HONG KONG: University of Hong Kong
The Faculty of Law at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) traces its origins to 1969, when a Department of Law was established within the Faculty of Social Sciences. The department was Hong Kong’s first law school, and its LLB and PCLL (postgraduate certificate in laws) were the first local university qualifications to be recognized for admission to legal practice in Hong Kong. Formerly, all barristers and most solicitors had trained and qualified in the United Kingdom. The law school at HKU was designed to increase the supply of lawyers, train lawyers in Hong Kong law rather than just English law, and make formal legal education available without the need for students to go overseas.
From the beginning the Faculty developed links with law schools throughout the common law world and in the Asia-Pacific region through staff and student exchanges and other collaborative projects. Always international in composition and outlook, the Faculty now consists of over 70 full-time academic staff from 17 jurisdictions around the world and has some 2,300 students, many from outside Hong Kong. Over the years Faculty members have established Hong Kong law as a field of study during a time of fundamental political and social change and have contributed widely to law reform during Hong Kong’s historic transition from colony to special administrative region. The Faculty is an internationally recognized centre of research in various areas of law, including public law, comparative Chinese law, commercial and financial law, intellectual property and IT law, international economic law and medical ethics and law. Georgetown’s agreement with HKU allows up to three students to participate in the program. In 2023 HKU hosted two Georgetown students.