I was reflecting the other day.

I have now lived in South Africa longer than I lived in Hong Kong, which to me, is crazy! Where did that time go? HK was where I started GRM, its where we had our children, its where we built friendships that will last a lifetime. SA is where my wife comes from,

I am (semi) often asked about life in such conflicting cities and what it takes to get a job, build a life, and to be successful in either one - so I thought i’d run some thoughts past Google and Perplexity and see what we could produce.

VERSUS

A Guide for Lawyers Seeking International Opportunities.

As someone who has spent over two decades guiding legal careers across continents - eight and a half years building a life, a family and a business in Hong Kong, followed by nine years across Africa from Cape Town - I’ve witnessed firsthand how these two magnificent cities shape the careers and lives of legal professionals.

Both offer extraordinary opportunities, yet they represent fundamentally different paths for lawyers seeking to build their careers, locally or internationally.

And both offer various challenges when one is trying to build a life.

The Legal Market Landscape

Hong Kong: Asia’s Legal and Financial Powerhouse

Hong Kong remains one of the world’s premier legal markets, despite facing challenges like Occupy Central, Student Riots, Covid, Chinese pressure, foreign investment exodus, and many others - and it is currently experiencing a surge in specialised practice areas.

The city’s legal sector is thriving with over 200 companies in the IPO pipeline and HK$106 billion in arbitration claims handled annually.

The market shows particularly strong demand in several key areas:​

1. Capital Markets and IPO Work: Hong Kong’s IPO market has rebounded dramatically, with approximately 190 companies actively queued for listing as of mid-2025, more than double the figure from late 2024. This resurgence creates substantial opportunities for corporate lawyers specialising in securities and capital markets.​
2. Cryptocurrency and Digital Assets: As Hong Kong positions itself as a virtual asset hub, demand for crypto-specialised lawyers has intensified significantly. Law firms are actively hiring legal experts with expertise in blockchain, tokenisation, and virtual asset compliance.​
3. Greater Bay Area Practice: A transformative development for Hong Kong lawyers is the Greater Bay Area (GBA) initiative. Over 620 Hong Kong and Macao legal practitioners have now passed the GBA Legal Professional Examination, allowing them to provide legal services across nine Mainland Chinese municipalities on specified civil and commercial matters. This opens enormous cross-border opportunities that simply didn’t exist a decade ago and is signs of the increased “Mainland-ification” of HK’s business environment.
4. Regulatory and Compliance: International arbitration, regulatory compliance (particularly sanctions and data privacy), M&A, restructuring, and TMT (Technology, Media, Telecommunications) continue to see steady demand.​

Salaries in Hong Kong reflect this robust market. Mid-level lawyers (3-5 years post-qualification) at international firms earn HKD 115,000-150,000 monthly (approximately USD 14,700-19,200), while Magic Circle firms pay HKD 130,000-150,000 for the same level. General Counsel positions average HKD 220,000 monthly. These figures represent some of the highest legal compensation in Asia, with Hong Kong ranking third globally for lawyer salaries at an average of USD 176,000 annually.​

South Africa (Cape Town)

Cape Town’s legal market, while smaller in absolute terms, offers distinctive advantages as Africa’s second-largest economy and a gateway to the continent’s expanding markets. The Mother City’s legal sector is characterised by:​

1. Resources and Mining: South Africa’s strength in minerals and raw materials creates sustained demand for lawyers defending corporate interests in this sector. Mining, energy, and resources law remains a cornerstone of the legal market.​
2. M&A and Private Equity: With Africa forecasted as the fastest-growing continent economically, Cape Town serves as the regional hub for cross-border transactions and private equity investments.​
3. Emerging Sectors: Fintech regulation, renewable energy projects, and employment law (responding to recent labour law reforms) are growth areas.​
4. Banking and Finance: Established strength in financial services law, particularly in banking, structured finance, and regulatory compliance.​

Compensation in Cape Town reflects South Africa’s developing economy status.

The only place to see an accurate view of remuneration in the CPT legal market is in GRM’s report. See here and download for free!

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For the full report please go to: https://robgreen.substack.com/p/legal-careers-and-life-hong-kong