Abstract:
We are marching in the Industrial 4.0 era and this pace has been unexpectedly accelerated due to the COVID-19 outbreak while legal education in HK is still stagnant in the Education 1.0 and even much lagging far behind our primary and secondary school students who are having Science Technology Engineering Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) education to prepare themselves for the Work 4.0 era embracing the artificial intelligence (AI) and the machine learning era. Recognizing the fact that core modules required to apply for the PCLL programmes cannot be reduced, I propose to make wise use of existing electives in the JD programmes as a leeway to equip students themselves with more self-initiative learnings, to allow room for budding creativity and to enrich in deep learning in order to solve the issues which cannot be worked out in the past or arising from the future. The reasons why JD students are focused here because usually they are more resourceful in knowledge and funds and have already obtained other qualifications or professional knowledge in their respective fields prior studying the JD programmes where they can use the law to solve the industry-specific problems.
My presentation is to investigate the feasibility of creatively, efficiently and effectively using electives components of the JD programmes, besides currently available options of dissertations, internships, overseas exchanges, students’ law journals, mootings in the following six novel ways: (1) increasing the choices of electives from local and overseas universities, international MOOC platforms (such as the EdX, the Coursera and the FutureLearn which provide cryptocurrencies, blockchain, FinTech and AI courses), local and international professional institutes or trainings of mediators, arbitrators, trust advisors, Chinese lawyers, UK barristers and solicitors, US Bars, Singapore Bars or others) and grades should be granted beyond a mere pass or fail in order to incentivize the learnings; (2) initiating LawTech start-up projects and with the possibility to be benefited from the newly setup HKSARG’s LAWTECH Fund available to small and medium size law firms and barristers’ chambers; (3) engaging in local or overseas pro bono work or other community-based projects; (4) becoming research assistants; (5) organizing events initiated by the students’ creative ideas, such as holding events related to the World IP Day, AI and Law, Cybersecurity and Law in HK, overseas or on the Internet, or becoming YouTubers, legal KOLs or executing other new projects; and (6) attending talks within and outside the campus or on the Internet which is more akin to the CPD model of the Law Society of HK. To further incentivize students’ motivation to take one of these alternative tracks, the investment concept of Valuation Adjustment Mechanism (VAM, also known as a Bet-on Agreement) can be applied where the law schools and students enter into contracts to outline the project deliveries, milestones and rewards. If the projects are successful or reach several millstones, extra GPA points can be awarded. Also, the law schools and students can devise business sustaining plans to deal with the intellectual property rights (IPRs) issues and the continuation of projects even after the students graduate.
All these six aspects are interconnected which can give more freedom of choices to the students in the already intensive PCLL-oriented JD programmes so that students can learn new knowledge which the campus cannot provide immediately, create LawTech projects, serve the community through pro bono work, earn other legal or related qualifications or even become lawyers of other jurisdictions before starting the PCLL programmes. Therefore, all these can enhance the employability of students by upgrading their research and problem-solving skills, industry and global insights, which are so much desirable in this highly globalized and ever-changing world.
Speaker:
Miss Jennifer Jiang Gee IP (Jennifer Ip), JD, Year 3 Student, City University of Hong Kong
Jennifer Ip is currently a third-year JD student at the City University of HK. Last semester, she was on exchange at the Fudan University, Shanghai and studying the Chinese Business Law. She holds a Bachelor of Music (Honours) degree from the University of Sheffield, UK. Her prior working experiences include project and events management in an IT security association, an orchestra, many arts companies and UK public exams. She is keen on current affairs, new trends in the commercial world and the cyber world and current laws and legal practices in the common law and civil law jurisdictions. She is proactively in attending various interesting law and non-legal events to learn more.