AIMS

Hong Kong Academy of Law Limited (“Academy”) was incorporated on 2 September

2008 as a company limited by guarantee and its charitable status was confirmed by the

Inland Revenue Department shortly after its incorporation.

The Academy is promoted by The Law Society of Hong Kong (“Society”) and is

dedicated to reaching out and promoting law through education and training to the

Society Members and to the local and international communities.

The main aims of the Academy are:

(i) to raise public awareness of the rule of law and other core values of the legal

profession;

(ii) to enhance public interest in the learning of law and to promote law as a “public

profession”;

(iii) to nurture social awareness of the connection between law and other community

development; and

(iv) to provide pathway guidance to law students and quality development

programmes for the profession.

COURSES CONDUCTED

In fulfillment of its aims, the Academy conducted 352 Continuing Professional

Development (“CPD”) and Risk Management Education (“RME”) courses during the

year which were presented by 118 presenters and attended by 16,807 participants.

The courses may be broken down into the following categories:

(i) Seminars on new or amended legislation and legal developments. These included

seminars on the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorist Financing

Ordinance Cap .615 (“AMLO”), the revised Practice Direction P (“PD P”), the

Companies (Amendment) Ordinance 2018, the Apology Ordinance Cap. 631, the

draft Children Proceedings (Parental Responsibility) Bill, the Mandatory

Statutory Adjudication and Security of Payment Law for the Construction

Industry, the Inland Revenue (Amendment)(No. 6) Bill, the new UK Corporate

Governance Code, proposed changes to the Hong Kong International

Arbitration Centre (“HKIAC”) Administered Arbitration Rules, the regime for

listing new economy companies with weighted voting rights structures, new

secondary listing route for Chinese issues listed on qualifying exchanges.

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(ii) Updates on existing law and practice. These included updates on the Companies

Ordinance Cap.622, the Competition Ordinance Cap. 619, on personal injuries

claims, on the Property Management Services Ordinance Cap. 626, the Building

Management Ordinance Cap. 344, the Legal Aid Schemes, updated judgments

on intestate succession and testate succession, professional conduct cases, civil

justice reform, property fraud cases, updated global environment for use of trusts

and foundations in trust planning, insolvency recovery actions, current and

continuing liabilities and duties of listed company directors and compliance

requirements, issues relating to sanctioned offers and payments.

(iii) Apart from providing courses on new legislation and updates on existing law

and practice, the Academy provided courses covering different areas of practice

to empower practitioners to maintain their competitive edge in legal practice and

opportunities for networking and exchange of experiences with local, foreign

professionals, and to promote and explore new business opportunities. The

practice areas covered by the courses included arbitration, mediation, legal tech,

company, commercial and corporate finance, civil and criminal procedure,

family law, professional conduct, risk management, advocacy, constitutional and

human rights, personal injuries, probate and conveyancing.

Please click here for details of the presenters and the courses.

Some of the highlights of the courses are: Case Management The seminar “Case Management - the Common Problems for Discussion on Case

Management Hearing, Case Management Conference, Consolidation and Expert

Evidence Directions” addressed the problems encountered in conducting case

management hearings and conferences, and provided guidance on how to avoid

mistakes made in expert evidence directions. The speakers were Mr. Lung Kim-wan,

former Registrar of the High Court of Hong Kong, Master Andy Ho Chi-yin, Senior

Deputy Registrar and Master Herbert Au Yeung Ho-wing, of the High Court of Hong

Kong. Over 370 participants attended the seminar.

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Master Herbert Au Yeung Ho-wing (left), Registrar Lung Kim-wan (middle) and Master Andy Ho Chi-yin (right) spoke at the

seminar “Case Management - the Common Problems for Discussion on Case Management Hearing, Case Management

Conference, Consolidation and Expert Evidence Directions” on 25 August 2018. Arbitration The seminar “International Arbitration under the International Chamber of Commerce

(“ICC”) Rules” discussed how the ICC selected arbitrators for ICC cases, the distinctive

features of arbitration under the ICC Rules including procedure, evidence and scrutiny

of awards, the solicitors’ role as counsel in ICC arbitrations and what in-house counsel

and the parties they represented might expect of them. Over 120 participants attended

the seminar.

The “Roundtable Discussion on Arbitration” organized jointly with the Society and the HKIAC discussed proposed changes to the 2013 HKIAC Administered Arbitration Rules, key issues on appointment of arbitrators and risk management in arbitration. About 190 participants attended the roundtable discussion.

