Hong Kong Legal Week 2025 Concludes with Successful Lawyers Forum and LawTech Conference

2025-12-05 18:56 Last Updated At：12-06 14:36

Hong Kong Legal Week 2025 concludes

The first Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) Lawyers Forum and the LawTech Conference were successfully held today (December 5), marking the conclusion of Hong Kong Legal Week 2025, an annual event of the Department of Justice (DoJ). The five-day event attracted approximately 6 000 registrants from nearly 50 jurisdictions, participating both online and offline. This fully demonstrated Hong Kong's leading position as an international legal and dispute resolution services centre in the Asia-Pacific region with the unique advantages of the common law system under the "one country, two systems" principle.

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Hong Kong Legal Week 2025 concludes Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

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Hong Kong Legal Week 2025 concludes Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

The first Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Lawyers Forum, themed "GBA Connectivity: Setting Sail for Global Horizons", was held in the morning, with prominent legal experts from Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland sharing their insights on cross-boundary collaboration and future development for GBA lawyers.

In the afternoon, the highlight of the Hong Kong LawTech Fest - LawTech Conference "The AI Era: Shaping the Legal Landscape in the 21st Century" - was held. The conference featured multiple sessions, including a keynote speech, an interactive "LawTech Guess Who" segment, and the "LexGoTech Roundtable Series - 2025 Final Round", which deepened the industry's understanding of the opportunities and challenges presented by lawtech and artificial intelligence.

Addressing the conference, the Deputy Secretary for Justice, Dr Cheung Kwok-kwan, said that the DoJ is steadfast in its commitment to foster innovation and the integration of technology in the legal industry. To this end, it has established the Consultation Group on Lawtech Development, and organised the LexGoTech Roundtable Series and the inaugural LawTech Fest. He said that while lawtech and AI enhance the efficiency of legal services, they cannot replace the indispensable human elements of legal professionals, such as empathy, judgment, and integrity. Only with an open and responsible mindset will the legal sector be able to grasp the opportunities brought by lawtech and AI and transform the challenges into benefits.

The LexGoTech Roundtables Report was released during the Roundtable Series, which summarises the insights shared by the legal and dispute resolution sectors on lawtech at the first three rounds of LexGoTech Roundtables held this year. The report emphasised the sectors' recognition of the potential of lawtech in transforming legal services, the importance of incorporating ethical considerations into the application of lawtech, and their support for the responsible application and development of lawtech in the long run.

In his closing remarks, the Secretary for Justice, Mr Paul Lam, SC, said that the Policy Address this year emphasised the Government's strong commitment to step up the promotion of AI as a core industry for Hong Kong's development. In this connection, apart from actively promoting the integration of lawtech and AI in the legal sector, the DoJ will establish an interdepartmental working group by the end of this year to co-ordinate the responsible bureaux in reviewing the relevant legislation, so as to support and complement the development of and need for wider application of AI in Hong Kong.

The DoJ will continue to organise various activities to facilitate exchanges among experts, practitioners, government officials, and academics from Hong Kong, the Chinese Mainland and different jurisdictions, with an aim of promoting Hong Kong's legal and dispute resolution services and consolidating its leading position as an international legal and dispute resolution services centre in the Asia-Pacific.

FEHD Releases May Gravidtrap Indexes for Aedes Albopictus, Highlights Areas of Concern and Control Measures.

FEHD releases fourth batch of gravidtrap indexes for Aedes albopictus in May

The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) today (May 21) released the fourth batch of gravidtrap indexes and density indexes for Aedes albopictus in May, covering 12 survey areas, as follows:

District

Survey Area

May 2026

First Phase Gravidtrap Index

First Phase Density Index

Eastern

Shau Kei Wan and Sai Wan Ho

9.1%

1.4

Islands

Tung Chung

2.0%

1.0

Kowloon City

Hung Hom and To Kwa Wan

6.7%

1.5

Tai Po

Tai Po East

2.2%

2.0

Tai Po West

15.5%

1.0

Tuen Mun

Tuen Mun South

9.1%

1.4

District

Survey Area

May 2026

Area Gravidtrap Index

Area Density Index

Central and Western

Kennedy Town and Shek Tong Tsui

16.8%

1.3

Eastern

Chai Wan

15.4%

1.0

North Point and Quarry Bay

18.9%

1.4

Southern

Aberdeen and Ap Lei Chau

20.8%

1.7

Sha Tin

Sha Tin Town Centre and Fo Tan

18.3%

1.4

Tsuen Wan

Tsuen Wan Town

6.9%

2.3

The fourth batch of gravidtrap indexes for Aedes albopictus in May includes First Phase Gravidtrap Indexes covering six survey areas and Area Gravidtrap Indexes covering six survey areas. Among which, six survey areas recorded gravidtrap indexes above 10 per cent, while Aberdeen and Ap Lei Chau in Southern District recorded a gravidtrap index above 20 per cent. Meanwhile, the gravidtrap indexes of six survey areas, namely Kennedy Town and Shek Tong Tsui in Central and Western District; North Point and Quarry Bay in Eastern District; Shau Kei Wan and Sai Wan Ho in Eastern District; Aberdeen and Ap Lei Chau in Southern District; Tai Po East in Tai Po District; and Tuen Mun South in Tuen Mun District, have recorded a decrease as compared to the indexes recorded in the last survey period, reflecting the progress of relevant mosquito control work.

