The Department of Justice announced today that Yang Ling will take up the appointment as Director of the Hong Kong International Legal Talents Training Office with effect from November 1.

Secretary for Justice Paul Lam welcomed Ms Yang’s appointment, which was made following an open recruitment exercise, noting that she is a recognised scholar in international legal and dispute resolution with extensive management experience, including her time at the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre.

“She will be able to lead the office to take forward the policy initiatives of developing Hong Kong as a capacity-building centre for legal talent in domestic, foreign and international law," he added.

The International Legal Talents Training Office has been set up to serve as the co-ordinating body to take forward the establishment of the Hong Kong International Legal Talents Training Academy set out in the 2023 Policy Address.

The office will also serve as the secretariat for the Hong Kong International Legal Talents Training Expert Committee, which was formed by three advisory boards comprising eminent legal experts and scholars from renowned international, Mainland and local legal organisations, and universities as members.

Capitalising on Hong Kong's bilingual common law system and international status, the academy will regularly organise training courses, seminars, international exchange programmes and more to promote exchanges among talent in regions along the Belt & Road.

It will also provide training for talent in the practice of foreign-related legal affairs for the country, and nurture legal talent conversant with international law, common law, civil law and the country's legal system.

Yang Ling was admitted to the Chinese Bar in 2004 and currently holds the position of Deputy Secretary-General and Head of China Relations of the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC).

Prior to joining the HKIAC in 2018, she was Associate Professor at the East China University of Political Science & Law where she taught international arbitration. She was also a visiting scholar at the University of Aix-en-Provence Marseille III in 2008 and at Boston University School of Law in 2017.