[Sakura28]

Hi everyone,

Can anyone tell me a little bit about the culture of "law firms" in Hong Kong and how it's different from law firms in Australia or US or Canada.

I am coming to HK for a vacation placement in January 2006 and feel unsure about the way that law firms work in Hong Kong. The firm that I will be joining has its headquarters in London so I am assuming that there will be a good mix of both local and non-locals.

Any advice?

Thanks

Amy

[penguinsix]

Generally it is a bit more intense than the US or Australia, though I got the feeling a lot of the stress was brought on by what I classify as 'busy work' just trying to impress the boss.

The presence of UK firms and mainland China clients keeps the fees down below what is normal in a US practice, which also brings about a higher level of stress. If the firm does considerable work with the mainland, you'll also need to learn about dealing with mainland clients, some of whom, to put it politely, do not have the most professional business interaction skills.

There are several magazines for HK lawyers, I think the HK bar puts one out that has a lot of stories from firms and reviews about the practice life. I think it is called Hong Kong Lawyer or something like that.

[Sazzy]

Expect long hours and working on Saturdays - workaholics over here!