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STUDYING LAW IS one sure-fire way to make your mother proud. And with a clear-cut path running straight into a very respectable - not to mention well-paid - career, it's easy to see why it remains a popular choice among smart school leavers.

But tales of the course's heavy workload and the inhumanely long hours that large firms expect junior lawyers to work deter many people from taking the course.

Now, studying law has just got harder. Starting this academic year, the Bachelor of Laws has become a four- or five-year course in Hong Kong, calling for school leavers to make a greater commitment in time and money.

Peter Malanczuk, dean and chair professor of the School of Law at City University of Hong Kong, said there had been a very positive response to the change in structure.

'Generally, we will have to wait and see what the results are,' he said.

'But we have already attracted many students with good qualifications.'

Professor Malanczuk said a strong academic background was important for law students, who needed good analytical and language skills - particularly in English,  despite the bilingual legal system.

'But we also look for people with a good sense of justice,' he said. 'So it's not just about academic qualifications.'

Many people choose to take up law later in life, having already completed a first degree.

The professor said mature students were generally unwilling to spend another four years in the classroom, and had already reached the maturity the undergraduate course was designed to develop.

To meet the needs of these students, the school has set up a Juris Doctor programme, a two-year course.

The programme is designed to give students a proper understanding of Hong Kong law within a much shorter time frame. The course can also be completed in 3? years on a part-time basis.

The course was taught in about 200 institutions worldwide, the professor said, but CityU was the first  to offer it in Hong Kong.

He said the two types of students had different strengths.

'The [Juris Doctor] students are more mature,' Professor Malanczuk said. 'But the younger students have a lot of enthusiasm.'

Even after completing the four-year undergraduate course or the Juris Doctor programme, students are not qualified to work as lawyers.

Before they can begin providing legal services, graduates must complete the Postgraduate Certificate in Laws, a one-year course offered by CityU and the University of Hong Kong. It can also be taken part time over two years.

Professor Malanczuk said that junior lawyers could expect to spend long hours in the office at the start of their careers. 'They need to go through a lot of cases and other materials,' he said.

But law graduates do not necessarily become lawyers.

'Most students want to become professional lawyers, but others do a law degree to broaden their horizons,' Professor Malanczuk said. 'The law penetrates virtually all fields.'



Following the letter of the law is a worthwhile sacrifice