APPENDIX “C”

Hon. Sir Michael Hogan,

Chief Justice,

Supreme Court,

August 17, 1967.

HONG KONG,

Dear Chief Justice,

re: FEES IN ASSIGNED CRIMINAL CASES

Thank you for your letter of 11th August enclosing the table of changes in Counsel's fees.

I was Hon. Secretary of the Bar Association in Febru- ary, 1952 and can remember that that change came about as follows:-

(a) Barristers in practice then numbered only about 10.

(b) In 1951, the number of capital cases increased so that Counsel were assigned 3 or more during the

year.

(c) The Bar then considered that whilst one such case a year at low fees might be regarded as a sort of quasi-civic duty, at least in subsequent cases Coun- sel should be remunerated in the rate practising Counsel were briefed by the Crown. (One Counsel had been briefed by Government to defend a police officer and the fees were $750 on the Brief and $250 refreshers).

1946

(d) The 1964 scale was too low in any event.

The Bar Committee is now of the opinion that the dis- tinction in fees between the 1st and subsequent cases in one

36

Share This Page