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The Future of Legal Education: How LITE Lab@HKU is Shaping the Next Generation of Legal Professionals 

In a world where technology is transforming every industry, the legal profession is no exception. The University of Hong Kong (HKU) Faculty of Law embraced this reality by establishing the Law, Innovation, Technology & Entrepreneurship (LITE) Lab. This pioneering initiative is not only preparing future legal professionals for the evolving legal landscape but also garnering international recognition.

Since its launch in 2019, student teams from the law lab have won prestigious competitions like the Georgetown Iron Tech Lawyer Invitational (US) and Baker McKenzie's Boost Legal Innovation Competition (Germany), and recently LITE Lab@HKU itself was awarded the 2023 Edtech Heroes (Adult Learning) Stakeholder Engagement Award.

The EdTech Heroes Award is a prestigious accolade organized by Esperanza, an NGO founded by former Financial Secretary John Tsang. Launched earlier this year for the first time, the EdTech Heroes Awards feature five categories each for K-12 and Adult Learning (which includes Higher Education and Enterprise Learning): Vision, Stakeholder Engagement, Choice of Solution, Implementation, and Learning Experience. The Awards aim to recognize and celebrate outstanding achievements and contributions in the realm of educational technology in Hong Kong.

Law of Tech and Tech of Law
Unlike many law schools which may offer courses on the law of tech, LITE Lab@HKU goes a step further by also focussing on the tech of law. This innovative approach teaches students how technology can and should impact the delivery of legal services and access to justice. By integrating legal design thinking, business model canvas, agile methodology, and computational thinking into its curriculum, LITE Lab@HKU is equipping its students with a diverse skill set that better prepares them for the future of the legal profession.

“The legal profession is known to be a traditional one,” explained Brian Tang, founding executive director of LITE Lab who has extensive previous experience as an in-house lawyer at an international investment bank in Hong Kong and at a Wall Street law firm in New York.

“New technologies present new opportunities and challenges for the profession and delivery of justice, and students from our interdisciplinary and experiential programme have the opportunity to work with, impact and grow participants from Hong Kong’s innovation & technology ecosystem as part of our international legal and financial hub,” he said.  

Collaboration is at the heart of LITE Lab@HKU's mission, with students from seven of HKU’s 10 Faculties working alongside industry partners such as tech start-ups, social entrepreneurs, and non-profit organisations on co-designed legal, regulatory and policy-related research projects that often involved cutting-edge emerging technologies and business models. This hands-on, interdisciplinary approach has already led to several successes for LITE Lab and its students. One of LITE Lab's signature innovations is its initiative that enables students to co-design proof-of-concept legaltech tools with in-house legal and operations teams. This innovative approach has earned international industry recognition, most notably as a recipient of the 2022 CLOC Legal Innovation in Operations Project in Las Vegas.

Beyond its educational programs, LITE Lab@HKU actively leads various industrywide initiatives. For example, the law lab convenes regular Legal Innovation, Technology, and Operations roundtables, bringing together in-house counsel and law firms to discuss and promote tools and methodologies to evolve the legal industry.

LITE Lab has also launched its Climate Contracting Initiative in partnership with UK-based The Chancery Lane Project as part of its promotion of climate conscious lawyering, and to date has convened  working groups of Hong Kong and Singaporean lawyers from leading law firms, financial institutions and companies collaborating on Green Loans, Green Capital Markets, Green Investment Funds and Green Building and Construction.

Grooming Legal Professionals of Future
LITE Lab's forward-thinking approach also extends to the integration of GenAI into its curriculum. As one of the first law school programmes worldwide to incorporate ChatGPT, LITE Lab@HKU is truly at the forefront of legal education. The law lab's work with GenAI has been showcased at international teaching gatherings, such as the International Future of Law Association Annual Conference in Dublin.

While the recent Edtech Heroes (Adult Learning) Stakeholder Engagement Award is an encouraging accolade, the true impact of LITE Lab@HKU lies in its commitment to shaping the next generation of legal professionals. By embracing technology and fostering collaboration, LITE Lab is ensuring that its graduates are well-prepared to navigate the rapidly changing world of law, and at the same time assisting Hong Kong entrepreneurs to create technologies and business models that are aligned with societal values.

Media enquiries
Communication and Public Affairs Office
Ms Melanie Wan (Tel: 2859 2600 / Email: melwkwan@hku.hk)
Ms Jaymee Ng (Tel: 3910 3612 / Email: ngjaymee@hku.hk)
Mr Kenneth Choi (Tel: 2859 2607 / Email: khkchoi@hku.hk)