Hong Kong is one of the very few places in the world where the common law can be practiced in a language other than English. Introduced into the courtroom over a decade ago, Cantonese has significantly altered the everyday working of the common law in China's most Westernized city. In The Common Law in Two Voices, Ng explores how English and Cantonese respectively reinforce and undermine the practice of legal formalism. This first-ever ethnographic study of Hong Kong's unique legal system in the midst of social and political transition, this book provides important insights into the social nature of language and the work of institutions. Ng contends that the dilemma of legal bilingualism in Hong Kong is emblematic of the inherent tensions of postcolonial Hong Kong. Through the legal dramas presented in the book, readers will get a fresh look at the former British colony that is now searching for its identity within a powerful China.

This book is designed especially for use in Hong Kong to teach the basic skills of finding legal materials, both printed and computer-based ones. Its objective is to help students explore the range of materials which they will use in the course of their legal education, and thereafter in the practice of law.

This text provides a practical approach to the legal and commercial infrastructure which serves trade and investment in Hong Kong. It provides a panoptic view of what the laws of Hong Kong and its legal practitioners have to offer those who are there to do business. It gives special emphasis to problems and pitfalls which clients may encounter when trading with or investing in Hong Kong. It also specifically addresses practical problem areas relating to inbound investment, and how such investment can be most suitably structured. Hong Kong's potential as a centre for regional trade, not least with mainland China, is also considered.