Hong Kong Legal Week 2025 Kicks Off, Focusing on Lawtech, AI, and Global Legal Collaboration

2025-12-01 20:28 Last Updated At：12-06 17:15

Hong Kong Legal Week 2025 commences today

The Hong Kong Legal Week 2025, themed "Linking Laws, Bridging Worlds",commenced today (December 1). Representatives from international organisations and the legal industry, renowned experts, government officials and academics from around the world will participate in the Legal Week in person and online to engage in in-depth discussions and exchanges on topics such as the integration of lawtech and AI, the development of international law and alternative dispute resolution, as well as collaboration in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. Before the start of the Legal Week activities, all participants stood up and observeda moment of silence to mourn the victims of the Tai Po fire.

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Hong Kong Legal Week 2025 commences today Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

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Hong Kong Legal Week 2025 commences today Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

The 6th UNCITRAL Asia Pacific Judicial Summit - Judicial Conference, organised by the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) and the Hong Kong International Legal Talents Training Academy, was held as the opening event of this year's Hong Kong Legal Week. Around 50 judges from over 25 jurisdictions attended the Judicial Conference in person, with judges from other jurisdictions participating online. The biennial Summit themed "The Future is Now: Legally Enabling Digitalization of International Trade" comprises a Judicial Conference and a Judicial Roundtable tomorrow (December 2). The Judicial Conference focused on "Building Towards End-to-End Trade Digitalization" and explored topics such as digitalisation of trade, digital transformation in transport, and emerging trends in dispute resolution within the digital economy. The Judicial Roundtable, under the theme "Recent Trends in Dispute Resolution", will explore judicial approaches for handling disputes involving AI, as well as the dynamic interaction between alternative dispute resolution mechanisms and formal court proceedings.

In his welcome remarks, the Secretary for Justice, Mr Paul Lam, SC, said that the theme of this year’s Hong Kong Legal Week aims at highlighting Hong Kong’s role in connecting different economies and legal systems through collaboration, understanding and global legal exchange. Under the principle of "one country, two systems", Hong Kong has strong legal foundation and international connectivity. It is dedicated to serve as a "super connector" and a capacity building hub to facilitate the legal and economic collaboration across the region and beyond. The Judicial Conference today provided a platform to share experience and exchange views on facilitating the development of digitalisation.

The Secretary of UNCITRAL, Ms Anna Joubin-Bret,and the Deputy Director General of the Department of Treaty and Law of the Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China, Mr Tian Ya, gave their welcome remarks at the Summit.

The Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal, Mr Andrew Cheung, gave a keynote speech on the evolving judicial landscape amid digitalisation of trade. The Secretary-General of International Organization for Mediation, Professor Teresa Cheng, also delivered special remarks at the Summit.

The Deputy Secretary for Justice, Dr Cheung Kwok-kwan, in his closing remarks said that the insightful perspectives offered by the participants in the conference today have demonstrated the collective dedication to facilitating and harmonising the seamless digitalisation of trade transactions, and set the stage for continuous engagement among members including the judiciary, government officials, legal specialists and practitioners. It will foster continued professional interaction and constructive dialogues in the times ahead.

This year's Summit coincides with the first anniversary of the launch of the Hong Kong International Legal Talents Training Academy. The Department of Justice (DoJ) has specially released the Hong Kong International Legal Talents Training Academy Anniversary Booklet 2024-2025, reviewing the achievements and milestones of the Academy in promoting international legal exchange and capacity building over the past year. Building upon its inaugural year's accomplishments, the Academy will continue to make good use of Hong Kong's bilingual common law system and international status, to serve as a capacity-building, as well as knowledge and experience-sharing platform for legal professionals in Hong Kong, the Chinese Mainland and other jurisdictions, in particular those along the “Belt and Road”.

Other events during the Hong Kong Legal Week include the Third Legal Forum on Interconnectivity and Development, co-organised by the DoJ and the Commissioner's Office of China's Foreign Ministry in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region tomorrow, featuring in-depth discussions on "Practising Multilateralism and Upholding the International Rule of Law" and "The Promotion and Development of International Law through Emerging Technologies". On Wednesday (December 3), a Symposium of the HCCH Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (ROAP) on Private International Law, alongside the annual forum "Capital of Mediation" and "Hong Kong Mediation Lecture 2025" will be held. On Thursday (December 4), the Basic Law 35th Anniversary Legal Summit will be held on the Constitution Day. The closing event, the First Guangdong - Hong Kong - Macao Greater Bay Area Lawyers Forum, will be held on Friday (December 5) morning under the theme "GBA Connectivity: Setting Sail for Global Horizons". On the same day afternoon, a lawtech conference titled "The AI Era: Shaping the Legal Landscape in the 21st Century" will be held, with a view to deepening the legal profession's understanding of the opportunities and challenges brought by legal technology and AI through various activities.

