Thank you very much Jane. I honestly would have never found those site references. My eyes sort of glaze over when reading websites and I still think it is quite odd that that would not have been in the application materials.

regads

Of course the best Chinese law is in Beijng. The question is none of the Chinese professor is able to have lectures or seminars with fully English. I have visited law schools of Peking University and Renmin University, top two Chinese law schools, for exchange programmes with an European university and our exchange programmes turn out to be fully Chinese language learning instead of Chinese law courses for European law students.

In that way HK is much better choice for the language issue. But for those who study in HK, practicing in HK is more available than in mainland China. Working in real China, one need to get used to Beijing Circle, which sharply differs from HK.

I have a question for you Jeanette. Is it true that foreigners are not allowed to practise law in any way in Mainland China? I would be interested to hear from you what the situation is like for foreign lawyers in Beijing.

Regards,

Jane

What foreign lawyers are allowed to do in China? Read
http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2006/05/11/china-poised-to-crackdown-on-foreign-law-firms/

Thank you very much for your hard work, ncBB.

Your info was really straightforward and that's what I really wanted from native HKers. ^^

I'm an Asian, too. So I understand what you say.
Your advice was really practical and I trust I could save some $$$ thanks to it.

It was very useful especially someone like me who wants to practice in HK.

Ralex and anyone else who did the LLM program at Hong Kong U. this past year -- any thoughts on the program? I am getting ready to apply, and would value any comments/insights on the program.

Any luck finding the HKU application yet?

P_Martini

I think the application is now up on the Univ. of Hong Kong Faculty of Law website.

Hello world,

Does HKU's LLM accept non Law related degrees? The website says "Applicants must hold the degree of Bachelor of Laws".

What it does not say is how someone with a non-law related degree can join the LLM programme?

Wannabe

Hi Guys,

I've got an urgent question about LLMs in HK and I was hoping to leech off the popularity of this post.

At present I've taken a gap year partly due to the new conversion exams in Hong Kong, before starting the PCLL and the training contract afterwards.

It only recently came to my attention the possibility of doing an LLM in the gap year whilst also preparing for the conversion exams and as such I've already missed the deadlines for HKU and quite possibly for CUHK (apparently there are only a few spaces left and they offer it on a rolling basis so its hard to be sure). That leaves CityU LLM. Do you guys think its worth doing the CityU LLM if I intend to work in HK/China in the future (albeit I have already secured a training contract)?

On one hand some friends have said an LLM is better than nothing at all, on the other hand, others have said having an LLM from a 'not as good university' (with all due respect to those at City U - I personally do not think I have enough knowledge about the comparative ratings within the three law offering universities) will not be perceived well in the eyes of future employers, should I wish to change jobs later on.

What are your opinions on this? Any help would be much much appreciated.

Hello everyone,
I have questions about the lawyer-licensing-process differences between Canada and HK. In terms of the PCLL changes, which one is easier? -- doing law in HK and then practising in Cda or doing law in Cda and practising in HK? Does anyone have any ideas? Thanks!

Hi everyone :) I'd love to benefit from everyone's wisdom here... but unlike everyone else I'm probably much younger and currently living in the U.S. Over here a J.D. degree is a 3-year program and you'll be eligible to practice if you pass a Bar Exam specific to the state you live in. My goal has been to finish my undergraduate studies here and go to law school, after which practice in Hong Kong. So recently some friends recommended taking the J.D. programs at CUHK and CityU. I was wondering if this would be a good idea at all for a U.S. student? My second concern is that although I most likely will not return to U.S. to practice, it'd be nice to be certified here as well in case practicing here turns out to be better. Would anyone recommend obtaining a J.D. in Hong Kong and then a LL.M. in U.S.? Or would anyone recommend getting the J.D. in U.S. first and then find a way to be certified in Hong Kong (does this affect my chances at getting into PCLL because I've heard that recently they deterred non-local students from enrolling by making the qualifying exams much harder)? I admire everyone here who're moving onto becoming very successful lawyers. Thanks so much beforehand!

ncBB, you must be staying in the New Territories for too long.

