Nurturing legal talent via secondment

To boost Hong Kong as an international legal and dispute resolution services centre, the Department of Justice (DoJ) nurtures legal talent to empower them to become well-versed in international law via secondment programmes.

Golden opportunity: Kevin Lau’s keen interest in international law is what led him to take the plunge to apply for the secondment programme. Source from news.gov.hk

Hong Kong practising barrister Kevin Lau, who has developed a broad civil practice and a deep interest in international law, embarked on a unique professional journey through the DoJ’s secondment programme last year.

“As a private legal practitioner in Hong Kong, it is actually not that easy to find many opportunities to work consistently on international law. So, when the opportunity for the secondment arose, I simply took the plunge and clicked the 'yes' button,” he said.

Mr Lau served as a legal officer at the International Institute for the Unification of Private Law, or UNIDROIT, in Rome, Italy.

Throughout his six-month secondment, he concentrated on conducting legal research, co-ordinating work meetings, and navigating a steep learning curve.

Widening horizons

Assigned to UNIDROIT Deputy Secretary-General Anna Veneziano, Mr Lau focused on the Best Practices for Effective Enforcement project.

He portrayed it as an interesting research task because he had the unique opportunity of exploring the laws of different jurisdictions on enforcing court judgments.

Mr Lau noted that UNIDROIT works in many different fields, dealing with concepts and issues that may not be familiar to lawyers in Hong Kong, such as laws related to agricultural development.

“Like the law concerning agricultural products and how they are stored in warehouses and how the warehouse receipts can be commoditised.

Efforts recognised: UNIDROIT Secretary-General Ignacio Tirado praises the successful secondment arrangement with the DoJ and Hong Kong legal professionals’ contributions. Source from news.gov.hk

“So, there is a lot of very quick catch up that you have to do in order not to get lost when you are thrown into the crucible,” he explained.

Mr Lau expressed that there were colleagues from diverse nationalities, for example the US, Brazil and Germany, describing the work environment as huge cultural exchanges.

He saw the greatest benefit of the secondment as broadening horizons, believing it is beneficial for both career and personal growth.

“It is just the whole perspective of trying to come to grips with the values, or how people see things in Italy. My Italian friends really taught me about the value of being still and chill.

“There is really no universally better practice, right? So, there is always something you can learn from one another,” he added.

Mr Lau also paid more attention to the latest dynamics worldwide, such as the popular legal debates across Europe, which he believes will help him to excel in his practice in Hong Kong.

Significant contributions

On the day of this interview, Mr Lau moderated a panel discussion, at Hong Kong Legal Week 2024, with one of the guest speakers being UNIDROIT Secretary-General Ignacio Tirado, whom he worked under during his secondment.

Prof Tirado hailed the secondment arrangement with the DoJ as a success, recognising the contributions made by Hong Kong legal professionals.

“Their abilities are fantastic, and they have helped us so much in very different projects, from the enforcement of the Cape Town Convention to international commercial contracts to digital assets.

“They can bring their expertise from one of the world's leading legal and financial centres. They bring a common law culture, which is also used to grappling with the differences of other legal communities, like civil law cultures as well,” Prof Tirado explained as he expressed his wish to welcome more secondees from Hong Kong in future.”

Invaluable opportunity: Beryl Wu expresses gratitude for being able to participate in and witness the negotiation of international conventions during her secondment experience. Source from news.gov.hk

Dream-fulfilling experience

“When I was very young, my father took me to visit international organisations such as the United Nations in Switzerland. So, this seed of a dream has been rooted in my heart since then.”

Hong Kong solicitor Beryl Wu realised her childhood aspiration when she became the first private practitioner seconded to the Permanent Bureau of the Hague Conference on Private International Law, or HCCH, in The Hague, the Netherlands.

She described the six-month journey as a valuable experience as she immersed herself in the transnational litigation team's work and jurisdiction projects.

“Members from different countries come together to discuss the provisions for future conventions in relation to parallel litigations in commercial matters.

“For private practice lawyers, it is a rare opportunity for us to observe the workings behind the drafting and negotiation of an international convention. So, this has been an eye-opening experience for myself.”

Cultivating talent: DoJ Legal Enhancement & Development Office Assistant Principal Government Counsel Kwok Hin highlights that the department spares no effort in putting forward the secondment programmes to offer continuous training for local legal professionals. Source from news.gov.hk

Crucial opportunity

The DoJ’s secondment programmes to UNIDROIT and HCCH are open to legal professionals from both the public and private sectors.

It also has secondment arrangements with the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law, or UNCITRAL, and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, or AIIB, exclusively for government counsels.

