HKU SPACE + 1 Year in UK = Barrister of Gray's Inn

All I needed was 1 year's study in London to be called as a Barrister of Gray’s Inn.

“When I enrolled on the Graduate Diploma in English and Hong Kong Law at HKU SPACE, I had never studied any law before. But the programme structure—with its unique combination of classes from both Manchester and Hong Kong-based lawyers and experienced tutors—meant this didn’t matter, and I was quickly able to master the law I needed to qualify as a lawyer in both Hong Kong and England & Wales. I even managed to get a Distinction despite working in a busy job as an editor at the South China Morning Post, since the flexible nature of the Graduate Diploma in English and Hong Kong Law made it easy to combine my studies and work.

After completing the Graduate Diploma in English and Hong Kong Law at HKU SPACE, all I needed was one year’s study in London to be called to the Bar as a Barrister of Gray’s Inn. I could have added another year of pupillage in order to gain rights of audience and practice as a Barrister-at-Law in England. Instead I chose to use my Barristers’ qualification to  continue my career in Hong Kong, joining HKU SPACE to teach on—and subsequently manage—the Graduate Diploma in English and Hong Kong Law, the programme where I started my legal studies.

Although the routes to qualifying as a lawyer by studying in England have changed in recent years, it still takes only one year after completing the Graduate Diploma in English and Hong Kong Law to be called to the Bar as a Barrister in London—and I know many students treasure this fast-track to a professional qualification  that can be useful in a wide variety of careers both in Hong Kong and around the world.”

Danny Gittings
Head of College of Humanities and Law
Associate Professor
HKU SPACE

Note:
Information offered for general guidance only. Please check all details directly with the Bar Standards Board. After being called to the Bar in London, the rules of the Bar Standards Board generally allow the use of the professional title of Barrister in most non-legal jobs, as well as when teaching or writing law books, etc. In order to use the title of Barrister in any other kind of legal work, it is normally necessary also to do one year of pupillage and become a practicing Barrister.