China News Service, Zhuhai, February 24th: Title: Macau lawyers practice in the Bay Area: Facing a large market with a population of more than 80 million
China News Service reporter Fang Weibin
Looking out the window at the Hengqin headquarters building in Zhuhai, you can see Hengqin on the left and Macau on the right, and you can have a panoramic view of the integration of Qin and Macau.
Whenever night falls, the traffic between Qin and Macao is busy, and a large number of office workers from Qin and Macao shuttle between the two places, including many young lawyers from Macao.
Huang Jingxi, a Macau lawyer from Renhe Qibang Xianhui (Hengqin) Associate Law Firm, is one of them.
"I am a Macau native and a Bay Area native." Huang Jingxi told China News Service that he has worked in mainland cities in the Greater Bay Area for many years. He currently lives and works in Hengqin, Macau, and feels like he is living in the same city.
In the five years since the release of the "Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area" (hereinafter referred to as the "Outline") in 2019, two generations of Huang Jingxi's family have all passed the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Lawyer Practicing Examination, becoming the first batch of lawyers to obtain the license to practice law. Certified Macau lawyer (Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area).
In 2022, Huang Jingxi (right), his father Huang Xianhui (middle), and sister Huang Shuxi (left) became the first batch of Macao lawyers to obtain a lawyer's practicing certificate (Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area). The picture shows the three participating in legal exchange activities.
(Photo provided by interviewee)
Huang Jingxi’s father, Huang Xianhui, was one of the first batch of Chinese lawyers in Macau.
Influenced by their father, Huang Jingxi and his sister Huang Shuxi both joined the legal profession.
The three of them have handled a lot of cases since they became Bay Area attorneys.
Huang Jingxi said that from the case, we can feel that more and more Macao companies and Macao people are developing in the mainland, and most of the problems they encounter are caused by the differences in laws and regulations between the two places.
Last year, Huang Jingxi used his professional skills to successfully assist Macau Haojiang Middle School in running a school in the Hengqin Guangdong-Macao Deep Cooperation Zone, helping Macao residents enjoy a school for the children of Macao with Macao curriculum characteristics and academic qualifications equivalent to those in Macao in the Shenzhen Cooperation Zone.
As a promoter of the connection between the two places, Huang Jingxi’s business scope has expanded from Macau to the entire Greater Bay Area.
Opening up Hong Kong and Macao lawyers to practice in the nine mainland cities in the Greater Bay Area is a major breakthrough in the mainland's policy of opening up legal services to Hong Kong and Macao. It is also Guangdong's attempt to implement the "Outline" and achieve "soft connectivity" of legal service rules in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao.
"Many Macau clients have directly consulted me about mainland legal affairs after learning that I am a lawyer in the Greater Bay Area." Cheng Jiawen, a young lawyer in Macau, said that more and more clients are coming to her. In the past, they only faced the Macau market. , now facing a market of more than 80 million people in the Greater Bay Area.
In 2022, Cheng Jiawen obtained the lawyer's practicing certificate (Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area).
(Photo provided by interviewee)
Like Huang Jingxi, Cheng Jiawen is also one of the first batch of Macau lawyers to obtain a lawyer's practicing certificate (Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area). She works at Guangzhou Jinqiao Situ Kuang (Nansha) Associate Law Firm, spending more than one-third of her time every month Work and live in the Mainland.
"The flow of people and popularity has obviously increased." Cheng Jiawen said that in the five years since the "Outline" was released, she has experienced tremendous changes in Zhuhai Hengqin and Guangzhou Nansha while working in the mainland cities of the Greater Bay Area.
Cheng Jiawen gave an example. The law firm she works for is located in Chuangxiang Bay, Nansha, Guangzhou. It was one of the earliest companies to settle in the city. In just five years, Chuangxiang Bay was almost filled with large and small Hong Kong, Macao and mainland companies.
The frequent movement of people between Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao, the growing entrepreneurial spirit among young people from Hong Kong and Macao, and the challenges brought about by the different legal systems between the three places have also led to an increasing number of cases taken over by Cheng Jiawen and Huang Jingxi.
Cheng Jiawen said that after becoming a lawyer in the Greater Bay Area, she can participate in mainland court trials, gain an in-depth understanding of mainland laws, and contribute to the further integration of the Greater Bay Area and the strength of Macau lawyers.
During the exchanges between the three places, Macao lawyers also actively introduced Macao's laws and customs to the mainland and Hong Kong.
Cheng Jiawen also successfully mediated the country's first labor dispute case in which a lawyer from the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area served as mediator.
She said that in the new year, she hopes to further promote the convergence of labor market legal rules in the Greater Bay Area. At the same time, she also hopes to provide one-stop cross-border legal services to more clients.
For Huang Jingxi, he is very concerned about the development of Hengqin in the new year.
"Next month, Hengqin will seal the island. This is the latest achievement of the integration of Hengqin and Macao." Huang Jingxi hopes that in the process of sealing the island, through his professional ability in law, he can contribute to the smooth sealing of the island and help More Macao companies and residents are doing business and living in Hengqin.
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