The Department of Justice has launched a funding scheme aimed at helping small and medium-sized law firms and newly qualified barristers adopt legal technology.

The Funding Scheme for LawTech Solution Subscription, managed by the Law Society of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Bar Association, will provide eligible applicants with up to HK$20,000 for a one-year subscription to designated legal technology services.

The list covers services from 14 local, mainland and overseas providers, spanning legal research, document drafting, workflow management and hearing support.

Eligible applicants are sole practitioners, Hong Kong law firms with five or fewer partners, and barristers with no more than seven years of call.

Speaking to reporters at Hong Kong Legal Week on Thursday, Deputy Secretary for Justice Horace Cheung said the pilot scheme would ease the financial burden on applicants seeking to improve their ability to adopt lawtech services.

"We hope that we can use such kind of financial incentive to encourage them to use the lawtech tools in their practice and we believe that after this pilot scheme, they will know how good the legal tool can help them in their practice," he said.

"I would say that is only the beginning. Certainly we will monitor the progress of the pilot scheme and see what we can do further for the legal sector in the years ahead."

Cheung also said the Department of Justice would release guidance notes on the application of technology in legal practice.

The notes, he said, are intended to give the legal profession principles to consider and practical advice on adopting legal technology, helping practitioners guard against potential risks while remaining mindful of their ongoing professional responsibilities.

Meanwhile, José-Antonio Maurellet, chairman of the Hong Kong Bar Association, said the scheme was timely and far-sighted and would benefit about 500 members.

He believes it would encourage younger members to invest more time and resources in training and to stay competitive.

Roden Tong, president of the Law Society of Hong Kong, for his part, said the Department of Justice had introduced the scheme for a second time, adding that the support helped the legal profession make better use of technology and improve efficiency.

The application deadline is January 29.



Edited by Tony Sabine