Hong Kong may make it harder for foreign lawyers

A proposal to improve the share of local lawyers in Hong Kong could be bad news for foreign lawyers.

The region’s Law Society is considering changes that would only allow foreign lawyers to work on cases in Hong Kong if they involve the overseas jurisdictions where they are qualified.

The South China Morning Post says that there would also be a requirement for Hong Kong law firms to employ two local lawyers for every foreign one.

The number of foreign lawyers in Hong Kong is around 1,500, representing a 15% share of all lawyers in the market.

The consultation period on the proposals has been extended to the end of the year with legal professionals having expressed concern that foreign lawyers – and law firms - may quit Hong Kong in favour of Singapore or other jurisdictions.

Eastern seaboard states should team up on autonomous vehicles says HSF
Herbert Smith Freehills is urging the Australia’s eastern seaboard states to work together to ensure the country is ready for connected autonomous vehicles (CAVs).

The firm says that Australia is currently lagging other developed nations on preparedness for CAVs but could quickly catch up through collaboration.

“If the eastern seaboard states came together to run a major trial, that could be a game-changer for Australia,” said partner Nicholas Carney. “That would require multiple jurisdictions to very quickly commit to uniform and harmonious legislative regimes, and to commit to the sharing of data.”

He added that Australia’s reliance on road freight and the distance between major population centres should make the country a choice for trials from the large tech companies in the CAV space, but there need to be incentives.

“CAVs will transform our cities and reshape several major sectors in our economy – the countries which are the first to embrace this exciting new technology will reap the most benefits,” Carney said.

Lawyers struggle with innovation says industry strategist
Law firm leaders should focus on developing innovation skills within their teams and hire talent with the right ‘DNA’.

That’s according to industry strategist Debra Baker of GrowthPlay who says a lawyer’s ability to sell is highly correlated with their ability to innovate.

"In our work with law firms over the years, we've seen this real conundrum around innovation," Baker says. "Lawyers are smart, and they're great problem solvers, but, even as they see rapid and dramatic market changes impacting their profession, they consistently struggle with the concept of innovation."

In her study, titled ‘Overcoming Barriers to Law Innovation: Unlocking Performance and Potential to Drive Change in an Era of Disruption’, Baker provides insights to lawyers looking to take the first step to integrate innovation into their business strategy, as well as for those that have had success in developing new innovations but struggle implementing new approaches because of change resistance.

These include assessing whether the firm’s innovation team possess the right traits and identifying new potential innovators within your organization.

She also says that inclusion is also key.

"More inclusive teams are a step in the right direction. Diversity has been shown to contribute to innovation success," she says.