ABSTRACT
A parallel concern is the late start and inadequate progress in bilingual (English and Chinese) codification. Part of the problem stems from the personnel in the legal system. The institutions of justice are still expatriate-dominated in both the Legal Department and the judiciary branch. The government's personnel localization efforts have had only limited results and required more conscientious effort in the recruitment and training of legal personnel through reform of the legal profession and education. Localization of the common law requires long-term and far-sighted reform which could strengthen the rule of law by making the entire legal system more attuned to the demographic and socio-cultural realities as well as the rising democratic and human rights consciousness of the local Chinese populace. This much-needed sinification would help to consolidate the common law legal culture and institutions for HKSAR.3