Department of Justice Legal Enhancement & Development Office Assistant Principal Government Counsel Kwok Hin, a secondee to UNCITRAL and AIIB, worked in Incheon, Korea, and Beijing.

She provided legal advice and participated in negotiations on legislative amendments to international commercial transactions as well as the Bank's internal legal framework.

Miss Kwok said the secondment experience has enhanced her adaptability and communication skills, helping her to quickly integrate into new tasks and effectively express opinions in a multicultural setting.

“Most importantly, the secondment has pushed me out of my comfort zone to explore new possibilities.”

Miss Kwok emphasised the department’s commitment to promoting secondment programmes, nurturing local legal professionals, and offering continuous training.

“So far, over 20 local legal talents have participated in the secondment programmes.

“By participating in the work of these organisations, local legal talent could gain invaluable knowledge of the operation of international organisations, broaden their horizons through working with international law experts, and insert a Hong Kong perspective in shaping the development of international law.”

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Handguns could be mailed through the United States Postal Service for the first time in nearly 100 years if a proposed rule under the Trump administration takes effect. Democratic attorneys general in two dozen states sent a letter this week in opposition.

In 1927, Congress passed a law barring the USPS from mailing concealable firearms unless they were from licensed dealers in an effort to curb crime. In January, the Department of Justice revisited the 1927 law, calling it unconstitutional and arguing that it violated the Second Amendment, and urged the postal service to change its regulations.

The Department of Justice said that as long as Congress chooses to run a parcel service, “the Second Amendment precludes it from refusing to ship constitutionally protected firearms to and from law-abiding citizens, even if they are not licensed manufacturers or dealers.”

Last month USPS proposed a new rule that would allow anyone to mail concealable firearms like pistols and revolvers. USPS currently allows some firearms like long-barreled rifles and shotguns to be mailed, however they must be unloaded and securely packaged. Similar protections would be in place for handguns, which have evolved since 1927. The USPS said in a statement that it is reviewing public comments — which were due Monday — before making final changes.

Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford, a Democrat who is running for governor, said the rule change would undo the work states like Nevada have done to curb gun violence. Nevada experienced the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history, when a gunman on Oct. 1, 2017 opened fire from the Mandalay Bay casino hotel in Las Vegas, killing 60 people. Following the shooting, Nevada passed a law requiring state-administered background checks on most private gun sales or transfers.

“Our state has suffered enough, and to suggest we make it easier for criminals and abusers to access firearms is a slap in the face to gun violence survivors and law enforcement,” Ford said in a statement.

Under the proposed rules, someone could sell and ship a gun to a person within state lines. The rules are tighter for mailing guns across state lines — people could only mail it to themselves in the care of another person and would be required to open it themselves. That's designed to assist people who are traveling to another state where they might want to use a gun for recreation.

The Department of Justice argues the patchwork of state laws around guns makes it difficult to take them across state lines for lawful purposes like target shooting, hunting and self-defense. It said that in many cases, people have no ability to travel with a firearm, making mail the "only viable method of transportation.”

Ford and other attorneys general in around two dozen states sent a letter Monday urging the USPS to withdraw the proposed rule, saying it will make it easier for people who can't legally possess guns, like people convicted of felonies or domestic violence, to access them. They also said it'll make it more difficult to solve gun crimes. They said the executive branch does not have the authority to ignore a law Congress passed and the rule will override state gun laws.

State laws include requirements like firearms safety courses, background searches and mental health history checks, according to the attorneys general. Those requirements are regulated through state entities, which would be bypassed if the rule change would be implemented, they argued. There will be no way to guarantee that someone is following the rules and not shipping a handgun across state lines to another person, they argued.

Law enforcement will have to create a new tracking structure to account for firearms mailed through the postal service, which would place added burdens on state budgets, the attorneys general said.

Private companies like UPS and FedEx also restrict gun shipments to customers with federal firearms licenses, such as importers, manufacturers, dealers and collectors. FedEx requires shippers with a federal firearms license to work with a FedEx account executive to obtain approval, according to the company's website.

Firearm advocacy groups applauded the proposed change, while gun safety organizations expressed their concern.

John Commerford, executive director of the lobbying arm of the National Rifle Association of America, called it a key victory for law-abiding gun owners.

“Thanks to President Trump and his administration, USPS will finally allow these firearms to be shipped under the same commonsense safety conditions as rifles and shotguns,” Commerford said in a Wednesday statement.

John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety, said the rule change will turn USPS into a “gun trafficking pipeline” for illegal weapons "while stripping law enforcement of the tools they need to prevent and investigate gun crime.”

FILE - The United States Postal Service logo is shown on delivery vans parked outside the main post office March 23, 2026, in east Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)