HK Law Search — Web User Guide

Website: https://hklawsearch.makebell.com/

A free public search over Hong Kong legislation and related guidance, in

English and Traditional Chinese. Type a question or keywords and it finds the

relevant provisions and writes an AI-assisted summary answer with citations.

⚠ This is not legal advice. HK Law Search is an automated computer

search assisted by artificial intelligence. It gives general information

only, it is not a substitute for advice from a qualified lawyer, and no

lawyer–client relationship is created by using it. Results may be incomplete,

out of date or wrong, and AI-written summaries can contain errors. Always

check the official text of the legislation and consult a lawyer before

acting on anything you find here. Use of the site is at your own risk.

1. Getting started

• Open https://hklawsearch.makebell.com/ in any modern browser

(Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari). No account, install or login is needed —

the site is open to everyone.

• Type your question or keywords in the big search box.
• Press Enter or click Search.
• Wait for the answer. A first-time question can take 20–90 seconds: the

system plans a search, retrieves provisions in both languages, reviews the

results with an AI model and then writes the answer. The page shows a live

timer while it works. Repeating the same question is much faster.

You can also click one of the example links ("short-term patent term",

"small claims limit", …) to try a sample search straight away.

2. What it searches

The index has two layers and searches both by default:

• Statutes — Hong Kong Ordinances and subsidiary legislation

(Cap. numbers), one result per section/schedule.

• Guidance — Judiciary Practice Directions, the Guide to Court Services

and court guide booklets, CLIC plain-language Q&A (HKU) and commentary

from leading Hong Kong law firms.

Use the Source menu to narrow to one layer:

3. Asking good questions

You can search in three ways:

• A full question — best for facts:

what is the maximum claim limit of the small claims tribunal?

• Keywords — when you know the terms:

furnace chimney

• An exact phrase — wrap it in double quotes:

"short-term patent"

The site understands English and Traditional Chinese, and searches both

languages whichever you type:

• how long does a short term patent last
• 短期專利 有效期

Tips:

• Be specific. "landlord obligation to repair rented premises" works better

than "landlord".

• Put the legal concept in, not just everyday words — but everyday words

are fine too, the AI expands them into statutory synonyms.

• If you get nothing, simplify: drop filters, use fewer words, or switch the

Mode (see below).

4. The controls

5. Reading the results

Each search can show:

AI reply — a short written summary in English and 中文, citing the numbered

sources it used.

Answer — the single clearest answer, in both languages, with the provision

it comes from (e.g. — Cap. 338 Schedule (STATUTE)).

Result cards — one per kept provision, each with:

• a tag — STATUTE, PRACTICE_DIRECTION, COURT_PAGE, CLIC_ANSWER,

LAWFIRM_COMMENTARY, … — and an EN+ZH marker when the English and Chinese

versions of the same provision were found and paired;

• the citation (chapter and section, e.g. Cap. 514 126.) and heading;
• relevance (how well it answers your question, 0–100, used to filter) and

retrieval (the search-engine score) — these compare results *within one

search*, not across searches;

• a short why note in English and 中文 explaining why it was kept;
• highlighted snippets: the English text and/or the Chinese text with your

search terms marked;

• the source file or URL.

Only provisions judged relevant (or that directly answer the question) are

shown. If none qualify, the site says **"No sufficiently relevant result

found."** — try simpler words, a different mode, or widen the source.

6. Rate limit

To keep the free service available for everyone, each visitor may run

2 searches per minute. If you exceed it you will see a message asking you

to wait a moment; the limit resets shortly. (This is per IP address.)

7. Privacy and logging

Every search you make is logged — the query text, the settings you chose,

your IP address and browser type, and the results returned. This is used for

monitoring, service improvement and abuse prevention.

Do not type confidential or personal information (names, ID numbers,

case details you consider private) into the search box.

8. Troubleshooting

9. Quick recipe list

Patent term            → how long does a short term patent last
Small claims limit     → what is the maximum claim limit of the small claims tribunal?
Minimum working age    → what is the minimum age a person can work in Hong Kong?
Tenant repairs         → landlord obligation to repair rented premises
Data privacy           → personal data privacy breach notification
Divorce procedure      → what are the grounds for divorce            (Source: Guidance only)
Mediation              → mediation                                   (Source: Guidance only)
Furnace inspection     → air pollution control furnace inspection
中文                    → 短期專利 有效期
中文                    → 小額錢債審裁處的申索限額

10. More information

• Command-line version: USER_GUIDE.md
• How it is built and operated: README.md, build/README.md
• Official Hong Kong legislation (always check the authoritative text):

the Hong Kong e-Legislation website.

**Remember: this tool helps you find the law. It is not a lawyer. For advice

about your own situation, consult a qualified Hong Kong solicitor or barrister.**