Hong Kong’s Department of Justice (DoJ) will now pay part of the bill for small law firms and junior barristers who sign up to legal technology. Launched on 3 November 2026, the Funding Scheme for LawTech Solution Subscription by the Hong Kong Legal Sector reimburses up to HK$20,000 of a one-year subscription, and applications close on 29 January 2027.
Key takeaways
- What: reimbursement of up to HK$20,000 per applicant for a one-year subscription to an approved lawtech service.
- Who can apply: sole practitioners, Hong Kong law firms with no more than five partners, and barristers with no more than seven years of call.
- Which tools: a designated list of services from 14 local, Chinese Mainland and overseas providers.
- How: through the Law Society of Hong Kong or the Hong Kong Bar Association, which run the scheme.
- Deadline: 29 January 2027.
What is the DoJ funding?
The scheme is a policy initiative from the Chief Executive’s 2026 Policy Address. According to the DoJ’s announcement, its aim is to help the legal sector build its capability to adopt lawtech and so strengthen Hong Kong’s position as an international legal and dispute resolution services centre.
It works on an actual-expense basis. Successful applicants pay for their subscription first and are then reimbursed up to HK$20,000 for one year of service. The government is not buying software on firms’ behalf. It is offsetting the cost of a product each practice chooses for itself.
The designated services cover legal research, document generation and drafting, workflow management and hearing support. The DoJ says providers on the list will offer transparent price lists along with ongoing technical support and training. The list itself has been published to members through the two professional bodies rather than in the public announcement.
Who is eligible?
Three groups qualify: sole practitioners, Hong Kong law firms with no more than five partners, and barristers with no more than seven years of call. Solicitors apply through the Law Society of Hong Kong and barristers through the Hong Kong Bar Association, the two bodies that will approve applications and release the money.
The process has four steps:
- Choose a service from the designated list and get a written price quotation from the provider.
- Submit the application to the Law Society or the Bar Association.
- Wait for the written result, and subscribe only once approval arrives.
- Send proof of subscription and payment to the same body to claim the reimbursement.
The order matters. Firms that subscribe before they receive written approval risk falling outside the scheme.
Why is the DoJ targeting small practices?
Deputy Secretary for Justice Dr Cheung Kwok-kwan, who chairs the Consultation Group on LawTech Development, said promoting lawtech is a key DoJ policy initiative. He said the department had held five rounds of its LexGoTech Roundtables since last year, and that small and medium-sized firms and junior barristers had raised particular concern about the cost of adopting lawtech tools.
The numbers explain the focus. According to the DoJ, small and medium-sized firms make up about 88 per cent of all Hong Kong law firms, and barristers with less than seven years of call account for about one-third of the practising Bar. Dr Cheung said the scheme would lower the barrier to adoption for these groups and so lift the overall competitiveness of Hong Kong’s legal sector.
Vendors are already pitching the scheme
Providers moved quickly. On launch day, Thomson Reuters announced that its Small Law Package and Young Barrister Package are designated services, combining Westlaw Hong Kong, Practical Law and its CoCounsel Essentials AI assistant in different tiers. It says each applicant can claim for one selected package, and that quotations can take up to 14 days, so it is urging firms to ask early.
Thomson Reuters also notes that its small-firm packages are not available to international or global firms with local branch offices, and that inclusion on the list is not a government endorsement of any provider. Other vendors are already active in the market. LexisNexis, for example, launched skills in Lexis+ with Protégé in Hong Kong earlier this year.
The DoJ says designated providers will also demonstrate their products at the Hong Kong LawTech Fest 2026, part of Hong Kong Legal Week from 4 to 6 November.
What does this mean for Hong Kong’s legal market?
Hong Kong has a long-running legal innovation community, from the LITE Lab at HKU to practitioners such as Brian Tang. Much of the investment in AI tools, though, has come from large firms. Global platforms such as Harvey and Legora are expanding across the region, and smaller practices have had less room to experiment.
HK$20,000 will not pay for an enterprise rollout, but for a sole practitioner or junior barrister it can cover a year of research or drafting tools. The bigger test comes at renewal: whether firms that try lawtech with public money keep paying for it once the subsidy ends.
Firms should also apply the same discipline as any other AI adoption. Regulators across the region, as in Malaysia’s recent warnings on fake AI citations, expect lawyers to verify output and protect client data whoever pays for the tool.
Frequently asked questions
Who can apply for Hong Kong’s LawTech funding scheme?
Sole practitioners, Hong Kong law firms with no more than five partners, and barristers with no more than seven years of call. Solicitors apply through the Law Society of Hong Kong and barristers through the Hong Kong Bar Association.
How much funding is available, and how is it paid?
Up to HK$20,000 per eligible applicant for a one-year subscription to a designated lawtech service. It is paid as a reimbursement of actual expenses, after the applicant has been approved, subscribed and submitted proof of subscription and payment.
When is the deadline to apply?
Applications opened on 3 November 2026 and close on 29 January 2027.
Sources
- Department of Justice, “DoJ launches lawtech funding scheme to enhance lawtech application capability of legal sector“, press release, 3 November 2026.
- “LawTech funding scheme launched“, news.gov.hk, 3 November 2026.
- “DoJ launches LawTech funding scheme for small firms, junior barristers“, The Standard, 3 November 2026.
- Thomson Reuters, “Trusted legal tools from Thomson Reuters, now eligible for DoJ LawTech funding“, 3 November 2026.
- The Law Society of Hong Kong, scheme page; Hong Kong Bar Association, scheme page.
