Since the main text of CEPA was signed on 29 June 2003, there has been a series of supplements, including the recently announced Supplement 6 (CEPA 6), that incorporate further liberalisation measures on trade in goods and services between the Mainland and Hong Kong SAR. These include legal services.

The two specific commitments in relation to legal services under CEPA 6 are made in response to requests by the profession. Under the first commitment, the requirement for one full year's internship is lifted for solicitors and barristers who have at least 5 years' experience in legal practice and who have passed the National Judicial Examination before applying to practise as lawyers in the Mainland. This measure should minimise the interruption to the practices of Hong Kong practitioners if they wish to practise as Mainland lawyers after having passed the National Judicial Examination. The relaxation of the rules governing associations in Guangdong under the second commitment should give more options to Hong Kong law firms with representative offices in Guangdong to collaborate with their Mainland counterparts by forming associations. Solicitors may collaborate with Mainland law firms by taking up appointments as Hong Kong legal consultants.

This summary sets out the changes in the relevant supplements to CEPA relating to legal services, including CEPA 6 that will be implemented on 1 October 2009.

1. Representative office

1.1   Before CEPA was implemented on 1 January 2004, Hong Kong firms were permitted to set up representative offices (ROs) in the Mainland to provide Hong Kong legal services. However, ROs may not employ qualified Mainland lawyers or provide Mainland legal services. The prohibition on employing Mainland lawyers and practising Mainland law has continued in force since 2004.

1.2    With effect from 1 January 2004, under CEPA, the minimum duration of stay in the Mainland by a firm's representative of its RO was reduced from six months to two months in a year. If the RO was in Guangzhou or Shenzhen, there was no minimum stay requirement effective from 1 January 2004. With effect from 1 January 2007, the minimum stay requirement was removed completely.

1.3   79 ROs have been set up by Hong Kong firms across the Mainland. Of these, some may be registered at the Ministry of Justice as the ROs of foreign law firms but not of Hong Kong firms. By conversion of registration at the Law Society, these foreign firms might have become Hong Kong firms of solicitors.

1.4    The prescribed time for processing an application for setting up an RO is nine months. The rules allow the provincial authority three months to review an application; upon completion of the review, the Ministry of Justice has six months to decide if an application is approved.

2. Association

2.1   During the period from 1 January 2004 to 31 December 2005, an RO with its own or rented premises in the Mainland and which had been in operation for not less than three years was permitted to enter into an agreement to practise in association with one Mainland firm in the same locality as the RO. The Mainland firm in the association was required (a) to have been in operation for not less than three years; and (b) to have at least 20 lawyers.

2.2    With effect from 1 January 2006, the locality of the Mainland firm with which an RO may practise in association was extended to any Mainland firm within the province in which the RO was located. For instance, an RO in Guangzhou may practise in association with a Mainland firm in Shenzhen within the Guangdong province.

2.3    With effect from 1 January 2007, the requirement that the Mainland firm with which an RO enters into an association agreement must have at least 20 lawyers was removed. However, it remained a requirement that the Mainland firm had been in operation for not less than three years before it qualified to enter into an association with a RO of a Hong Kong firm.

2.4    Effective 1 January 2008, the locality restriction on the Mainland firm entering into an association with an RO of a Hong Kong firm in the Mainland has been removed. As from this date, an RO is permitted to practise in association with one Mainland firm with no restriction on the locality of such Mainland firm.

2.5    Seven ROs of Hong Kong law firms are operating in association with Mainland law firms in Chongqing, Beijing, Tianjin and Guangzhou.

2.6    With effect from 1 October 2009, under CEPA 6, a Hong Kong law firm with an RO in the Mainland is allowed to operate in association with a Mainland law firm in Guangdong which has been established for one year or more; at least one of the persons who established the firm must have been in legal practice for five years or more.

