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Appendix: Interviewee’s Opinions

the level of application of legal technology. Hong Kong courts are comparatively backward in their technology,

and slow in going electronic. Only when the courts’ electronic level has been raised can the level of technology
application in Hong Kong law firms be uplifted. Such advancement needs to take a top-down approach. Based on

the adversarial nature of Hong Kong’s judicial system, it is difficult for the plaintiff and the defendant to agree on
whether or not to adopt electronic means to handle proceedings in terms of litigation strategy. Therefore, a top-

down, and mandatory approach is needed to further promote the use of electronic technology in legal services.

3. As most of the law firms in Hong Kong are small and medium-sized, what measures
or policies are in place to promote cooperation between these law firms and the Mainland

law firms?

In Hong Kong’s legal market, most Hong Kong law firms prefer stability over risk-taking, and they will

not develop new business without resources. Small and medium-sized law firms in Hong Kong mainly target
the local market. These firms have the advantages of being free and flexible, and the Mainland market is less

attractive to them.
Enhancing cooperation between small and medium-sized Hong Kong law firms and Mainland law firms

needs to be built on the premise of expanding the scale of such Hong Kong law firms. Only with sufficient
scale will these firms be willing to develop the Mainland market and expand Mainland business. The current

laws and regulations of Hong Kong are relatively conservative and restrictive on the merger and expansion of
law firms. For example, for the name of the law firm, according to the Solicitors’ Practice Rules, the name of

a firm shall consist solely of the name or names of one or more solicitors who are principals of the firm, which
is not conducive to the realisation of a larger scale merger. In terms of liability, the unlimited liability of a

solicitor for the provision of services raises concerns as to how liability should be borne after a merger. Only
after overcoming the above obstacles can Hong Kong law firms further expand their scale, further expand their

business in the Mainland and strengthen cooperation with the Mainland law firms.

4. What are your supplementary views on promoting the development of Hong Kong
legal practitioners in the GBA?

The Government should be more proactive in playing a leading role by providing more resources or policy
support to facilitate the development of Hong Kong legal practitioners in the GBA. Government leadership plays

a greater role in the Mainland’s legal market. However, Hong Kong’s legal market is a free market and therefore,
the Hong Kong Government’s role in the legal market is relatively passive. More emphasis should be placed on

the Hong Kong Government taking up a leading role in the legal market. The Law Society of Hong Kong and the

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