Each year, we work with the law schools of the University of Hong Kong and the City University of Hong Kong on an intensive summer school for undergraduates and recently graduated students of law. Our series of evening seminars for practising solicitors and barristers has been developed with advice from a local working group, the Law Society of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Bar Association. We also work closely with BC Shanghai in a residential leadership forum for a group of Hong Kong barristers and solicitors. In March this year, our conference on Access to Justice explored the UK's legal reform agenda.

Law Month is again planned to take place in the summer of 2004, more UK experts in the legal community will come to share their professional experience with their up-and-coming counterparts in Hong Kong, please keep an eye on What’s On to receive updated information in due course.

Law Summer School
The British Council’s role in the field of law is to facilitate partnerships and networks between people and institutions for dynamic learning and sharing. In partnership with the University of Hong Kong and the City University of Hong Kong, we organised the two-week intensive Law Summer School, which took place from 4 August at the British Council premises. It was run by four young barristers (Henrietta Hill, Camilla Lamont, Simon Carr and Stephanie Farrimond) with civil and criminal practices to equip 30 undergraduate students of law with both training in legal practice as well as advocacy.

During the workshops, the participants not only had the chance to practise and polish their techniques in corporate and trial strategy through  role-plays, business games and interesting discussions, they also gained confidence in using both the analytical and advocacy skills learnt at the mock trials.

Continuing Professional Development Seminars
The four UK facilitators from the Law Summer School gave presentations at eight evening Continuing Professional Development Seminars. The seminars were held at the British Council premises and they were accredited by the Law Society of Hong Kong. These seminars created opportunities for individuals interested in finding out more about legal issues of common concern in both Hong Kong and the UK. Over 400 people attended and the majority of the participants ranked the seminars as being excellent.

Titles of the Seminars:

• The protection from discrimination as a human right - Henrietta Hill
• The conflict between civil liberties, human rights and national security post September 11 - Henrietta Hill
• Adverse possession: recent developments in the UK and Hong Kong - Camilla Lamont
• The relevance of intention in the interpretation of contracts -Camilla Lamont
• Personal injury update - Simon Carr
• Wrongful birth claims - Simon Carr
• Dealing with vulnerable witnesses - Stephanie Farrimond
• Ethics and advocacy - Stephanie Farrimond

Young Lawyers' Forum
The Young Lawyers’ Forum was a three-day event that took place in Shanghai in September 2003 and involved 30 young lawyers including 10 from Hong Kong. This residential forum was led by two facilitators, Richard Moorhead and Mark Dillon, from the UK. The aim was to provide a platform for high-potential professionals to discuss issues of common concern including professional development, business development and legal reform.

Each of the participants agreed that the forum provided them with information and contacts highly relevant to their work.  The Hong Kong participants still keep in regular contact with the British Council and have joined our growing law network in Hong Kong and the UK.