The legal system of Hong Kong is based on the rule of law and the independence of the Judiciary. The constitutional framework for the legal system is provided by the Hong Kong Basic Law Under the principle of ‘one country, two systems’, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) legal system, which is different from that of the legal system of Mainland China (Law of the People's Republic of China), is based on the English common law, supplemented by local legislation.

Hong Kong Basic Law, in this respect, is similar to the common law systems used in English Canadian provinces. Mainland Chinese law uses a civil law system also found in France (Law in France) and the French-speaking Canadian province of Quebec (Quebec law).