Hong Kong aims to simplify local qualification system amid fierce competition for places
The Law Society of Hong Kong is considering an overhaul of the exam system for graduates and foreign lawyers seeking to become locally qualified, with a consultation on the subject set to be issued this month. The plans for reform, which were first announced in July last year, include the proposal to scrap the existing assessment procedures at three Hong Kong universities – the University of Hong Kong (HKU), City University and Chinese University – to create one common law exam. Hong Kong law graduates currently have to complete the Postgraduate Certificate of Laws (PCLL) before being awarded a training contract. The one-year course is offered by the three universities, each of which have a limit on the number of students they can take.
May 09, 2013 at 07:03 PM
4 minute read
HK Law Society to consult with profession on exams overhaul in push to boost opportunities for students
The Law Society of Hong Kong is considering an overhaul of the exam system for graduates and foreign lawyers seeking to become locally qualified, with a consultation on the subject set to be issued this month.
The plans for reform, which were first announced in July last year, include the proposal to scrap the existing assessment procedures at three Hong Kong universities – the University of Hong Kong (HKU) (pictured), City University and Chinese University – to create one common law exam.
Hong Kong law graduates currently have to complete the Postgraduate Certificate of Laws (PCLL) before being awarded a training contract. The one-year course is offered by the three universities, each of which have a limit on the number of students they can take.
Meanwhile, those with law degrees from overseas jurisdictions must also pass a conversion exam to ensure they have sufficient local legal knowledge, while foreign registered lawyers looking to become locally admitted are required to undergo a different assessment known as the Overseas Lawyers Qualification Examination (OLQE).
The Law Society of Hong Kong, which is responsible for monitoring the courses, believes all the exams could be feasibly rolled into one, which would be overseen by them rather than the universities.
They argue this would allow more universities to offer postgraduate training programmes by making course monitoring more manageable, and by removing the limit on the number of students able to take the exam each year.
As it stands, only graduates with a high 2:1 degree are considered for the course due to university quotas.
In order to bridge the gap between graduates and 'day one' solicitors, the society is also mulling plans to postpone postgraduate exams until after the completion of training contracts.
It is currently in the final stages of appointing a consultant from the UK to advise on the plans, and expects to issue a public consultation this month, with opinion set to be sought from law firms, barristers, the judiciary, universities and other consumers of legal services.
Following the consultation, a new common exam overseen by the Law Society could be introduced by 2018.
"Our plan is to have a decision either at the end of this year or early next year on whether to proceed with setting up our own entrance exam," said Stephen Hung, vice president of the Hong Kong Law Society and chairman of the society's legal education committee.
"We should give [the students and universities] at least four years' notice, as I don't think it's fair to change the rules while some students are still studying their undergraduate degree. So in 2018, all the students who graduate from law school would have to sit the common exam."
According to Hung, courses would continue to be set by the universities, and it would be up to the faculties to tailor their teaching to accommodate lawyers with different experience.
"I feel sorry for those who cannot get onto the PCLL," he added. "In my time, you could get a place on the PCLL with a third class honours. Now even a 2:1 will not guarantee you a seat.
"Last year, 25% of the intake at HKU came from abroad, so you can imagine the competition for local students.
"Hopefully 10 to 15 years down the road, there could be other course providers – with more course providers, there would be more opportunities for students."
According to recent figures, City University alone received 700 applications for the 2012-13 PCLL course, with just 160 places offered.
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View AllCan Law Firms Avoid Landing on the 'Enemy' List During the Trump Administration?
5 minute readLetter From Asia: Will Big Law Ever Bother to Understand Asia Again?
Simpson Thacher, Nishimura, Mori Hamada Assist on KKR's $4B Winning Bid in Japan
Trending Stories
Who Got The Work
Michael G. Bongiorno, Andrew Scott Dulberg and Elizabeth E. Driscoll from Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr have stepped in to represent Symbotic Inc., an A.I.-enabled technology platform that focuses on increasing supply chain efficiency, and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The case, filed Oct. 2 in Massachusetts District Court by the Brown Law Firm on behalf of Stephen Austen, accuses certain officers and directors of misleading investors in regard to Symbotic's potential for margin growth by failing to disclose that the company was not equipped to timely deploy its systems or manage expenses through project delays. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton, is 1:24-cv-12522, Austen v. Cohen et al.
Who Got The Work
Edmund Polubinski and Marie Killmond of Davis Polk & Wardwell have entered appearances for data platform software development company MongoDB and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The action, filed Oct. 7 in New York Southern District Court by the Brown Law Firm, accuses the company's directors and/or officers of falsely expressing confidence in the company’s restructuring of its sales incentive plan and downplaying the severity of decreases in its upfront commitments. The case is 1:24-cv-07594, Roy v. Ittycheria et al.
Who Got The Work
Amy O. Bruchs and Kurt F. Ellison of Michael Best & Friedrich have entered appearances for Epic Systems Corp. in a pending employment discrimination lawsuit. The suit was filed Sept. 7 in Wisconsin Western District Court by Levine Eisberner LLC and Siri & Glimstad on behalf of a project manager who claims that he was wrongfully terminated after applying for a religious exemption to the defendant's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The case, assigned to U.S. Magistrate Judge Anita Marie Boor, is 3:24-cv-00630, Secker, Nathan v. Epic Systems Corporation.
Who Got The Work
David X. Sullivan, Thomas J. Finn and Gregory A. Hall from McCarter & English have entered appearances for Sunrun Installation Services in a pending civil rights lawsuit. The complaint was filed Sept. 4 in Connecticut District Court by attorney Robert M. Berke on behalf of former employee George Edward Steins, who was arrested and charged with employing an unregistered home improvement salesperson. The complaint alleges that had Sunrun informed the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection that the plaintiff's employment had ended in 2017 and that he no longer held Sunrun's home improvement contractor license, he would not have been hit with charges, which were dismissed in May 2024. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer, is 3:24-cv-01423, Steins v. Sunrun, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Greenberg Traurig shareholder Joshua L. Raskin has entered an appearance for boohoo.com UK Ltd. in a pending patent infringement lawsuit. The suit, filed Sept. 3 in Texas Eastern District Court by Rozier Hardt McDonough on behalf of Alto Dynamics, asserts five patents related to an online shopping platform. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap, is 2:24-cv-00719, Alto Dynamics, LLC v. boohoo.com UK Limited.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250