City U may not be a good university overall but certainly it
is not a diploma mill. (Unlike the States, no HK universities
can be phony as it is against the law. You must have known
that if you have adequate legal training.)

And dont forget the Chinese University (CUHK) staffs / professors were the exiles of the City U. And you'd have cried loudly if you find out the truth on why they got kicked out.

Generally I think City U is improving. At least it has been
improving consistently since 2004 or 2005 (when those ppl
were shown the way of the door and moved to CUHK. :))

Oh btw, I am a HKU alumni and so I consider my comments
fair and unbiased. :)

Anyway, more City U propaganda, haha:-

1) Video-link Lectures by Professors from Prestigious Law Schools

As part of its commitments to internationalisation, the School of Law has entered into agreements with prestigious law schools, including Yale Law School in the United States. Starting from the 2008-2009 academic year, Professor Michael Reisman from Yale Law School will teach School of Law students International Investment Law course respectively via the video-link lectures.

As a first of its kind in Hong Kong, the real-time virtual lecture enables students to learn from world-class professors and take part in the classes of Yale and other top law schools without having to leave the local campus. Students will be able to experience the world-class academic culture and teaching styles of top universities. It is an innovative combination of high technology and eminent scholars that transplants the international education culture into the local community.

2) Bonus Features

Applications from law graduates of overseas universities are welcome.

The programme offers the opportunity to study law with students from all over the world. The student body is composed of law students, attorneys, corporate executives and professionals from other law related disciplines. The alumni network offers the potential of enriching your educational and professional opportunities.

The programme is a GLOBAL GATEWAY® programme which provides students with an international edge to their legal education by offering students the possibility of dual LLM degrees and exchange programme from leading international law schools under the auspices of cooperative agreements with City University of Hong Kong. It seeks to serve as the legal educational link between China and the world.

Students also have the opportunity to participate in legal internship and distinguished speakers forums.

** To my fellow legal practicioners: these course do count your Law Society or Bar Association's CPD, not bad huh ?

At our Law School, you can receive the same education as in the leading law schools in the world. In Semester A 2008-09, the School invited Professor Michael Reisman, Myres S McDougal Professor of International Law, Yale Law School, to teach a course entitled Selected Problems in International Investment Law through video-link facilities. More LLM courses will be offered by distinguished professors from other well-known law schools, e.g. School of Law at the Columbia University and Faculty of Law at the University of Oxford.

CityU School of Law has signed an exclusive agreement with the Supreme Peoples Court of China and National Judges College to provide advanced legal education to Chinese judges. Under the agreement, 30 Chinese judges will be selected to study the LLM programme at CityU every year. During their study at CityU, they will have the opportunity to study at Columbia Law School for one month, which includes a study trip to Washington D.C. to visit the U.S. Supreme Court and the U.S. Department of Justice.

mockingbird, FYI I was just accepted to HKU. I graduated last may with a 3.18 from a top 40 U.S. school. I took 3 courses in international law and average about a B+ in them. I had two solid recs from profs...and that's about it.

I was also rejected from the program at Kyushu in Japan which I think is a pretty sweet deal in that most accepted get a full ride from the Japanese gov.

Hello,

I just got an offer from Part-time LLM (CFL) of HKU. Do you all study full time there? I'm considering the workload of the PT programme and how useful it is to my future career. I am a CPA since 2010 and is now looking for some breakthrough in my career instead of working as a boring accountant in commercial firm. Is this LLM (CFL) beneficial to me? Grateful if anyone can share their view! Thanks~~~

Phoebe

What the reason to study an LLM in Chinese Law in HK, if HK is governed by common law? If you want study Chinese Law try to find a program in mainland china, such as at Renmin University or Peking University, would make more sense

Thanks rompicapo,
But my program LLM (CFL) means LLM in Corporate and Financial Law, not Chinese Law. Would you have a different view?
Regards
Phoebe

@Phoebeswli
I've also applied for the admission to HKU...havent heard anything from them yet....when did you get the confirmation.. they emailed me saying that they are intrested in my application but i have to retake my TOEFL(which i did and managed to secure the required marks).
I visited the law school last november, met a few students and faculty members. I was pretty impressed with the feedback from the students.