Page 8 - 月刊 2024第3期 7月

Executive Summary

firm service fees, share of liability and supervision.

• GBA lawyers may not have an in-depth understanding about the cooperation in the legal services sector in the
region. Issues such as conflicting professional conduct rules and differences in legal service standards limit

the room for cooperation between law firms in the GBA.
• The difference in profession management among the three regions requires coordination, and the format

and contents of the GBA Legal Professional Examination for Hong Kong legal practitioners also need to be
improved.

Demand for and evaluation of legal services in the GBA

• Currently, GBA lawyers are involved in less cases, and the types of cases they deal with mostly involve
foreign-related factors from Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan. GBA lawyers are still not familiar with the

relevant procedures of Mainland matters and some need to improve their proficiency level in Putonghua when
handling cases in the Mainland. There is a significant demand for GBA lawyers to practise in the GBA.

• At present, there is relatively little contact and cooperation between law firms in the Mainland and Hong
Kong legal practitioners. The modes of contact are mainly direct business dealings, and the cooperation mode

is mainly through ad-hoc or fixed partnerships; but many law firms in the GBA are keen for cooperation.
• Within the GBA, Hong Kong legal practitioners have the advantages of being familiar with foreign laws

and customs, fluent in English, and having international business network. They are often praised by legal
practitioners in the Mainland. Meanwhile, Hong Kong legal practitioners also face relative disadvantages,

such as unfamiliarity with the Mainland environment, relatively high fees, and difficulties in communication.

Analysis of the development prospects and strategies for Hong Kong legal practitioners
in the GBA

• National policies and Hong Kong’s vibrant financial market bring new opportunities for legal practitioners,
and the legal services sector in Hong Kong has market opportunities and ample room to expand its business in

the GBA.
• Lawyers from the three regions should be encouraged to exchange ideas and enhance their understanding

about each other. Each entity should actively promote cooperation, leveraging on the existing legal service
cooperation policies in the GBA, innovate new cooperation models, and actively promote the integration

between practice methods and industry supervision to promote win-win cooperation in legal services in the
GBA.

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