Mr. Denis Brock, Council Member and Member of the Arbitration Committee of the

Society discussed the various types of disputes between partners, the ways in which

disputes could be avoided and the modes of dispute resolution in two seminars entitled

“Arbitration for Partnership Disputes”. Mr. Huen Wong, Chairman of the Arbitration

Committee, Past President and former Council Member of Society was the moderator.

Over 140 participants attended the seminars.

Mr. Huen Wong, Chairman of the Arbitration Committee, Past President and former Council Member of the Society (left) and

Mr. Denis Brock, Council Member and Member of the Arbitration Committee (right) spoke at the seminars “Arbitration for

Partnership Disputes” on 17 July and 28 August 2018.

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Anti-Money Laundering (“AML”) Six RME courses on AMLO, AML and PD P updated in the light of AMLO were conducted. The courses discussed the role of the Financial Actions Task Force in combating AML and terrorist financing, the latest enforcement cases against the financial institutions instituted by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, the Securities and Futures Commission and the Hong Kong Customs & Excise Department under AMLO and the statutory obligations of practitioners to carry out client due diligence and report suspicious transactions. A total of 640 participants attended the courses.

Mr. Raymond Leung, AML Officer of Deacons (left) and Mr. Alan Linning, Member of the AML Committee of the Society

(right) spoke at the “Seminar on the Updated Practice Direction P” on 29 October 2018.

Company Law The Companies (Amendment) Ordinance 2018 introduced requirements for companies to maintain a significant controller register (“SCR”) and a new licensing regime for trust or company service providers (“TCSPs”). Representatives from the Companies Registry and Ms. Judith Sihombing, Lecturer of the Chinese University of Hong Kong and the University of Hong Kong conducted two seminars to brief practitioners on the major statutory requirements for SCRs and TCSPs. Over 640 participants attended the seminars.

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Legal Tech

Nine seminars and 11 RME electives were conducted under the regular RME Programme on topics relating to legal tech. These included courses on Hong Kong e-Legislation; LawSociety Lexis, artificial intelligence, practical benefits of digital forensics for lawyers and cybersecurity. About 1,040 participants attended these courses.

Mr. Andrew Kwan, Founder and CEO of Outwhiz and Edore spoke at the seminar “Artificial Intelligence” on 30 October 2018.

Building Management A briefing session “Updates on the PMSO and the BMO” provided practitioners with an update on the PMSO and the BMO and related administrative measures. It discussed the establishment of the Property Management Services Authority and its power to collect a levy from the transferee of a property transaction. About 280 participants attended the briefing session.

Mr. Kevin Cheung, General Manager (Regulatory) of the Property Management Services Authority (“PMSA”) (first from the

left), Miss Vega Wong, Assistant Director of Home Affairs, Home Affairs Department, HKSAR Government (second from the

left), Mr. Tony Tse, Chairman of the PMSA (middle), Mr. W. K. Hong, Chief Assessor (Stamp Office) of the Inland Revenue

Department (“IRD”), HKSAR Government (second from the right) and Mr. Eddy Wong, Superintendent of Stamp Office

(Assignment) of the IRD, HKSAR Government (first from the right) spoke at the seminar “Updates on the PMSO and the

BMO” on 21 June 2018.

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The Society has established a panel of solicitors (“Panel”) to provide pro bono legal advisory services under the “Free Legal Advice Service on Building Management Programme” of the Home Affairs Department of the HKSAR Government. A Basic Course was conducted to provide practitioners seeking admission onto the Panel with foundational knowledge in property management. A Refresher Course was conducted to brief practitioners on the Panel on recent building management cases. About 60 practitioners participated in the Basic and Refresher Courses. Another course entitled “Integrity and Quality Building Management” raised practitioners’ awareness to the corruption problems and malpractices in relation to building management and an overview of the corruption preventive measures and the services of the Independent Commission Against Corruption. 77 participants attended the course.

Mediation

Five free sharing sessions were conducted on topics including construction mediation

and mock mediation; the Apology Ordinance, Cap. 631; how solicitors can prepare

clients on mediation; facilitative and evaluative mediation; mediation of disputes in

probate, family business, separation and divorce; child focused and child inclusive

mediation; and parenting coordination. Over 310 participants attended the sharing

sessions.

