The legal profession in Hong Kong is divided into two distinct branches — barristers and solicitors. Solicitors have limited rights of audience before the courts whereas barristers have unlimited rights of audience in all courts. Lawyers practising within one branch of the profession are not, at the same time, allowed to practise within the other branch.

Hong Kong has more than 5 400 practising solicitors and 675 local law firms, plus some 33 foreign law firms, 701 registered foreign lawyers, and seven registered associations between foreign law firms and local law firms.

The Law Society is the governing body for solicitors and foreign lawyers and foreign law firms. It has wide responsibilities for maintaining professional and ethical standards and for considering complaints against these legal professionals.

Around 380 solicitors are also notaries public, and are members of the Hong Kong Society of Notaries, providing notarial service to different sectors of the community.

Hong Kong has more than 840 practising barristers, whose governing body is the Hong Kong Bar Association. The Code of Conduct for the Bar of the HKSAR governs their conduct and etiquette.