繁體中文
工作實況：將政策寫成法律條文
法律草擬人員嘅日常工作，係同政策局嘅律師密集開會，了解一項政策要達到嘅效果，再思考用邊種條文結構去落實。佢哋要考慮定義、適用範圍、例外情況、罰則、過渡安排同生效日期等細節，確保草案邏輯自洽、可執行，亦唔會同其他法例衝突。因為香港法例中英雙語並行，兩份文本必須意思完全一致，所以要逐字斟酌。草擬人員亦要就立法會法案委員會嘅提問提供技術支援，甚至準備修訂。
入職關卡：法律資歷加雙語草擬筆試
要入行，法律資歷係基本：申請人一般須為香港律師或大律師，或持有法學專業證書等專業資格；非公務員合約職位則要求法學學士、法學博士等法律學位。無論邊種編制，法律草擬科嘅招聘大多設有筆試，考核申請人能否寫出準確、清晰同無漏洞嘅法律條文，而且係中英雙語。通過筆試後仲要面試，評估法律知識、語文能力同對憲制嘅理解。熟悉《基本法》同立法程序，會係明顯優勢。
行業實況同出路
法律草擬係一個「窄門」：全港從事草擬嘅人員數目有限，空缺亦唔多，所以屬於小眾專業。好處係工作穩定、專業性強、接觸面廣，會參與影響全港嘅法例制定；代價係工作節奏受立法周期牽動，趕法案時壓力大，而且要長期專注細節。出路方面，草擬人員可喺律政司內逐步晉升，亦可累積經驗後轉往其他政府法律崗位或學術、培訓領域。由於招聘多為不定期同小規模，有志者要長期留意律政司公告，並及早準備雙語草擬能力。
English
The job: turning policy into statutory text
The daily work of a law drafter is intensive meetings with lawyers in policy bureaux to understand what a policy should achieve, then deciding which statutory structure will deliver it. Drafters consider definitions, scope, exceptions, penalties, transitional arrangements and commencement dates, making sure the bill is logically coherent and workable and does not clash with other legislation. Because Hong Kong's laws run in parallel Chinese and English versions, the two texts must mean exactly the same, so wording is weighed word by word. Drafters also provide technical support for Bills Committee questions and may prepare amendments.
The gate: legal qualification plus a bilingual drafting test
A legal qualification is the baseline: applicants are generally Hong Kong solicitors or barristers, or hold a professional qualification such as the Postgraduate Certificate in Laws; non-civil-service contract posts require a legal degree such as an LLB or JD. Under either arrangement, recruitment to the Law Drafting Division usually includes a written test that assesses whether a candidate can produce accurate, clear and gap-free statutory text, in both Chinese and English. Those who pass the test face an interview evaluating legal knowledge, language ability and understanding of the constitutional framework. Familiarity with the Basic Law and the legislative process is a clear advantage.
Industry reality and pathways
Law drafting is a narrow door: the number of drafters in Hong Kong is limited and vacancies are few, so it is a niche specialism. The upside is stable, highly professional work with broad reach, shaping legislation that affects the whole city; the cost is a rhythm driven by the legislative cycle, heavy pressure when bills are rushed, and long stretches of close attention to detail. On pathways, drafters can rise within the Department of Justice, or move after gaining experience into other government legal posts or into academic and training work. As recruitment is often irregular and small in scale, those keen should watch the department's notices over the long term and build bilingual drafting skills early.
