China and Hong Kong legal integration and reform

China and Hong Kong are pursuing legislative and judicial reforms to enhance legal services and professional cooperation. In August 2026, Chinese legislators began reviewing a draft amendment to the Lawyers Law. This proposal aims to strengthen international legal services, improve training for lawyers specializing in overseas affairs, and facilitate legal practice for professionals from Hong Kong and Macau within nine cities of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

By September 2026, legal developments in Hong Kong focused on internal reforms and deeper integration with mainland China. The Law Society of Hong Kong proposed amending the Legal Practitioners Ordinance to allow highly experienced solicitors to be appointed as Senior Counsel to address increasing court caseloads. The Society also suggested updating the Chinese translation of ‘Solicitor’ to ‘Lawyer’.

Concurrently, Hong Kong’s Department of Justice and China’s Supreme People’s Court agreed to deepen cooperation in cultivating judicial talent through research, online training, and mechanized cooperation projects. This includes utilizing the Hong Kong International Legal Talent Training Institute to host programs for judges from ‘Belt and Road’ regions.