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II. The Status Quo and Basis of Cooperation of Hong Kong Legal Practitioners in the GBA

familiarity with regulations in common law jurisdictions, language proficiency enabling seamless communication

with domestic and foreign clients in Chinese and English, familiarity with international commercial rules, and
the ability to provide legal services that align with international standards. They also have strong connections

between the Mainland and overseas countries, which enable them to act as intermediaries to coordinate in
handling foreign-related legal matters.

For the specific areas of mutual assistance between law firms in Hong Kong and the GBA, more than half of
the Hong Kong lawyers support “cross-regional dispute resolution”, “foreign exchange management and cross-

border capital flows” and “listing and financing”. Other areas of interest include “intellectual property”, “data
and cybersecurity”, “trade compliance” and “infrastructure construction”.

(b) Diversified forms of cooperation between Hong Kong and the GBA law firms

On the process of fostering cooperation between Hong Kong and GBA law firms, the interviewees suggest
adopting various forms, including partnerships, joint ventures and formal associations. To help law firms cope

with rapid changes in the legal market and achieve sustainable and healthy development, they recommend
exploring new models of cooperative operations, such as cross-industry or group limited company structures

(rather than partnerships or sole proprietorships). Reference could be made to models from Singapore or other
Commonwealth regions, such as Australia, New Zealand and so on. There should also be more convenient

arrangements for the payment of the costs in cases involving cooperation between law firms from both regions.
Hong Kong and GBA law firms should engage in open discussions to reach consensus on the collaboration

model, determine the contribution ratios and sharing of responsibilities, and establish a clear mechanism to
facilitate cross-regional training and collaboration.

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