City University of Hong Kong’s School of Law (SLW) has joined forces with three highly regarded mainland universities - the Law School of Renmin University of China, the China University of Political Science and Law, and the Law School of Peking University - to launch an Advanced Training Programme for the National Judicial Examination (NJE) starting this year.  

 

CityU is the only local tertiary institution partner invited to join this long-term Hong Kong–mainland NJE cooperation. This once again demonstrates how the SLW's excellence in teaching, in particular its unique strength and contribution to Chinese legal education, has been fully recognized by the Ministry of Justice and the Department of Justice of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

 

Coordinated by the Ministry of Justice and the Department of Justice, the new programme aims to facilitate the training of Hong Kong and Macau candidates sitting for the NJE and to increase their understanding of the legal and judicial system on the mainland.

 

Representing the four partner institutions at the Signing Ceremony on 8 July  held in the Multi-media Conference Room at CityU were: Professor Long Yi Fei, Associate Dean, Law School, Renmin University of China; Professor Liu Shou Ren, Deputy Associate Dean, College of Judicial Examination, China University of Political Science and Law; Professor Liang Gen Lin, Associate Dean, Law School, Peking University; Professor Peter Malanczuk and Dr Priscilla Leung, Dean and Associate Dean (External Affairs) respectively, School of Law, City University of Hong Kong.

 

At the ceremony, Professor Malanczuk said that the SLW had reached a new milestone. “We are honoured to be able to collaborate with three renowned universities on the mainland in hosting the NJE training programme, the first of its kind in Hong Kong,” he said.

 

“On behalf of the SLW, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Ministry of Justice and Department of Justice for their trust and support as well as their recognition of our contribution to legal education, our focus on Chinese Law and our active collaboration with leading mainland tertiary institutions,” he added.

 

CityU’s SLW has been working in conjunction with the Law School of Renmin University of China on a Master of Laws (LLM) programme for the past 10 years. "We have a very good relationship with the SLW," Professor Long said.  "We are confident about the quality of teaching, the facilities and the programmes at CityU.  In addition, we are familiar with academic standards and learning methods of Hong Kong students. We will consider granting partial credit exemption to LLM graduates should they sit for the NJE training programme." 

 

In addition to the SLW’s extensive teaching resources, renowned mainland professors with wide-ranging experience in legal education and NJE training will be invited to give lectures on the new programme, designed specifically to match the academic and practical requirements of Hong Kong and Macau citizens. There will be approximately 160 hours of intensive face-to-face teaching scheduled for non-office hours from mid-July to mid-September, and the subjects to be covered are jurisprudence, the history of the legal system, constitutional law, administrative law, criminal law, civil law, commercial law, economic law, administrative litigation, civil litigation, criminal litigation, arbitration law, international law, international private law, international economic law, and the ethics of the legal profession.

 

Dr Leung added that although the programme targeted professional lawyers, it also welcomed interested parties with other recognised degrees. Backed by a strong teaching force and a curriculum developed through the joint efforts of the four universities, the course content has been written in line with the syllabus laid down by the Ministry of Justice. It is hoped that the programme will help nurture quality legal professionals for the mainland, Dr Leung added.

 

In accordance with the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA), candidates from Hong Kong and Macau have been eligible to sit the NJE since 2004.  Those students who pass are granted the professional qualifications needed to practise law on the mainland. The Ministry of Justice will be setting up its first examination centre in Hong Kong this September to facilitate applications from Hong Kong and Macau candidates.

 

Notes to application for the Advanced Training Programme for National Judicial Examination
Qualifications for application:	Holders of bachelor degree or other professional degree or above from recognised universities from the mainland, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan or overseas
Period of application:	9 – 20 July 2005
Collection of application form:	Please download from the CityU SLW website as follows: (http://www.jvrhmfr.xyz/slw/english/whats_new.htm) or email (lwlouisa@cityu.edu.hk) for collection
Tuition fees:	HK$30,000 (inclusive of enrolment fees, training fees, administration charges and training materials)
Enquiries:	Tel: 2788 8185 or 2788 7921 Email wschow@cityu.edu.hk or lwtl@cityu@cityu.edu.hk