Second GBA Legal Professional Examination to be held in June next year

     The Department of Justice (DoJ) welcomed the notice issued by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) yesterday (December 14) on the details of the 2022 GBA Legal Professional Examination. The examination will be held on June 11, 2022, in Shenzhen, Guangdong. Eligible applicants can apply to sit for the examination through the website of the MoJ from January 10 to 20, 2022. For more details, please visit:
www.moj.gov.cn/pub/sfbgw/gwxw/xwyw/202112/t20211214_443709.html (in Chinese only).

     Hong Kong legal practitioners, including young solicitors and barristers with accumulated legal practice experience of five years or above, are allowed to provide legal services in the nine Mainland municipalities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) on specified civil and commercial legal matters to which the Mainland laws apply after passing the examination and obtaining the relevant lawyer's practice certificate. They can be retained by Mainland law firms and partnership associations of Mainland law firms and Hong Kong or Macao law firms, and can also become partners of Mainland law firms in the GBA.

     The Secretary for Justice, Ms Teresa Cheng, SC, said, "With the staunch support given by the Central Authority and the MoJ, we have successfully implemented the inaugural GBA Legal Professional Examination this year. With the announcement of 2022 examination details, the DoJ will continue to actively co-operate with the MoJ and the Department of Justice of Guangdong Province in implementing the examination.

     "To enhance their practical knowledge on handling of Mainland legal matters, Hong Kong legal practitioners who have passed the inaugural examination will participate in the intensive training and assessment arranged by the Guangdong Lawyers Association. I hope the Hong Kong legal services sector will seize the opportunities and join hands with their Mainland counterparts to provide the GBA enterprises with a one-stop shop for cross-border and cross-jurisdictional legal services, leading to a win-win situation."