The government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region said Thursday it would hold a legal services forum during the Shanghai World Expo 2010 on July 6, under the theme "Hong Kong Legal Services -- Global Vision".

About 400 people, mainly from Shanghai and nearby cities, are expected to attend the forum, the largest one ever sponsored by Hong Kong on the Chinese mainland and including a high-level Hong Kong contingent led by Secretary for Justice of the HKSAR government Wong Yan Lung.

Other members of the HK team include Deputy Director of the HKSAR Basic Law Committee of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress Elsie Leung, HK Law Society President Huen Wong, HK Bar Association Chairman Russell Coleman, HK International Arbitration Center Chairman Michael Moser and Executive Director of the HK Trade Development Council Fred Lam.

The upcoming forum speakers will also include senior and experienced Hong Kong solicitors, barristers and arbitrators. They are expected to share their experiences in various practical legal issues, including those relating to international trade, mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, commercial disputes resolution, procedural and evidentiary issues in arbitration and the enforcement of arbitral awards.

Secretary for Justice Wong said the Shanghai Expo is an opportune time for Hong Kong to demonstrate its strength as a regional center of legal services and dispute resolution.

With China's rise as one of the great economic powers in the world and its enterprises becoming increasingly outward looking, the demand for legal services has grown significantly, he said.

"Our experienced legal professionals with global exposure and our independent judiciary of international repute have all contributed to this success. And Hong Kong is in a position to share our experience with the corporate and legal sectors of the mainland," he added.

(source:Xinhua)