Ms. Yip Mei Sze, Clara, Accredited General Mediator, Family Mediator and Family Mediation Supervisor (left) and Mr. Lung

Gwun Ting, Bryan, Accredited General Mediator, Family Mediator and Family Mediation Supervisor (right) spoke at the

seminar “Mediation Cases Sharing and Parenting Coordination” on 27 November 2018.

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A workshop on “Evaluative Mediation Training” was conducted by Professor John

Wade, Emeritus Professor of Law of Bond University, Australia. The workshop

explored the different types and models of evaluative mediation and its benefits and

disadvantages, discussed how the participants could prepare for evaluative mediation,

the use of evaluative tools and skills in the mediation process in all types of disputes,

the risks associated with practising as an evaluative mediator and how such risks could

be minimized. 20 participants attended the workshop.

Professor John Wade, Emeritus Professor of Law of Bond University, Australia was the trainer of the workshop “Evaluative

Mediation Training” on 16, 17 and 18 November 2018.

Civil Advocacy

Professor Anselmo Reyes conducted a 2-day training course on civil practical advocacy

to improve and enhance the advocacy skills of practitioners in conducting interlocutory

applications and substantive trials. A half-day training course on civil written advocacy

was held following the course on civil practical advocacy. 13 participants and 15

participants attended the training courses on civil practical advocacy and civil written

advocacy respectively.

Professor Anselmo Reyes, Professor of Legal Practice, Faculty of Law of the University of Hong Kong and formerly Judge of

the Court of First Instance of the High Court conducted two training courses on civil practical advocacy and civil written

advocacy” on 27, 28 March and 10 April 2018 respectively.

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Family Law Six courses were conducted on family law with topics on trust and divorce, the concept of “Parental Responsibility and Rights” under the Children Proceedings (Parental Responsibility) Bill, drafting documents for injunctions against domestic violence and child protection, the law and practice of dealing with children issues in family courts, negotiation skills in family law practice and Practice and Procedure in Ancillary Relief / Financial Dispute Resolution (FDR). Over 340 participants attended the courses.

His Honour Judge C.K. Chan, Principal Family Court Judge of the Family Court, spoke at the seminar “Practice and

Procedure in Ancillary Relief / Financial Dispute Resolution (FDR)” on 1 September 2018.

Risk Management

A seminar entitled “Risk Management and Dealing with Claims Against Solicitors in

Litigation, Commercial and Conveyancing Practices” provided practitioners with an

overview of the operation of the Solicitors’ Professional Indemnity Scheme, the

coverage and exclusions set out in the Solicitors (Professional Indemnity) Rules

Cap.159M, and the recent trend of claims. The seminar alerted practitioners to the

pitfalls in handling litigation, commercial and conveyancing cases. About 120

participants attended the seminar.

13 law firms accredited under the Provider Accreditation Scheme of the Society

conducted courses on behalf of the Academy to the general membership of the Society.

Topics included managing data breach; AML and client due diligence; dispute resolution

clauses in cross border contracts; AML for lawyers and AMLO; conflicts of interest and

confidentiality; market conduct, misconduct and risk awareness; preventing workplace

harassment and discrimination; legal professional privilege; and avoiding claims and

other problems. About 1,450 participants attended these courses.

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Mr. Richard McKeown, Partner of Simmons & Simmons spoke at the seminar “AML for Lawyers: The New AML Amendment

Ordinance” on 18 October 2018.

Professional Conduct and Ethics The seminar “Guardian Role of Professional in Upholding Ethical Governance” apprised practitioners of their role in preventing corruption and upholding ethical governance. It discussed the relevant sections of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance Cap. 201 applicable to practitioners in preventing corruption and other malpractices. About 120 participants attended the seminar.

Ms. Mabel Chu, Senior Community Relations Officer, Hong Kong Business Ethics Development Centre of the Independent

Commission Against Corruption (left) and Mr. Edwin Fong, Legal Advisor of Home Affairs Department spoke at the seminar

“Integrity and Quality Building Management” on 6 October 2018.

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The courses “Professional Conduct” and “Hacking Professional Conduct Issues 2018” briefed practitioners on the relevant rules, cases, practice direction and guidelines on professional conduct. About 180 participants attended the courses.

Mr. Amirali Nasir, Vice-President of the Society spoke at the seminars “Professional Conduct 2018” and “Hacking Professional

Conduct Issues 2018” on 4 September and 23 October 2018 respectively.

