To provide a well-rounded legal education to those who already possess a first degree in a non-law discipline (or a law degree from a non-common law jurisdiction) and who wish to enter the legal profession in Hong Kong or who want to equip themselves for a career in law-related employment.

The School of Law prepares you for the legal profession and for law-related careers in the public service and private enterprise. Our law degree particularly meets the need of those who would like to join the legal profession in Hong Kong, or look for other law-related opportunities in Mainland China and the Asia-Pacific region.

The CityU JD Programme is highly competitive. It seeks elite students with outstanding credentials in order to hone them into exemplary legal professionals.

To be eligible for admission, you must satisfy the following entry requirements:

• a bachelor's degree in a non-law discipline; or

• a bachelor's degree in law from a non-common law jurisdiction, which was obtainable after at least eight semesters of full-time study.  Holders with a degree in law from a common law jurisdiction are NOT eligible to apply.

Remarks: For reference, the typical successful JD applicant will have an undergraduate grade point average of up to 3.8 (with the median of 3.2). The typical successful JD applicant will have a minimum of 7.5 on IELTS or equivalent.

English Proficiency Guidelines 

For applicants whose entrance qualification is obtained from an institution where the medium of instruction is not English, the minimum English language proficiency requirement will be:

• a TOEFL score of 600 (paper-based) or 100 (internet-based); 71 (revised paper-delivered test; sum of reading, Listening and Writing section scores)^#; or
• a band score of 7.5 or above in IELTS, with no individual score below 6.5, and a minimum score of 7.0 in the Academic Writing; or
• a total score of 520 in the Chinese mainland's College English Test (Band 6).

(TOEFL and IELTS scores are considered valid for two years. Applicants are required to provide their TOEFL / IELTS test results obtained within the two years preceding the commencement of the University’s application period. For CET-6 scores, the validity period is three years.)

^#Applicants are required to arrange for the Educational Testing Service (ETS) to send their TOEFL results directly to the University. The TOEFL institution code for CityU is 3401.

In order to graduate, JD students must complete 72 credits comprising:

- Required courses (Legal Methods, Research and Writing and Hong Kong Legal System; 

- Electives offered in JD, LLM and LLM ArbDR programmes.

- Core courses required for admission to the Postgraduate Certificate in Laws (PCLL) Programme and the legal profession in Hong Kong are:

• Commercial Law 
• Company Law 
• Constitutional Law
• Administrative Law
• Criminal Law 
• Equity & Trusts
• Law of Contract
• Law of Evidence
• Law of Tort
• Land Law 

Stream

JD students have an option to specialise in any one of the following areas:

• International Commercial Law
• Alternative Dispute Resolution
• Chinese and Comparative Law
• Air and Maritime Law

JD and LLB lectures will be given together in most courses.

The Juris Doctor (JD) is a degree recognized to apply for admission to PCLL, a programme that should be completed to enter the legal profession in Hong Kong.

• CityU Law School is the first law school in Hong Kong that offered the JD programme
• You can complete JD with CityU and LLM with University Paris 1 in three years
• You can complete JD with CityU and LLM with Université de Fribourg, Switzerland 
• You can study intensive summer course in University College Oxford (U.K.)
• You will have the opportunity to join Legal Placements in HK law firms, banking and international companies, courts in mainland China and overseas NGO
• You will have the opportunity to receive extensive professional training to sharpen advocacy skills and to participate in international mooting competitions
• You will have the opportunity to join exchange studies at an overseas university in Canada, China, France, Germany, Ireland, Korea, Singapore, Sweden, Taiwan, the Netherlands, the U.K. and the U.S.
• You may interact with world-class scholars on cutting-edge issues without leaving the CityU campus
• Some courses have been included in the list of reimbursable courses for Continuing Education Fund (CEF). For application details, please refer to http://www.wfsfaa.gov.hk/cef/en/index.htm
• Scholarship is provided to outstanding student
• Financial support is provided to students for participation in overseas-learning activities, mooting competitions and overseas placements
• One-credit elective courses are taught by renowned scholars

Course Descriptions
School of Law