Hong Kong launched an academy for training international legal talent in the city during a forum on Friday, with the justice minister saying preliminary discussions for its offerings had started earlier this week.
The newly established Hong Kong International Legal Talents Training Academy showed the government’s commitment to cultivating expertise in that field, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said on the final day of the Hong Kong Legal Week.
“[The academy] will also collaborate with international organisations and legal bodies, strengthening exchanges in regions under the Belt and Road Initiative, while underlining Hong Kong’s status as a capacity-building centre for legal talent throughout the region and beyond,” Lee said.
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The Pitch
The initiative to establish the Hong Kong International Legal Talents Training Academy was first mentioned in the Chief Executive’s 2023 Policy Address. The Academy was officially launched on 8 November 2024 during the 2024 Hong Kong Legal Week. The Academy will make good use of Hong Kong’s bilingual common law system and international status, and organise practical training courses, seminars, international exchange programmes to promote exchanges among talents in the regions along the Belt and Road.
Through the Academy, Hong Kong can build on the unique advantages and position in connecting our country to the rest of the world at the interface of the rule of law, contributing to the country’s efforts in training foreign-related legal talents and actively participating in the next decade of the Belt and Road Initiative as a capacity building hub.
To take forward this initiative, the Hong Kong International Legal Talents Training Office and the Hong Kong International Legal Talents Training Expert Committee were successfully set up in October 2024. The Office will also serve as the secretariat for the Hong Kong International Legal Talents Training Expert Committee.
The Hong Kong International Legal Talents Training Expert Committee consists of 3 advisory boards, comprising 17 eminent legal experts and scholars from renowned international, Mainland and local legal organisations, and universities as members to advise the Department of Justice on developing the training and capacity-building programmes and strategies. Members of the Expert Committee are appointed in their personal capacity. Please click here for the brief biographical information of the expert members.
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