Pathway Guidance

A sharing session with law students working as interns in law firms was conducted

whereby speakers from private practice, the Judiciary, the Department of Justice and

the commercial sector shared their insights in the many career options open to law

students. 49 interns and trainee solicitors participated in the sharing session.

Mr. Adamas Wong, Director/Head of Private & Commercial Bank Legal, Asia Pacific Legal, Deutsche Bank AG (third from

the left), His Honour Judge George Own, Judge of the Family Court (third from the right), Ms. Melissa Pang, President of the

Society (second from the right) and Mr. Wesley Wong, SC, Solicitor General, Legal Policy Division of the Department of

Justice (first from the right) shared their experiences as a practitioner in their respective fields in the “Sharing Session with

Law Firm Interns” on 25 July 2018.

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STATISTICS

RME electives under the RME Programme have since 1 November 2008 been offered

free of charge to those participants who have to fulfil their RME obligations in the

relevant RME practice year and who have not attended any other RME electives during

that year. Free core courses have also been offered by the Academy to all trainee

solicitors since 1 November 2009. With effect from 1 November 2014, to mark the 10th

Anniversary of the RME Programme, the Principals’ Core Courses, Non-Principals’

Core Courses, Registered Foreign Lawyers’ Core Courses and the Compulsory First

Elective Courses for Trainee Solicitors are also offered free of charge. Accordingly, all

courses within the RME Programme are free.

The total number of courses and free courses in each of the 11 years from 2008 to 2018

are as follows:

20

251229

250

288311

352

417

309277 265

28

415

468

393

470

508 509

474

383369

352

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

2008

(from 2

September

2008 to 31

December

2008)

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

No

. o

f tr

ain

ing

co

urse

s

Year

No. of courses organised by the Academy from 2008 to 2018

No. of free courses

Total no. of courses

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The total number of participants and the number of participants attending free courses

organized by the Academy in each of the 11 years from 2008 to 2018 are as follow:

SPONSORSHIPS, DONATIONS, SCHOLARSHIPS AND BURSARIES

In fulfilment of its aim of promoting the learning of law, the Academy made available

the following:

(i) The Peter Alan Lee Vine Memorial Scholarship;

(ii) Bursaries;

(iii) Sponsorships for attending local and international conferences.

Details of the applications and the eligibility criteria for applying for sponsorships,

scholarships and bursaries are posted on the website of the Academy

http://www.hklawacademy.org/.

The Academy vetted one application for the Peter Alan Lee Vine Memorial Scholarship

during the year.

2,981

14,025

6,775

8,249

10,223

11,470

14,192

14,847

9,559 8,474 8,705

3,065

20,582

13,370

15,160 15,471

16,829

18,509

17,210 16,789 16,795 16,870

0

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

2008 (from

2

September

2008 to 31

December

2008)

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

No

. o

f p

arti

cip

an

ts

Year

No. of participants in the courses organised by the Academy

from 2008 to 2018No. of participants attending free seminars

No. of participants

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UPDATED DEVELOPMENTS

Two new electives were introduced into the RME Programme during the year. They

were “Conveyancing: Protecting Irregular Interests” and “Cybersecurity & the Law

Firm”. Including these two new courses, the Academy is offering 24 regular courses

under the RME Programme.

The Academy conducted another round of recruitment of part-time tutors and 5 tutors

were appointed at the end of the recruitment exercise. The Academy currently has one

full-time Course Tutor and 16 part-time tutors with diverse legal skills and knowledge.

They enrich the Programme with different presentation styles and delivery of topics of

their specialities from different perspectives.

The Academy continued to explore ways to enhance the effectiveness of the RME

Programme. The Academy conducted a tender and appointed a course provider to

review the core courses, to develop international best practices for incorporation into

the course materials with the aim of raising the Programme to international standard.

The Academy also commissioned a course provider to develop checklists to help

practitioners focus on the ethical requirements set out in the core courses and electives

and to inculcate a risk – averse and compliant practice environment. These projects are

targeted for completion in 2019.

The Academy, in collaboration with the Society, stepped up its efforts to export the RME

Programme to overseas jurisdictions, in particular, the ASEAN countries. The Academy

applied for registration of its trademark in Macao, Taiwan and Mainland China.

Registration in Macao and Taiwan is complete and registration in Mainland China is

pending.

To facilitate practitioners to attend the CPD and RME courses, the Academy already

adopted the QR Code for recording attendance.

The Academy will introduce online registration, online payment of courses and online

evaluation of courses in due course.