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.
At a glance
- Published by
- The Law Society of Hong Kong
- Purpose
- Identifying and locating registered lawyers and firms
- Check a firm
- Hong Kong Law Firms section
- Check a solicitor
- Members with Practising Certificate
- Barristers
- Not on it: use the Bar List
The Law List is the Law Society of Hong Kong’s public record of the solicitors, foreign lawyers and law firms registered with it. The Society says it publishes the list so the public and its members can identify and locate them. To check a Hong Kong solicitor, search the firm in the Hong Kong Law Firms section and the person in Members with Practising Certificate. If either search comes back empty, stop before you send money or documents.
What is on the Law List
The Law List is split into sections. The ones most people need are these:
| Section | What it shows | Use it to |
|---|---|---|
| Hong Kong Law Firms | Hong Kong law firms, each with its own entry | Confirm a firm is a Hong Kong law firm |
| Members with Practising Certificate | Solicitors who hold a practising certificate | Confirm the solicitor handling your matter |
| Foreign Lawyers | Lawyers holding current certificates of registration, searchable by name and jurisdiction | Check a lawyer qualified outside Hong Kong |
| Foreign Law Firms | Registered foreign law firms and their jurisdictions | Check a foreign firm’s registration |
| Limited Liability Partnerships | Firms practising as LLPs, with the date each first commenced as one | See whether a firm is an LLP |
| Registered Association of Law Firms | Each Hong Kong firm, its associated foreign firm and that firm’s jurisdiction | See which firms are formally linked |
The Law List also has sections for Hong Kong law firms with overseas offices and for representative offices of Hong Kong law firms in the Mainland.
How to check a solicitor, step by step
- Get the exact names. Note the firm name as printed on the letterhead or engagement letter, and the full name of the solicitor who will handle your matter. If documents are bilingual, use the English name.
- Search the firm in the Hong Kong Law Firms section. A firm that presents itself as a Hong Kong law firm should be there under that name.
- Open the firm’s entry and compare the details there with the ones you were given.
- Search the solicitor in Members with Practising Certificate. If someone calls themselves a Hong Kong solicitor but is not on that list, ask why before you go further.
- If the lawyer says they are qualified elsewhere, search the Foreign Lawyers section instead and check that the jurisdiction shown matches the law they are advising you on.
- Contact the firm using the details on the Law List, not only the details in an email or message you were sent, and confirm who is acting for you.
What an entry tells you, and what it does not
An entry confirms that the solicitor, foreign lawyer or firm is registered with the Law Society. It is not a rating or a recommendation, and it says nothing about fees, experience, language or availability. For those, read the firm’s own material and ask direct questions. Our law directory summarises firms from their own websites to help with that comparison, then points you back to the Law List for the record.
Spotting a fake firm or letterhead
The Law Society says it receives reports of scam websites, emails and other messages that use bogus law firms, or solicitors’ and foreign lawyers’ names on fake law firm letterheads with false contact details. It publishes those reports on its Scam Alert page. Signs worth taking seriously:
- a firm name that is close to, but not the same as, a Law List entry
- contact details that differ from the firm’s Law List entry
- a request by email or messaging app to pay into an account you were not told about at the start
- a lawyer who will not give you a full name you can search
Our scam alert guide covers what to do next.
Barristers and other records
Barristers are not on the Law List. The Hong Kong Bar Association publishes its own list of practising barristers; see how to check the Bar List. For more on the solicitor’s certificate, read our guide to solicitor practising certificates. We are not the Law Society, and nothing here is legal advice.
Questions people ask
Is ranked.hk the Law List?
No. The Law List is published by the Law Society of Hong Kong on its own website. We write short firm pages from each firm’s website and link to the Law List so you can check the record yourself.
What should I do if my solicitor is not on the Law List?
Check the spelling and try the English name exactly as printed on the letterhead. If the person says they are qualified outside Hong Kong, search the Foreign Lawyers section. If you still cannot find them, do not send money or documents until the firm explains, and check the Law Society’s Scam Alert page.
Does a Law List entry mean the firm is recommended?
No. The Law Society says it publishes the Law List to help the public and its members identify and locate solicitors, foreign lawyers and law firms registered with it. An entry is a registration record, not a rating or a recommendation.
Where do I check a barrister?
On the Hong Kong Bar Association’s Bar List. Barristers are a separate profession and are not on the Law Society’s Law List.
Are foreign lawyers on the Law List?
Yes. The Foreign Lawyers section lists lawyers who hold current certificates of registration with the Law Society. Registered foreign law firms are in a separate Foreign Law Firms section.