3. Examination

3.1   With effect from 1 January 2004, Hong Kong permanent residents may sit for the National Judicial Examination. On passing the examination, he or she is required to undertaking one year internship in a Mainland firm. On completion of the internship, he or she may become a Mainland lawyer but may only practise non-litigation work.

3.2    With effect from 1 January 2006, a qualified Mainland lawyer coming from Hong Kong may only practise in one Mainland firm. He or she may not, at the same time, be appointed as a representative of an RO of a Hong Kong, Macau or foreign law firm in the Mainland.

3.3    With effect from 1 January 2007, a qualified Mainland lawyer from Hong Kong may practise Hong Kong-related matrimonial or succession cases in the Mainland courts. The one year internship may be completed in the branch office of a Mainland firm in Hong Kong.

3.4   With effect from 1 October 2009, under CEPA 6, Hong Kong legal practitioners who have at least 5 years' experience in legal practice and who have passed the National Judicial Examination are allowed to undergo the intensive training offered by lawyers associations in the Mainland that lasts for at least one month in accordance with the 'Law of the People's Republic of China on Lawyers' and the provisions of the 'Rules on Management of Internship for Application for Legal Practice (Provisional)' drawn up by the All-China Lawyers Association. Upon completion of the training and passing the assessment, they can apply to practise as lawyers in the Mainland.

4. Hong Kong legal consultant

4.1   With effect from 1 January 2004, a Hong Kong solicitor with at least 2 years' qualification may, at the same time as he or she practices as such in a Hong Kong firm, take up an appointment as a Hong Kong legal consultant by a Mainland firm. Such Mainland firm must be in operation for not less than three years and with not less than ten lawyers.

4.2       For solicitors practising on a 'fly-in-fly-out' or 'case to case' basis in the Mainland with a Mainland firm, it is not necessary to be licensed as a Hong Kong legal consultant in the Mainland.

To diversify their practices in the Mainland market, Hong Kong law firms should make good use the existing liberalisation measures under CEPA. The Law Society will continue to support the profession in ensuring the effective implementation of CEPA, and in exploring ways to broaden the scope and coverage of the business opportunities for solicitors in the Mainland legal market.

Mainland Legal Affairs Committee
The Law Society of Hong Kong

在CEPA下的法律服務開放措施

自《內地與香港關於建立更緊密經貿關係的安排》（簡稱「CEPA」）的主體文件於2003年6月29日簽定以後，亦相繼制定了一連串的補充協議，包括最近公布的第六份補充協議(CEPA 6) ，當中包含內地與香港特別行政區貨物與服務貿易的進一步開放措施，並包括法律服務。

在CEPA 6下的兩項與法律服務有關的具體承諾，是就本港法律界所提出的要求而作出的回應。在第一項承諾下，免除對具備至少5年法律實務經驗，在申請成為內地執業律師之前，已在全國司法考試中取得合格的律師或大律師的一年全時間實習規定。這一項措施，對於已取得全國司法考試合格並希望成為內地執業律師的香港法律執業者而言，應可對他／她們在香港的執業所構成的妨礙降至最低程度。在第二項承諾下，對於在廣東省進行聯營的規則的放寬，將可給予在廣東省設有代表機構，以期藉著聯營而與內地同業進行協作的香港律師行獲得提供更多選擇。香港律師可以透過被委任為香港法律顧問，從而與內地律師事務所進行協作。

以下概述與法律服務有關的CEPA補充協議的變化，包括將於2009年10月1日實施的CEPA 6。

1. 代表機構

1.1 在CEPA於2004年1月1日實施前，香港律師行獲准在內地設立代表機構以提供香港法律服務。然而，代表機構不可以僱用合資格的內地律師或提供內地法律服務。自2004年開始至今，不可以僱用內地律師或提供內地法律服務的限制仍然持續。

1.2 2004年1月1日開始，在CEPA下，律師行代表機構的代表，在內地的最低居留時間由每年6個月減為兩個月。2004年1月1日開始，廣州或深圳的代表機構不再受最低居留時間所限制。2007年1月1日開始，最低居留時間規定被完全取消。

