Political situation
Written by: Chen Jialuo
2021-03-25 07:00
Last update date: 2021-03-25 07:00
The Law Society of Hong Kong held its annual general meeting in May this year. The five most senior among the 20 directors need to be re-elected. Recently, a group of lawyers with organizational background wrote in newspapers that the Bar Association has become a "British tool" and if the Law Society is also lost , Will degenerate into another "organization controlled by foreign countries," and even call for "departing early to canvass votes" this year.
The democrats advertised as "enlightened" currently occupy 7 seats on the board of directors. If they take all 5 seats this time, they will gain control of the Law Society for the first time more than half and occupy the chairman's seat.
Lawyers from the other camp who advertised as "professionalists" pointed out that as a professional body, the Law Society is worried that the pan-democrats will win the majority of seats, which will make the council more and more politicized, and even make the government take action to deprive the Law Society of its role as a supervisory authority.
"Professionals" say it is hard to find someone to fight
The two camps have fought fiercely in recent years. Last year, the "enlightened" sent "human rights lawyers" Lin Yanghong, Civic Party Peng Haoxin and others to fight, winning 4 of the 5 seats, together with current directors Zhang Daming and Mark Daly (Di Limai) Waiting for 7 people to form a force on the board of directors, if this year changes to another city, you can even challenge the chairman's throne for the first time.
Peng Yunxi, the current president of the Law Society, has been re-elected as president for three years, and he is required to retire as usual. In addition to the re-election of 5 directors, many established lawyers think that the election situation is serious and worry about losing the right to speak to the board of directors.
Among the five re-elected directors, the most senior Jonathan ROSS and Denis BROCK must retire, and the other three seats will be held by Zhang Daming and Chen Daxian. One of them can be "free of war" by drawing lots.
Some "professional" lawyers pointed out that in recent years, the political atmosphere in Hong Kong is antagonistic. Many people voted only to look at their positions. Some people have only been in the legal profession for two years, but they were able to get into the board of directors with the "political card". Compared with qualified lawyers in the industry In this environment, it is difficult to find suitable candidates for the battle.
Peng Yunxi, president of the Law Society, retired in May.
(Information Picture/Photographed by Lu Yiming)
Taking over the lawyer's firm becomes a hot potato
Another "professional" director worried that if the lawyers' association is controlled by the democrats, it will become the next barrister's association and a "political organization."
The director pointed out that the Law Society is a regulatory body for Hong Kong lawyers, which has statutory functions such as taking over law firms and disciplinary hearings. If the council is controlled, the government may take back the power of supervision. By then, the Law Society will be no different from an ordinary professional body.
At the end of last year, Huang Fung Law Firm was taken over by the Law Society because of its former staff embezzling clients’ funds. The funds used by more than 100 "sufferers" to buy properties were frozen. The DAB member Zhang Guojun urged the government to review the current system of taking over law firms Chief Executive Carrie Lam said at the time that he respected professional autonomy, but he would ask the relevant directors of the department to study the system.
Some "professional" lawyers believe that the most important thing for this re-election is to maintain the independence of the Law Society, free from political influence, and worry that if instability occurs, the statutory functions of the Law Society will be cut.
However, formed legislators with legal backgrounds believe that taking over a law firm has always been a hot potato. Lawyers will follow the procedures and become the object of criticism. If the power of takeover is returned to the government, it is not necessarily a bad thing, describing many lawyers. The industry does not resist this.
Another formed lawyer pointed out that the government's exercise of power over professional bodies will only become more rigorous. The introduction of overseas doctors in recent months is an example. The supervisory role of the Law Society will inevitably be reviewed.
The partner of Huang Fung Law Firm wants to overturn the Law Society’s takeover decision, the High Court refuses to approve the review permission
Wong Fung Law Firm was taken over|Members’ worries, the Law Society hopes to start the claims process in February
Re-election of the Lawyers Association｜Four members of the "Enlightened Group" were elected as the new power "Professional Group" and 1 member won
Re-election of the Law Society︳Peng Yunxi's re-election as president will announce his opinions on the "Hong Kong version of the National Security Law"
Carrie Lam, Department of Justice, Law Society of Hong Kong