The Department of Justice (DoJ) today held the first round of LexGoTech Roundtable to explore the opportunities and challenges brought about by lawtech and artificial intelligence.

Deputy Secretary for Justice and Chairman of the Consultation Group Cheung Kwok-kwan noted that the legal sector in Hong Kong is welcoming a new era, with lawtech reshaping the delivery of legal services.

He said lawtech will strengthen the long-term competitiveness of Hong Kong's legal professional services and solidify the city's position as the centre for international legal and dispute resolution services in the Asia-Pacific region.

The department established the Consultation Group earlier this year, comprising representatives from the legal and dispute resolution sector, law schools and experts on lawtech applications, to explore ways to promote the integration of legal services and lawtech in Hong Kong.

To further enhance the sector's understanding of the application of lawtech, Mr Cheung said the DoJ organised the roundtable following the Consultation Group's recommendations and plans to hold a series of related events this year.

In the long term, the department will promote the connection between lawtech service providers and legal practitioners, enhance the capabilities of legal professionals in lawtech, and disrupt traditional work models in the legal sector to create an ecosystem conducive to the development of lawtech in Hong Kong.

Mr Cheung highlighted that the DoJ has been sparing no effort to promote lawtech and support the development of online dispute resolution and transaction platforms.

The department has also launched the LawTech Fund and the Hong Kong Legal Cloud services to subsidise small and medium-sized law firms and chambers in enhancing their information technology capabilities, benefitting over 4,000 local legal professionals to date, he added.

The roundtable engaged legal professionals from the Law Society of Hong Kong and the Small & Medium Law Firms Association of Hong Kong.

They exchanged views on the risks associated with the use of lawtech and discussed how to embrace the era of artificial intelligence through policies, hardware and software upgrades, and capability building.