With reference to the data from the past few years, the gravidtrap indexes start to rise from April or May every year. The actual timing and extent of the rise are affected by factors like weather conditions and rainfall. The average temperature and rainfall recorded in April this year were higher than those in the same period last year, creating favourable conditions for mosquito growth and breeding. As a result, the rise in gravidtrap indexes occurred earlier this year. With the increase in rainfall in May, the gravidtrap indexes are expected to rise further.

For survey areas which recorded indexes exceeding 10 per cent, in accordance with the mechanism implemented by the FEHD in response to the chikungunya fever (CF) situation (i.e. strengthening mosquito control work in areas with a gravidtrap index between 10 per cent and 20 per cent, instead of 20 per cent or above under the original mechanism), the FEHD is collaborating with relevant departments and stakeholders to identify locations with high mosquito infestations and carry out intensive and targeted mosquito control measures. The FEHD has initiated two prosecutions against the relevant construction site contractors following the discovery of mosquito breeding at construction sites in Tai Po District and Southern District. Moreover, following the discovery of stagnant water or stagnant water containers in a park, a construction site, a private housing estate, a clinic and a private premises in Tai Po District, Central and Western District, as well as Southern District, the FEHD has issued five statutory notices to the responsible persons-in-charge, requiring the clearance of such items within a specified timeframe. The FEHD, the relevant departments and stakeholders are following up on the mosquito control work, and will also organise exhibitions, distribute leaflets and posters, and notify residential estates that have subscribed to the gravidtrap Rapid Alert System, advising property management agents and residents to stay vigilant and work together in taking mosquito prevention and elimination measures. In addition, the FEHD will strengthen the monitoring of the gravidtrap index in the areas to review the effectiveness of the mosquito control work.

Public participation is crucial to the effective control of mosquito problems. The FEHD appeals to members of the public to continue to work together in strengthening personal mosquito control measures, including:

tidy up their premises and check for any accumulation of water inside the premises;

remove all unnecessary water collections and eliminate the sources;

check household items (those placed in outdoor and open areas in particular), such as refuse containers, vases, air conditioner drip trays, and laundry racks to prevent stagnant water;

change water in flower vases and scrub their inner surfaces thoroughly, and remove water in saucers under potted plants at least once a week;

properly cover all containers that hold water to prevent mosquitoes from accessing the water;

properly dispose of articles that can contain water, such as disposable meal boxes and empty cans; and

scrub drains and surface sewers with alkaline detergent at least once a week to remove any mosquito eggs.

Starting in August 2025, following the completion of the surveillance of individual survey areas, and once the latest gravidtrap index and the density index are available, the FEHD has been disseminating relevant information through press releases, its website and social media. It aims to allow members of the public to quickly grasp the mosquito infestation situation and strengthen mosquito control efforts, thereby reducing the risk of CF transmission.

Following recommendations from the World Health Organization and taking into account the local situation in Hong Kong, the FEHD sets up gravidtraps in districts where mosquito-borne diseases have been recorded in the past, as well as in densely populated places such as housing estates, hospitals and schools to monitor the breeding and distribution of Aedes albopictus mosquitoes, which can transmit CF and dengue fever. At present, the FEHD has set up gravidtraps in 62 survey areas of the community, with a surveillance period of two weeks. During the surveillance period, the FEHD will collect the gravidtraps once a week. After the first week of surveillance, the FEHD will immediately examine the glue boards inside the retrieved gravidtraps for the presence of adult Aedine mosquitoes to compile the Gravidtrap Index (First Phase) and Density Index (First Phase). At the end of the second week of surveillance, the FEHD will instantly check the glue boards for the presence of adult Aedine mosquitoes. Data from the two weeks of surveillance will be combined to obtain the Area Gravidtrap Index and the Area Density Index. The gravidtrap and density indexes for Aedes albopictus in different survey areas, as well as information on mosquito prevention and control measures, are available on the department's webpage (www.fehd.gov.hk/english/pestcontrol/dengue_fever/Dengue_Fever_Gravidtrap_Index_Update.html#).

Hong Kong Legal Week 2025 Concludes with Successful Lawyers Forum and LawTech Conference

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