Solicitors work in the solicitor’s firms, where they give legal advice to their clients on legal matters. The most popular topics are housing, marriage and disputes on businesses. Usually, solicitors work at a particular area, such as commercial law, intellectual property law, entertainment law, etc. They have to meet with clients, negotiate on their behalf and write up and process all the necessary letters, contracts, leases and wills.
Young Post meets Jojo C.Y.Lam, who works as a solicitor in Hampton, Winter and Glynn (HWG).
Requirements
You should be self-motivated and hardworking as you have to handle several cases every day. If you lose passion towards this job, it will not be suitable for you anymore.
You should have good command of both written and spoken English and Chinese since you need to write up paperwork yourself. That means your academic background ought to be outstanding.
Communication skills are also important for being a solicitor as you will talk and explain the legal terms to the clients. Some of the solicitors are even mediators for facilitating the parties in dispute to reach their own negotiated settlement.
To enter the solicitor’s firm, you are first required to pass a one-year program called the PCLL (Post-graduate Certificate in Laws). The PCLL allows you to learn about the day-to-day aspects of being a practising lawyer in Hong Kong.
When you first work in a firm of solicitors, you are a trainee solicitor for two years. Passing all the requirements and the practicum, you will be a qualified solicitor.
Qualifications
If you want to be a solicitor, having a professional law degree, for example, the Bachelor of Laws (LLB), the Bachelor of Business Administration (Law), the Bachelor of Social Sciences (Government & Laws), the Bachelor of Engineering in Civil Engineering (Law) [BEng (CivE-Law)] or the Bachelor of Arts (liberal studies) and Bachelor of Laws (BA & LLB) is a basic qualification. Besides a law degree, you are also required to complete a one-year PCLL program provided by the University of Hong Kong, the Chinese University of Hong Kong or the City University of Hong Kong.
Experiences in the cultural exchange are encouraged. One semester or one year exchange with a range of leading law schools in North America, Australia, the UK, Europe and the PRC can definitely broaden your horizon. This is beneficial to your work in the solicitor’s firm, as you will need to socialize with many people.
Another way of being a solicitor is to apply for admission under the “overseas qualified lawyer” in accordance with the Overseas Lawyers (Qualification for Admission) Rules, applicants must be qualified to practise law in an overseas jurisdiction.
Compensation and Work Prospects
Trainee solicitors who work in a City Firm (a big firm) can expect a salary of $30-40,000 per month. After two years, being a qualified solicitor, you can expect your salary to increase further. Some may even share bonus of the firms. Of course, this is only available in the City Firms. Smaller-sized firms offer less.
And for the promotion, it focuses on the performances of your daily work. There are many City Firms which have branches all over the world, such as the Allen & Overy, which offers much more working opportunities overseas.
Where to apply
Just send your resume to the law firm. They will contact you if you are suitable for them. Some law students with outstanding academic performance may receive offer from the firms directly after graduation.
A day at work
Every day, Lam has to provide the legal advice and services to her clients. Sometimes, she has to solve the disputes between different parties, so she has to correspond and negotiate with clients and with the opposing solicitors. Because of the negotiation, she also needs to calculate claims for damages, compensation, maintenance, etc. To fight for the interest of her clients; she is responsible for drafting and supervising documents, letters and contracts tailored to the client’s individual needs. She needs to do researches and analyses the case laws to ensure the effectiveness of the advice. If there are court cases, she has to instruct barristers or specialist advocates appearing in court for the clients in complex disputes.