Hong Kong’s Department of Justice has launched a subsidy funding scheme to help drive legaltech adoption in the special administrative region.
Successful applicants will receive HK$20,000 (just under £1,900) for a one-year subscription of suitable legaltech services. The scheme enables eligible applicants to choose from 14 legaltech providers that are either based locally, on the Chinese mainland or from overseas, which offer legal research, document drafting and generation software alongside workflow management services.
The scheme is operated on a reimbursement basis: applicants pay for the selected services and then claim refunds for the actual amount spent, up to the HK$20,000 limit.
The initiative is managed by the Law Society of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Bar Association, who approve the funding applications. They are accepted from sole practitioners, Hong Kong law firms with no more than five partners and barristers who have been called to the Bar for up to seven years.
Dr Cheung Kwok-kwan, the deputy secretary for justice and chairman of the consultation group on legaltech development, said that promoting the use of legaltech is a key policy initiative of the Hong Kong Department of Justice (DoJ).
The Hong Kong DoJ noted that small and medium-sized law firms, and junior barristers, are concerned about the cost of adopting legaltech. Dr Cheung said that the scheme will help reduce financial barriers to deploying legaltech, enhancing the competitiveness of Hong Kong’s legal sector.
It is estimated that small and medium-sized law firms account for around 88% of all of Hong Kong’s law firms, and one third of barristers have been called to the Bar for less than seven years.
The application process comprises of four stages. Initially applicants will select a service provider and then submit their request to the legal bodies. After the results of the requests are processed, applicants must then submit proof of subscription and payment.
The Hong Kong LawTech Fest 2026 took place this week, showcasing the latest legal technology, AI tools and digital services designed to modernise the legal profession in Hong Kong, with contributions from several speakers.
Earlier this year, the UK government pledged to invest £4.5m in LawtechUK – a Ministry of Justice (MoJ)-backed body – which aims to drive technological innovation and boost legal services providers’ understanding of legal technology.
The UK government is also investing a further £12m in the MoJ’s Justice AI-Unit, using the technology to increase efficiency within the cash-strapped court system.
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