To help drive the Department of Justice (DoJ)’s policy initiatives, DoJ has established the Legal Enhancement and Development Office (LEAD Office) under the direct steer of the Secretary for Justice (SJ).

The LEAD Office takes on the role as the central policy unit of DoJ and will assist SJ in formulating and taking forward policy initiatives effectively. Specifically, the LEAD Office will render high-level strategic support to SJ and Deputy SJ, and assist in the formulation, co-ordination and implementation of policy initiatives in three major areas, namely:

(a) Strengthening the coordination of rule of law education and training of advocacy leaders;
(b) Promoting the strengths of and opportunities for Hong Kong’s legal and dispute resolution services on all fronts; and
(c) Deepening the integration of legal practices between Hong Kong and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) and promoting the wider use of mediation in the GBA.

Serving as a bridge for enhancing DoJ’s communication and collaboration both internally and externally, the LEAD Office will optimise co-ordination and co-operation among the divisions within DoJ, while promoting exchanges and collaboration with Government departments and stakeholders from various sectors of the community.

The establishment of the LEAD Office would echo the important speech of President Xi Jinping delivered at the celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the Establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) cum Inaugural Ceremony of the Sixth-term Government of the HKSAR on 1 July 2022, in that DoJ will further improve our governance system, governance capability and governance efficacy, proactively create strong impetus for growth of the legal and dispute resolution services sector and dovetail with the national strategies, including the National 14th Five-Year Plan, the development of the GBA and the Belt and Road Initiative.