At 8am, He Junyao, who lives in West Kowloon, Hong Kong, drove towards the mainland and arrived at his office in Guangzhou in less than 2 hours... After finishing work in the evening, he drove back to Hong Kong for dinner. This is the daily work schedule of He Junyao traveling between Hong Kong and mainland China. In July 2022, he became one of the first lawyers in the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area in China, holding a practicing license numbered "No.90000001", and was the first to knock on the door to practice in the nine mainland cities of the Greater Bay Area. More than three years have passed, and He Junyao has not only witnessed the expansion of the "soft connectivity" of the rules and mechanisms in the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area to deeper levels and wider fields, but also personally practiced and interpreted the background of the "strugglers". He Junyao crosses the border multiple times a week and spends nearly 200 days a year in mainland China. Whenever there are work arrangements in mainland China, He Junyao can always arrive at his office in Guangzhou before 10 o'clock to handle legal documents, meet with parties involved, and contact judicial authorities. In the evening, after finishing work, He Junyao often drives back to Hong Kong to have dinner with his family. He Junyao's "dual city commuting" is a microcosm of the interconnectivity of the Greater Bay Area. Previously, it used to take at least one night to stay in Guangzhou to handle cases, but now transportation is convenient and geographical distance is no longer a barrier to cross-border practice. "After He Junyao became a lawyer in the Greater Bay Area and worked in mainland China for nearly 200 days a year, his schedule always carried a" dual city rhythm ". Despite having over 30 years of experience as a lawyer, He Junyao has always maintained a learning attitude while practicing in mainland China: when discussing cases with clients, he listens carefully while taking notes and occasionally stops to inquire about details; When encountering unfamiliar legal terms in mainland China, one can always refer to the manual or consult with colleagues in mainland China. "The legal systems in Hong Kong and mainland China not only have different rules, but also have different logic, which requires continuous learning." Over the past three years, He Junyao has handled more than 40 cross jurisdictional cases, appeared in court more than 10 times, and explored a cooperation model of "mainland colleagues leading cases+Hong Kong and Macao lawyers supplementing common law perspectives. In addition to handling cases, industry exchanges and experience sharing are also important aspects of his dual city work. As the director of the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area Lawyers Working Committee of the Guangzhou Bar Association, he often participates in various sharing activities, sharing his professional experience without reservation with new Hong Kong and Macao lawyers. Many Hong Kong lawyers, after obtaining their practice licenses, do not know how to submit evidence for cross-border cases... I need to explain these practical operations clearly to help them avoid detours, "said He Junyao. Unlocking the acceleration of cross-border legal services and obtaining the 001 practicing license, I knew that it was not only an honor, but also a key to opening the door to practicing in mainland China. ”He Junyao said. In October 2020, the General Office of the State Council issued the "Pilot Measures for Hong Kong Legal Practitioners and Macau Practicing Lawyers to Obtain Mainland Practicing Qualifications and Engage in the Legal Profession in Nine Mainland Cities of the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area". He Junyao passed the written test, training, and interview, and became one of the first certified lawyers after more than a year. Previously, when dealing with cross-border cases, He Junyao needed to cooperate with mainland lawyers. "Just docking materials and coordinating legal opinions required repeated communication, and in case of jurisdictional disputes, clients had to hire lawyers from both places, which was costly and inefficient. Nowadays, the most obvious change is the simplification of the case handling process. With the qualification to practice law in the Greater Bay Area, he can directly represent the entire process from case filing to trial. The construction of smart courts in mainland China has added wings to cross-border practice. What impressed He Junyao the most was that at the litigation service center of Tianhe Court in Guangzhou, self-service filing and intelligent document delivery could be completed in one go; During the trial, AI technology can convert speech into text in real-time, making it convenient for lawyers to verify in a timely manner. At the end of the trial, the transcript can be confirmed on-site without additional fees. He sighed that the efficiency and standardization of the mainland judiciary have greatly improved the efficiency of cross-border case handling. In addition to technological empowerment, policy support also provides a broad stage for lawyers in Hong Kong and Macau. As of now, the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area Lawyer Practice Examination has been held continuously for 5 years, with more than 600 people registering and obtaining practice certificates, distributed in cities in the Greater Bay Area such as Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Dongguan, and Zhongshan. Lawyers in the Greater Bay Area not only understand the legal thinking of Hong Kong and Macau, but also are familiar with the procedures in mainland China, which can help clients find a balance between different legal systems. ”He Junyao said that he hopes more and more Hong Kong and Macau lawyers can expand their practice space in the Greater Bay Area. It is recommended that legal services in the three regions accelerate interconnectivity. The diversity of the 'One Country, Two Systems, and Three Jurisdictions' in the Greater Bay Area is not an obstacle, but a unique advantage. ”In He Junyao's view, the interconnection of legal services among the three regions is an inevitable choice in line with the development of the Greater Bay Area. With the deepening of economic integration in the Greater Bay Area and the increasing frequency of cross-border factor flows, the demand for cross-border legal services from enterprises and residents is becoming more and more urgent. According to the white paper released by Guangdong courts, a total of 111000 cases involving Hong Kong and Macao were concluded from 2019 to 2024, accounting for about 2/3 of the total number of courts in China. These cases involve multiple fields such as commercial investment, marriage and family, intellectual property, etc. Behind them is an urgent need for a unified and efficient legal environment. The core value of interconnectivity lies in breaking down legal barriers, reducing institutional friction costs, and improving the efficiency of handling cross-border disputes. ”He Junyao said that from the perspective of industry development, interconnectivity can achieve complementary advantages among the three regions. He Junyao gave an example that there are not many mainland lawyers with experience in foreign-related legal services, while Hong Kong lawyers' professional abilities in the foreign-related field can provide strong support for enterprises in the Greater Bay Area to "go global" and foreign-funded enterprises to "come in". When it comes to the future, He Junyao believes that the breakthrough lies in the deepening of talent cultivation and the integration of rules. He suggested expanding the channels for mainland law students to obtain Hong Kong legal professional qualifications, simplifying repetitive processes such as English proficiency certification, and making talent flow smoother. With the deep application of AI technology in the judicial field, remote court hearings and online mediation will become more popular in the future, and the judicial efficiency of the three regions will be further improved. In the long run, the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area will become a global governance model that showcases China's wisdom and provides' Chinese solutions', "said He Junyao