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The University of Hong Kong (HKU) and the University of British Columbia (UBC) have established a new joint legal education programme that opens doors for candidates selected for admission to, and successfully complete, the programme to practise law in both Canada and Hong Kong.

HKU and UBC - two of the top-rated universities in the world - formally signed the agreement today (3 May 2008 Hong Kong time) at UBC's Vancouver campus, ratifying one of the most promising legal education programmes linking North America and Asia. HKU Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Lap-Chee Tsui and Dean of Law Professor Johannes Chan were at UBC to sign the Agreement on behalf of the University.

"The programme reaffirms our joint commitment to teaching and nurturing independent-thinking, culturally-aware individuals who will rise to the challenges and opportunities of global citizenship," says HKU Vice-Chancellor Professor Lap-Chee Tsui. "I indeed hope that our two institutions will be able to continue to collaborate in other professional disciplines with a view to achieving mutual professional recognition."

"This is an exciting collaboration between HKU and UBC law schools, which also strengthens the links between legal education in North America and Asia," says Professor Johannes Chan, HKU Dean of Law. "Our students will benefit both in terms of intellectual and professional development with exposure to a different jurisdiction and social and cultural environment."

"We're extremely pleased to partner with The University of Hong Kong," says UBC President Stephen Toope. "This programme will equip students with the cross-cultural legal knowledge and professional contacts to foster even greater exchange between Canada and Asia."

The international nature of many legal transactions today has created a demand for lawyers who can practise in multiple jurisdictions. Such lawyers are prized by law firms and corporate law departments. The last 10 years have seen a rise in the number of joint legal education programmes, particularly between U.S. institutions on the East Coast and Europe.

The Faculties of Law at HKU and UBC will each accept up to five students per year, starting in 2009. All students selected for admission to the programme will be able to earn the law degrees required - subject of course to completion of the PCLL course requirements - for law practice in an additional jurisdiction, that being Canada for HKU students and Hong Kong for UBC students.

The joint legal education programme requires just one extra year of study with HKU law students completing six years instead of five and UBC's LLB students completing four years instead of three.

"This is an important step for legal education and the legal community of British Columbia," says Martin Donner, National Co-Chair of the Asia Pacific Client Service Group of Borden Ladner Gervais LLP, Canada. "This shows, in particular, the importance of Vancouver and UBC in strengthening Canada's ties with Asia."

HKU law students who have successfully completed 180 HKU credits including the compulsory core of 132 law credits and 9 broadening credits with a cumulative grade average of at least 3.3 are eligible to apply for this two-year programme at UBC. In order to be admitted, students must take the Law School Admission Test and have achieved a minimum score of 160.

On graduation, HKU students will be conferred a law degree by UBC. This will be on top of a law degree already conferred by HKU as a pre-requisite for completion of programme at UBC. The first batch of graduates under this programme is expected in 2011.

The new legal education programme is yet another example of academic and research collaboration between UBC and HKU. In 2006, the two universities announced the creation of the Simon K.Y. Lee HKU-UBC House, a new international student residence and cultural centre for UBC's Vancouver campus.

Made possible by a C$4-million (ie. About HK$30 Million) gift from Hong Kong-based philanthropist Dr. Simon K.Y. Lee, the centre will accommodate 100 HKU students and the same number of UBC students with an emphasis on creating an environment of diversity and academic excellence. The Simon K.Y. Lee HKU-UBC House will also serve as a hub for cultural activities.

HKU Faculty of Law

The Faculty of Law of the University of Hong Kong is the oldest law school in Hong Kong and one of the most prestigious law schools internationally. First established in 1972, the Faculty has more than 60 full time academic staff and about 1,100 students. The Faculty comprises the Department of Law and the Department of Professional Legal Education and four research centres which include: the Centre for Comparative and Public Law; the Asian Institute of International Financial Law; the Law and Technology Centre; and the Peking University-HKU Research Centre.

The HKU Faculty of Law has been training graduates who are today distinguished legal professionals and leaders of the Hong Kong community. Building upon its unique position as the only common law jurisdiction in China, capitalising on the "one country, two systems" principle, the HKU Faculty of Law has an irreplaceable role to play in scholarship, research and education on common law and comparative law as well as the development of the Rule of Law in China. To read more about HKU Faculty of Law, visit: http://www.hku.hk/law/index.htm  

UBC Faculty of Law

As one of Canada's leading law schools, UBC's Faculty of Law offers a varied programme of instruction in a broad array of legal fields to highly qualified and diverse law students in our professional and graduate degree programs. Faculty members are engaged with and connected to academics, practitioners, and policy-makers across the globe, and are committed to ensuring that their research makes a difference - locally and globally.

The Faculty's Centre for Asian Legal Studies is the largest group of academics teaching and researching Asian legal issues in Canada. Faculty members teach courses and seminars on the law and legal systems of China, Japan, Korea and Vietnam; they also supervise graduate and undergraduate students working on Asian legal issues. The Centre hosts more than 20 visiting judges, academics, and lawyers as Visiting Scholars each year. Information about UBC Faculty of Law can be found at http://www.law.ubc.ca/  

For media enquiries, please contact Ms. Cherry Cheung, Senior Manager (Media), HKU [tel: 2859 26206 / 8208 1686 / Email: cherry.cheung@hku.hk]