From the official pages
Hong Kong law guides
Reads on official lists, kinds of practice, instructing a lawyer and legal aid. Nothing here is legal advice.
Law guide results
25 guides
Kinds of practice
Solicitor firm, foreign law firm or chambers in Hong Kong
Hong Kong legal work comes from three kinds of practice. Whose law applies, and if you need an advocate in court, decides which one you contact first.
Official lists
Law List Hong Kong: how to check a solicitor or law firm
The Law Society’s Law List is the public record of solicitors, foreign lawyers and law firms registered with it. Here is how to use each part of it.
Kinds of practice
Registered foreign law firms in Hong Kong: what they can do
A registered foreign law firm practises foreign law from Hong Kong under a Law Society registration. It is precluded from practising Hong Kong law.
Official lists
Hong Kong Bar List: how to check a barrister
The Bar List is the Hong Kong Bar Association’s list of practising barristers, updated daily. Here is how to search it and what it tells you.
Using the system
How to instruct a solicitor in Hong Kong
Choose a Hong Kong law firm, check it and the solicitor on the Law List, agree the scope and costs in writing, then give clear instructions.
Using the system
How to instruct a barrister in Hong Kong
In Hong Kong you normally instruct a barrister through a solicitor. Here is how that works, how barristers charge, and the narrow exceptions.
Kinds of practice
Foreign lawyers in Hong Kong: registration and limits
A registered foreign lawyer holds a Law Society certificate of registration to practise foreign law from Hong Kong. That is not admission as a Hong Kong solicitor.
Kinds of practice
Law firm LLPs in Hong Kong: what LLP means for clients
An LLP law firm limits partners’ personal liability for other people’s defaults, and must carry extra insurance. The Law Society lists which firms are LLPs.
Kinds of practice
Registered associations of law firms in Hong Kong
When a Hong Kong law firm and a foreign law firm share fees, profits, premises, management or staff, both must register the association with the Law Society.
Official lists
Solicitor practising certificate Hong Kong: check and renew
A Hong Kong solicitor may act as a solicitor only with a current practising certificate. How to check one on the Law List, and how solicitors apply and renew.
Official lists
Solicitor advocates in Hong Kong: higher rights of audience
A solicitor advocate is a Hong Kong solicitor granted higher rights of audience by the Higher Rights Assessment Board. Here is what that means and how to check the Law Society list.
Official lists
Notary public Hong Kong: how to find and check a notary
A Hong Kong notary public prepares and authenticates documents for use abroad. How to find one, check the appointment, and when you also need an apostille.
Kinds of practice
Law Society vs Bar Association Hong Kong: who does what
Hong Kong has a split legal profession. The Law Society regulates solicitors and foreign lawyers; the Bar Association is the professional body for barristers. Here is which one to use.
Using the system
How to complain to the Law Society about a solicitor
The Law Society investigates professional misconduct by Hong Kong solicitors, law firms, foreign lawyers and trainees. How to file the complaint form, what it will not handle, and what happens next.
Using the system
How to complain to the Bar about a barrister in Hong Kong
Complaints about a Hong Kong barrister’s conduct go to the Hong Kong Bar Association. How to get and file the form, what the Bar cannot do, and how the Barristers Disciplinary Tribunal works.
Using the system
Legal aid Hong Kong: means test limits and how to apply
The Legal Aid Department pays for a lawyer in court if you pass a means test and a merits test. The 2026 limits, the two civil schemes, criminal legal aid and how to apply.
Official lists
Law firm scam alert Hong Kong: check a firm before you pay
Scammers use fake law firm websites, letterheads, emails and messages that borrow real solicitors’ names. How to use the Law Society’s Scam Alert and Law List to check before you pay.
Official lists
China-Appointed Attesting Officer Hong Kong: find a CAAO
Hong Kong documents for use in the Chinese Mainland often need attesting by a China-Appointed Attesting Officer. What they do, when you need one, and how to check the Law Society list.
Courts and tribunals
Small Claims Tribunal Hong Kong: how to file a claim
The Small Claims Tribunal hears money claims of up to HK$75,000. Lawyers cannot appear at hearings, and filing fees run from HK$20 to HK$120.
Courts and tribunals
Labour Tribunal Hong Kong: how to make a claim
The Labour Tribunal decides money disputes between employees and employers. The Judiciary points you to free Labour Department conciliation first, and lawyers cannot appear at hearings.
Wills, estates and family
Probate in Hong Kong: how to apply for a grant
A grant of representation from the High Court Probate Registry gives an executor or administrator authority over a deceased person’s estate. You can apply yourself, in person, and there is no estate duty for deaths on or after 11 February 2006.
Wills, estates and family
Making a will in Hong Kong: rules, witnesses, intestacy
A Hong Kong will must be signed in front of two witnesses who are present at the same time. A gift to a witness, or to a witness’s spouse, can fail, and a later marriage cancels the will.
Wills, estates and family
Enduring power of attorney Hong Kong: how an EPA works
An enduring power of attorney (EPA) lets someone you trust run your property and finances, and it keeps working if you later lose mental capacity. You sign it before a registered medical practitioner and a solicitor, and it must be registered at the High Court once you are becoming mentally incapable.
Using the system
Free legal advice in Hong Kong: where to get it
The Duty Lawyer Service runs free one-off sessions with volunteer lawyers, with no means test, and recorded legal information through Tel-Law. If you are going to court without a lawyer, the Procedural Advice Scheme and the Judiciary’s Resource Centre help with procedure.
Wills, estates and family
Divorce in Hong Kong: grounds, forms and Family Court steps
Divorce in Hong Kong goes through the Family Court. You usually need to have been married for at least a year, and you either petition alone or apply jointly with your spouse.
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