive. On one hand,
33 Guangdong Public Legal Service, in Guangdong Government Legal Service Website (June 1, 2024),
the legal profession in the GBA is strongly supported by policies issued by the Central Committee
https://gd.12348.gov.cn/jsp/web/legalserviceres/legalserviceorg.jsp?fwOrgType=100&flag=org
of the Chinese Communist Party, giving a sense of security in driving its rapid development in the
GBA. Ms HUANG Ting, Director of the Lawyer Administration Division of the Guangdong Justice
16
Department said in an interview in October 2023 that the Guangdong Justice Department will

continue to strengthen protection for legal practice. Collaborating with multiple departments, the
Justice Department have sent letters to 11 provincial units such as the People’s Court and Public
Security Department of the Guangdong Province to comprehensively safeguard the practising rights
of lawyers in the GBA. They will cooperate with China’s Ministry of Justice, Liaison Office of the

Central People’s Government in Hong Kong, and the Department of Justice of the Government of
the Hong Kong SAR to hold multiple thematic policy promotion conferences, and collaborate with
nine Mainland cities in the GBA to hold provincial practice promotion conferences. They will also

33 Guangdong Public Legal Service, in Guangdong Government Legal Service Website (March 13, 2024),
https://gd.12348.gov.cn/jsp/web/legalserviceres/legalserviceorg.jsp?fwOrgType=100&flag=org.