Bulletin Spring‧Summer 2007

Chinese University Bulletin Spring · Summer 2007 12 Programme Quality The school’s programme has been designed through extensive discussions with the legal profession to ensure that it caters closely to and anticipates the needs of the profession. ‘There has been a significant change in legal practice in the last three years. Almost everything of any major magnitude is PRC-related. That requires our students to be familiar with the demands that different cultures place upon them in legal negotiations. And of course, they need to have enhanced language skills,’ observes Prof. McConville. The school offers unique courses which are a direct response to the needs of the profession. These include courses in China practice, finance and lending, legal drafting of commercial documents in Chinese, and drafting of litigation documents in Chinese and English. To give students extra breadth of experience, the school is offering double degrees in law and translation, and law and business jointly with the Department of Translation and the Faculty of Business Administration, respectively. Prof. McConville believes that the combination of business and law is expected to be a popular choice givenHong Kong’s position as a centre of business and commerce, while the combination of translation and law will address both Hong Kong’s position as a gateway to China and the extra demands that our multilingual society places on legal practitioners in all aspects of law. Students who do not become practising lawyers will find no shortage of opportunities to apply their education to careers in business, government and other fields. The school will continue to explore more double degree options that are synergistic and meaningful to students.