Hong Kong Legal Week 2026 to open Monday with Unidroit centenary
Hong Kong Legal Week 2026 begins on Monday with Unidroit’s Asia-Pacific Liaison Office opening. The week features the third Asia-Pacific Private International Law Summit, a UNCITRAL 60th anniversary event, a legal tech forum, and the second Greater Bay Area Lawyers Forum.
The Hong Kong Department of Justice announced on 31 October that Hong Kong Legal Week 2026 will open on Monday (2 November) with the Unidroit Centenary: Asia-Pacific Liaison Office Opening Ceremony and Asia-Pacific Regional Conference. The office, co-organised by the International Institute for the Unification of Private Law (Unidroit) and the Department of Justice, is Unidroit’s first office outside its Rome headquarters in its 100-year history. The government described it as a major milestone for Hong Kong’s legal hub development, further strengthening the city’s status as a leading international legal hub.
On Tuesday (3 November), the third Asia-Pacific Private International Law Summit will take place, themed “Rule of Law Building the Future: Driving Digital Innovation, Sustainable Development and Connectivity in Asia-Pacific”. Wednesday (4 November) will mark the 60th anniversary of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) with an event titled “UNCITRAL’s Contribution to International Carriage of Goods in the Digital Economy – UNCITRAL 60th Anniversary Celebration @ Hong Kong Legal Week”.
A highlight of the week, the Hong Kong Legal Tech Festival, will feature exhibitions and live demonstrations, culminating in a Legal Tech Forum on Thursday (5 November) to foster collaboration between legal and technology professionals. On the same morning, the fourth Integration and Development Rule of Law Forum, supported by the Legal Affairs Department of the Central People’s Government’s Liaison Office in Hong Kong and co-organised with the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Hong Kong, will focus on Hong Kong’s role as a comprehensive international dispute resolution hub and its part in the nation’s foreign-related legal system development.
The week will conclude on Friday (6 November) with the second Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Lawyers Forum, continuing efforts to advance “soft connectivity” in legal and dispute resolution matters across the three jurisdictions. Other events include the 2026 Mediation Lecture on 5 November. All sessions will be broadcast live on the dedicated Legal Week website (www.legalweek.hk) and via webcast.info.gov.hk.