Hong Kong and the Future of Chinese Law Firms

Abstract

China’s rapid rise as a global power in the early twenty-first century has significant economic and political consequences to markets and legal systems across the world, particularly in Asia. Focusing on the rapid growth of Chinese law firms in Hong Kong in recent years, this study examines how a contested gateway for the globalization of Chinese law is being constructed through China’s outbound investments, the overseas expansion of Chinese law firms, and the mobility of lawyers between Western and Chinese firms. Based on empirical analyses of the career profiles of all partners in a sample of 16 Chinese law offices and their associated local law firms in Hong Kong as of May 2018, as well as archival data on partner moves to and from Chinese law firms during 2009-2018, this study captures the dynamics of a critical moment for both Hong Kong and the future of Chinese law firms.

Biography

Sida Liu is Associate Professor of Sociology and Law at the University of Toronto and Faculty Fellow at the American Bar Foundation. Professor Liu has conducted extensive empirical research on China’s legal reform and legal profession. His current project examines the influence of colonialism and authoritarianism on the professions in Hong Kong and Taiwan.