1.3 香港律師行在內地共設有79個代表機構，當中一些可能是在司法部註冊為外國律師行而非香港律師行的代表機構，而藉著在律師會進行註冊轉換，這些外國律師行可能成為了香港律師行。

1.4 處理設立代表機構申請的規定時間為9個月。該等規則容許省級機關有3個月時間審查一項申請；完成審查後，司法部有6個月時間決定是否批准申請。

2. 聯營

2.1 在2004年1月1日至2005年12月31日這段期間，在內地自行擁有或租用辦公地方，並開業了不少於3年的代表機構，可以與一家與該代表機構的所在地區相同的內地律師事務所訂立協議進行聯營。進行聯營的內地律師事務所(a)必須已開業至少3年；及(b)至少有20位律師。

2.2 2006年1月1日開始，可與香港代表機構進行聯營的內地律師事務所的範圍，伸展至該代表機構位處的省份內的任何內地律師事務所。例如，一家在廣州設立的代表機構，可與在廣東省深圳的內地律師事務所進行聯營。

2.3 2007年1月1日開始，與代表機構訂立聯營協議的內地律師事務所，至少必須有20位律師的規定被取消。然而，在符合資格與一家香港代表機構進行聯營前，其必須已開業至少3年的規定仍然維持。

2.4 2008年1月1日開始，內地律師事務所與香港律師行在內地的代表機構進行聯營的地區限制被取消。自該日期開始，一個香港代表機構可與一家內地律師事務所進行聯營，而該內地律師事務所可以不受地區限制。

2.5 目前有7家香港律師行的代表機構與重慶、北京、天津及廣州的內地律師事務所進行聯營。

2.6 2009年10月1日開始，在CEPA 6下，一家在內地設有代表機構的香港律師行，可以與在廣東省成立了一年或以上的內地律師事務所進行聯營；在該律師事務所的設立人當中，至少須有一位具有5年或以上執業經驗。

3. 考試

3.1 2004年1月1日開始，香港永久居民可以參加全國司法考試。考試合格後，他或她必須在內地律師事務所進行為期一年的實習。完成實習後，他或她可以成為內地律師，但只可以從事非訴訟工作。

3.2 2006年1月1日開始，一名來自香港的合資格內地律師，只可以於一家內地律師事務所執業。他或她不可以同時被委派作為香港、澳門或外國律師行在內地的代表機構的代表。

3.3 2007年1月1日開始，一名來自香港的合資格內地律師可以處理內地法院的涉港婚姻或繼承案件。該為期一年的實習，可以於內地律師事務所在香港開設的分所中完成。

3.4 2009年10月1日開始，在CEPA 6下，具有至少5年法律執業經驗並通過全國司法考試的香港法律執業者，可以根據《中華人民共和國律師法》及中華全國律師協會所制定的《申請律師執業人員實習管理規則（試行）》，接受由內地律師協會所提供的為期至少一個月的集中培訓。完成培訓和通過評核後，可以申請成為內地執業律師。

4. 香港法律顧問

4.1 2004年1月1日開始，具有兩年執業經驗的香港律師，可以在其於一家香港律師行執業的同時，被委任作為一家內地律師事務所的香港法律顧問。該內地律師事務所必須已開業至少3年，並有不少於10位律師。

4.2 在內地為內地律師事務所以「短暫停留」('fly-in-fly-out' 或以「個別案件為基礎」('case to case' 提供法律服務的香港律師，可以不必申請簽發內地的香港法律顧問證。

香港律師行要將其在內地市場的業務多元化，應當更好利用現行在CEPA下的開放措施。香港律師會將會繼續支持業界，確保CEPA的有效實施，並尋求方法，在覆蓋範圍和程度上，拓寬香港律師在內地法律服務市場的業務發展機會。

香港律師會
內地法律事務委員會