### Admission and Registration Rules 《認許及註冊規則》

12F. Registration of notary public
(1) A person who seeks to be registered as a notary public shall produce to the Registrar—
(a) the certificate of appointment issued to him under rule 12E(3); and
(b) the registration fee prescribed under section 40C of the Ordinance.
(2) As soon as practicable after a person’s name has been entered in the register of notaries public, the Registrar shall by written notice inform the Society of Notaries of that fact.
(L.N. 28 of 2005)

13. Exemption
The Chief Judge on special grounds and upon such conditions as he may consider necessary may exempt any person from any of the formalities prescribed by these rules, either absolutely or for any specified period, and may reduce or abridge any of the periods of notice prescribed by these rules upon any such conditions: 
Provided that no order shall be made by the Chief Judge under this rule in respect of a person applying to be admitted as a solicitor unless the Society shall have been given such notice thereof and of the date of hearing as the Chief Judge may consider appropriate in the case and shall have been given an opportunity of being heard thereon.(23 of 2002 s. 113)

### Practising Certificate (Solicitors) Rules 《執業證書(律師)規則》

1. Citation
These rules may be cited as the Practising Certificate (Solicitors) Rules.

2. Application for practising certificates
An application by a solicitor under section 6 of the Ordinance for a practising certificate shall be in Form 1 in the Schedule. 
(L.N. 311 of 1997) 

3. Fee for practising certificate
When an application for a practising certificate is lodged with the Society, there shall at the same time be paid to the Society a fee of $6,500.
(L.N. 344 of 1983; L.N. 259 of 1986; L.N. 341 of 1987; L.N. 284 of 1988; L.N. 354 of 1989; L.N. 313 of 1990; L.N. 383 of 1991; L.N. 338 of 1992; L.N. 378 of 1993; L.N. 527 of 1994; L.N. 392 of 1996; L.N. 539 of 1997; L.N. 345 of 1998; L.N. 162 of 2005; L.N. 105 of 2009; L.N. 82 of 2018; L.N. 65 of 2020)

3A. Fee for first practising certificate
Notwithstanding rule 3, in the case of an application by a solicitor to whom a practising certificate has never been issued under section 6 of the Ordinance, for the issue to him of his first practising certificate for any period from 1 October to 31 December inclusive in any year, the fee to be paid to the Society shall be one half of the amount of fee specified in rule 3.
(L.N. 311 of 1997)

4. Form of practising certificate
A practising certificate shall be in Form 2 in the Schedule.

### Legal Practitioners Ordinance 《法律執業者條例》

1. Short title
This Ordinance may be cited as the Legal Practitioners Ordinance.

### Legal Practitioners Ordinance 《法律執業者條例》

3. Power of Court to admit solicitors
(1)-(1B) (Repealed 60 of 1994 s. 3)
(2) Every solicitor shall be an officer of the Court and shall be subject to the jurisdiction thereof in accordance with the provisions of the High Court Ordinance (Cap. 4) and of this Ordinance. (Amended 25 of 1998 s. 2)
(3) Subject to the provisions of this Ordinance, the Court or any judge thereof may, in so far as it is not inconsistent with the Basic Law, exercise the same jurisdiction in respect of any person admitted to practise as a solicitor in the Court as was exercisable immediately before 1 July 1997 by the then High Court or any judge thereof, as the case may be, in respect of any person admitted to practise as a solicitor in the then High Court. (Replaced 11 of 1999 s. 3)

### Legal Practitioners Ordinance 《法律執業者條例》

5. Roll of solicitors
(1) The Registrar shall keep a roll of all solicitors admitted by the Court under section 4 and shall have the custody of the roll of solicitors and of all documents relating thereto and shall allow any person to inspect the roll during office hours without payment.
(2) The Registrar, upon production of a certificate of admission signed by a judge and upon payment to the Registrar and to the Society of such fees as may be prescribed by the Chief Justice, shall enter on the roll of solicitors the name of the person admitted.
(3) The Chief Judge may, if he thinks fit, at any time order the Registrar to replace on the roll of solicitors the name of a solicitor whose name has been removed or struck off the roll of solicitors. (Amended 23 of 2002 s. 99)
(Amended 60 of 1994 s. 5)[cf. 1957 c. 27 ss. 6, 7 & 8 U.K.]

### Legal Practitioners Ordinance 《法律執業者條例》

7. Qualifications for practising as solicitor
No person shall be qualified to act as a solicitor unless—
(a) his name is for the time being on the roll of solicitors; 
(b) he is not suspended from practice; 
(c) he has in force a current practising certificate; and (Replaced 46 of 1989 s. 4) 
(d) he is complying with any indemnity rules made by the Council under section 73A (other than subsection (3)(fa)) that apply to him or is exempt from them. (Added 75 of 1980 s. 3. Amended 23 of 2002 s. 101; 22 of 2012 s. 5) 
[cf. 1975 c. 27 s. 1 U.K.]

7A. Solicitors may exercise functions of commissioner for oaths
(1) For the purpose of administering and receiving an oath, affidavit or affirmation any solicitor who holds a current practising certificate shall possess and may exercise all the powers of a commissioner for oaths that are conferred by or under any law. 
(2) A document containing an oath, affidavit or affirmation administered and received under subsection (1) and purporting to be signed by a solicitor shall be admitted in evidence without proof of the signature of the solicitor, and without proof that he is a solicitor who holds a current practising certificate. 
(Added 29 of 1977 s. 2. Amended 60 of 1994 s. 7)

7AA. Definitions (Part IIAAA)
(1) In this Part— 
default (失責行為) means any negligent or wrongful act or omission, or any misconduct;
distribution (分發), in relation to partnership property, means a transfer of money or other partnership property by a partnership to a partner, whether as a share of profits, return of contributions to capital, repayment of advances or otherwise;
limited liability partnership (有限法律責任合夥), except for the reference in section 7AL(3) to a limited liability partnership under the law of a foreign jurisdiction, has the meaning given by section 7AB;
partnership obligation (合夥義務), in relation to a partnership, means any debt, obligation or liability of the partnership, other than debts, obligations or liabilities of the partners as between themselves, or as between themselves and the partnership; 
partnership property (合夥財產) has the same meaning as in the Partnership Ordinance (Cap. 38).
(2) If a law firm is constituted as a limited liability partnership when it commences business in Hong Kong, a reference in this Part to the date on which it becomes a limited liability partnership is a reference to the date on which it commences business in Hong Kong.