The Dream Factory of China

The Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Cooperation Zone People’s Court, established in January 2015, has introduced a wide range of innovative policies to bridge the gap between the judicial systems in Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland over the past year.

ON July 26, 13 Hong Kong jurors were appointed by the court, marking an important step on the road to the nation’s judicial reform.

These jurors are Hong Kong or overseas graduates aged between 29 and 49, specializing in fields varying from finance and technology to cultural industry and public affairs. Their rich experiences in handling both Hong Kong and international cases enable them to voice their opinions more effectively and reach a just verdict.

In a bid to meet various demands from litigants, the court has also recruited 29 mediators from Hong Kong to reconcile legal disputes. The approach enables the court to explore advanced ideas and solutions in its mediation system by drawing experience from Hong Kong.

The court has also appointed 15 presiding judges after a citywide recruitment. The average age of these judges is 38, and all of them have worked in the legal sector for more than a decade.

Among these presiding judges, five of them are master’s degree holders who majored in common law at The University of Hong Kong.

“Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland have two totally different legal systems, and it will be challenging for judges to make a connection between the laws and regulations before appropriately applying them,” said Peng Liang, one of the judges who graduated from The University of Hong Kong.

The court also put in place specific measures to facilitate communication between judges and lawyers after a memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed by the court and the Shenzhen Lawyers Association on Aug. 10.

The MOU specifies that lawyers will no longer have to go through security checks and lock up their personal belongings including phones and water bottles when entering the litigation service center and hearing rooms at the court. Lawyers will be allowed to photocopy and photograph written records of hearings, with convenience provided by court officials.

According to the MOU, a lawyer service station will be set up at the court in an independent and fully equipped office. Lawyers assigned by the association will be stationed and provide on-site legal consultation and services for litigants every Wednesday.

The association’s head Gao Shu said the forward-looking approach will help reconcile legal disputes in a more effective way.

The court had accepted 2,111 civil and commercial cases as of June 30, with 63 percent of them involving Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and foreign companies or citizens. The court had accepted 1,012 civil and commercial cases related to Hong Kong as of June 30, making up 48 percent of the total.

Occupying 15 squ km of land, Qianhai is home to 23 law firms.