The Faculty of Law at The University of Hong Kong (HKU) traces its origins to 1969, when a Department of Law was established within the Faculty of Social Sciences. Beginning with three teachers and 40 students, the Department offered a three-year LLB degree and, from 1972, a one-year Postgraduate Certificate in Laws (PCLL). The department was Hong Kong's first law school, and its LLB and PCLL were the first local university qualifications to be recognized for admission to legal practice in Hong Kong. Formerly, all barristers and most solicitors had trained and qualified in the United Kingdom. Law had been taught at HKU in the 1920s and 1930s, but only as part of a broad-based Arts curriculum. From 1964 to 1969 the Department of Extra-mural Studies at HKU had also taught part-time courses leading to an external LLB degree from the University of London. The law school at HKU was designed to increase the supply of lawyers, train lawyers in Hong Kong law rather than just English law, and make formal legal education available without the need for students to go overseas.
From a teaching department in 1969 to a Faculty today with about 2,500 students and over 80 full-time academic staff from about 17 jurisdictions, the Faculty of Law has been the training ground of many distinguished legal minds. Generations of lawyers who graduated from the Faculty now form the backbone of the legal profession and protect the Rule of Law in Hong Kong, which is crucial to the success of the territory.
The Faculty is committed to academic and professional excellence in meeting the challenges of a rapidly changing environment. While the Faculty has gone a long way from its inception, it continues its efforts in international outreach, in strengthening the ties with Mainland China, and in enhancing the quality of legal education with a view to train not just good lawyers but also leaders who have a passion to serve, wherever they are.
To read more about HKU Law, visit: https://www.hku.hk/.
