Law degrees in Hong Kong: how universities are preparing students from various academic backgrounds to work in law-related fields after postgraduate studies

The Juris Doctor (JD) is a postgraduate programme to prepare students from different academic backgrounds to practise law or work in law-related fields. It is also a path to the Postgraduate Certificate in Laws (PCLL), which is required under Hong Kong’s existing legislative framework to gain recognition and admission as a lawyer, making the JD a popular choice for those looking for a career switch.

In Hong Kong, JD degrees are offered by the three law schools that are authorised by the government to administer the PCLL, namely the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), City University of Hong Kong (CityU), and University of Hong Kong (HKU). After the JD programme, graduates can apply for the PCLL if they want to practise as a barrister or lawyer in the city.

All three universities offer full-time JD courses which can be completed in two years, while CUHK is the only one that also has a four-year part-time curriculum.

Compared with the LLM (Master of Laws), JD is more extensive and profession-oriented. Apart from the core courses, there is a range of pragmatic electives to choose from based on students’ career objectives. In view of globalisation trends, the law schools have also partnered with prestigious overseas universities and institutions to provide more rounded qualifications.

The CUHK Law faculty, established in 2004, offers a JD programme with the aim of creating critical, innovative and socially responsible thinkers who are determined to become leaders in law and are on top of the latest developments in the field, according to Elliot Fung, the university’s JD programme director.

Fung said the JD programme’s comprehensive curriculum offers flexibility for the needs of postgraduate students, who can complete the programme full-time in 24 months or 48 months part-time. It incorporates a mix of lectures, seminars, tutorials, presentations and class discussions. Students can customise their curriculum by selecting from a range of elective courses, with some of the popular ones being Legal Technologies, Chinese Law and Society in an Age of Digital Technologies and Artificial Intelligence, and Principles of Competition Law.