HKU’s Faculty of Law
The Faculty of Law of The University of Hong Kong is the first law school in Hong Kong and one of the most prestigious law schools internationally. It is ranked No. 1 in Asia and No. 18 in the world according to the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2018.
From a training department of three teachers and 40 students in 1969 to a Faculty today with about 1800 students and over 80 full time academic staff from about 17 jurisdictions, the Faculty of Law has been the training ground of many distinguished legal minds. Generations of lawyers who graduated from the Faculty now form the backbone of the Rule of Law in Hong Kong, which is crucial to the success of the territory.
The Faculty has 2 Departments, the Department of Law and the Department of Professional Legal Education, and 5 research centres. It offers a 4-year LLB programme, 3 double-degree programmes, a 2-year JD programme, a professional qualification (PCLL) programme, and a variety of taught master (LLM) programmes and research postgraduate programmes including MPhil, PhD and SJD.
The Faculty is committed to excellence in meeting the challenges of a rapidly changing environment. While the Faculty has gone a long way from its inception in 1969, what is fundamental still holds true: the Faculty will continue its efforts in international outreach, in strengthening the tie with Mainland China, and ultimately in enhancing the quality of legal education to train not just good lawyers but leaders who have a passion to serve, wherever they are.
In 2012, the Faculty moved to a new law building of its own, the Cheng Yu Tung Tower, in the Centennial Campus. The building also befits the importance of our independent legal system which is cornerstone of Hong Kong’s continued prosperity.
2019 marks the 50th Anniversary of the Faculty of Law at The University of Hong Kong. To celebrate this special occasion, a wide range of activities will be organized during June 2018 – December 2019 with the theme “Law, Justice and Humanities: 50 years and beyond”.
HKU’s CCPL
The University of Hong Kong’s Centre for Comparative and Public Law was established in 1995 as a non-profit virtual research centre in the Faculty of Law. Its goals are to (1) advance knowledge on public law and human rights issues primarily from the perspectives of international and comparative law and practice; (2) encourage and facilitate collaborative work within the Faculty of Law, the University of Hong Kong, and the broader community in the fields of comparative and public law; and (3) make the law more accessible to the community and more effective as an agent of social change.
The Centre’s projects and events generally come within one of the following themes: Comparative Public Policy; Comparative Human Rights; Constitutional Societies; and International Law in the Domestic Order.