For more details of Hong Kong Legal Week 2025, please visit the dedicated website at www.legalweek.hk. Live broadcast will be available on the dedicated website and at webcast.info.gov.hk.

Buildings Department Relaunches Reporting Scheme for Unauthorised Building Works in New Territories Exempted Houses

Re-launch of Reporting Scheme for Unauthorised Building Works in New Territories Exempted Houses

Following the direction of earlier proposals, the Buildings Department (BD) announced today (April 1) the re-launch of the Reporting Scheme for Unauthorised Building Works (UBWs) in New Territories Exempted Houses (NTEHs). The reporting period will last for one year from April 1, 2026 to March 31, 2027.

"In view of the history and unique circumstances of the NTEHs (commonly known as village houses), the Government launched a one-off administrative reporting scheme in 2012 as a special arrangement. Under the scheme, owners could report to the BD about UBWs that were erected before June 28, 2011, posed lower risks or constituted less serious contravention of the law. The reporting period ended in December 2012. The Development Bureau (DEVB) put forward proposals to amend the Buildings Ordinance in December 2024, which included rationalising the policy for handling UBWs. The DEVB also pointed out that in response to the views of villagers and Legislative Council members that the reporting period was too short, the Government prepared to re-launch the Reporting Scheme to allow owners who at that time did not report their UBWs to do so," a spokesman for the BD said.

Relevant stakeholders and Legislative Council members generally considered the above proposals practical and feasible, and they welcomed the proposals. The DEVB and the BD have also consulted Heung Yee Kuk on the relevant implementation arrangements.

The re-launched Reporting Scheme will maintain the original criteria, including:

(1) The types of UBWs that can be reported and their erection dates are the same as the original Reporting Scheme, meaning that only UBWs erected before June 28, 2011, posed lower risks or constituted less serious contravention of the law and were not the First Round Targets (Note) are eligible. Examples include signboards projecting from the external walls of village houses; enclosed rooftop structures with a coverage of not more than 50 per cent of the roofed-over area of the main building.

(2) Same as the original Reporting Scheme, owners are required to conduct safety inspections on the reported UBWs every five years.

"The BD will not require the immediate removal of the reported UBWs unless their structures become obviously dangerous. Regarding UBWs in village houses, the BD is prioritising the handling of First Round Targets. If any relevant UBWs remain not reported after the application deadline of March 31, 2027, the BD will, after dealing with the First Round Targets, take priority enforcement action against the non-reported UBWs. The BD will formulate enforcement strategy for the reported UBWs at a later stage in accordance with the risks and the actual situation," the spokesman added.

To enhance the efficiency of processing applications, reports must be submitted via the electronic platform on the BD's website by technically competent persons or registered professional engineers appointed by owners. In accordance with the user-pays principle, an administrative fee of $600 is payable for each application. Upon successful reports, owners must also pay the relevant administrative fee when conducting safety inspections of the reported UBWs every five years.

Details of the re-launched Reporting Scheme are available on the BD's website at https://www.bd.gov.hk/en/safety-inspection/ubw/UBW-in-new-territories-exempted-houses/index_relaunch_reporting_scheme.html; Villagers who wish to report can call 2626 1616 for enquiry. The BD will also use different channels such as distributing leaflets and posters to Rural Committees to enable villagers to know more about the re-launch of the Reporting Scheme.

Owners who had successfully participated in the Reporting Scheme in 2012 are not required to submit reports again. However, they must continue to comply with the requirements of the original Reporting Scheme, including conducting safety inspections of the reported UBWs every five years, submitting safety certificates and paying administrative fees to the BD.

Note: The First Round Targets refer to UBWs with higher potential risks and more serious nature, such as village houses of four storeys or more, and enclosed rooftop structures covering more than 50 per cent of the roofed-over area.

Hong Kong Legal Week 2025 Kicks Off, Focusing on Lawtech, AI, and Global Legal Collaboration

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