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The Law Society of Hong Kong has issued a consultation paper soliciting views about the future of legal education in Hong Kong, including the possibility of introducing a common entrance exam to regulate entry into the legal profession. This consultation process has generated a great deal of debate throughout the profession about the desirability, or even the viability, of such an exam, and how it would fit into the current system of inculcating skills into law graduates in Hong Kong; namely, the Postgraduate Certificate of Laws Programme (‘PCLL’). Little headway has been achieved by the main stakeholders on this issue. This article will examine the merits of introducing a common entrance exam in Hong Kong, and how it may impact on the development of adequate skills by law graduates with particular reference to contemporary major reports that have been published in England and Wales and New Zealand, common law jurisdictions which employ similar modes of educational training for general entry into their legal professions. Finally, an alternate model of assessment for the PCLL will be canvassed which is similar in some respects to the current system used for those training for the Bar in England and Wales. |
