'I'm used to seeing things from a cross-border angle, and I hope to widen other people's perspectives,' he said. He warned against complacency and said he wanted even local firms to begin seeking clients from emerging markets.

'It is no longer sustainable just to rely on the mainland now,' he said, noting that the mainland had become much more open economically. 'We used to sell ourselves as the gateway to China. But do we need a gateway to China any more? We should encourage local firms to do more international business.

'I want to see a pure Hong Kong firm do large financial deals. This business is not the monopoly of an international firm.'

He urged lawyers to concentrate on the markets of Russia, the Middle East and Taiwan, as they had the greatest potential for new business.

He was also optimistic that Hong Kong was producing students with the talent to tackle international issues.

'[As recently as] six or seven years ago, I was still very frustrated our students were not international enough,' he said. But from recent observations of students on the programme for aspiring solicitors, the Postgraduate Certificate in Laws, he said he was very encouraged by their overall standards.

Regarding local affairs, he said he hoped the Law Society would remain active in speaking out on human rights issues.

'On asylum issues, we actually have more specialist lawyers than the Bar, so we are in a position to take a lead on this,' Mr Wong said. 'I don't want people to think that we are slow to react on sensitive issues.'

Mr Wong also acknowledged that with Hongkongers' increasing civil awareness, bodies like the Law Society were expected to be more responsive to issues of public concern.

'I will try to be as responsive as possible, and accelerate the process by which the Law Society can also respond as a whole,' he said.