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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 1988
THE ATTORNEY GENERAL ALSO REJECTED SUGGESTIONS THAT THE PROPOSAL WILL OPEN THE FLOODGATES TO FOREIGN LAWYERS.
HE SAID: "IT WILL NOT. FOREIGN LAWYERS ARE HERE ALREADY."
SINCE THE 1970S MORE THAN 20 FOREIGN LAW FIRMS INCLUDING AMERICA,
AUSTRALIA, GERMANY, CANADA AND
HAVE SWEDEN ESTABLISHED IN HONG KONG.
FROM
FIRMS
BEEN
"THE CRITERIA THEY PRESENTLY HAVE TO SATISFY WILL NOT BE
THE LESSENED BY
PROPOSAL, IN FACT THEY WILL BE FORMALISED AND TIGHTENED," MR MATHEWS SAID.
HE SAID THE PROPOSAL ENVISAGES THAT A STATUTORY SCHEME UNDER THE CHIEF JUSTICE WILL BE DEVISED TO REGULATE FOREIGN LAWYERS PRACTISING HERE.
ΤΟ FORMULATED
ENSURE
BE MR MATHEWS SAID CLEAR CRITERIA WILL THAT ONLY FOREIGN LAW FIRMS OF "SUBSTANTIAL REPUTATION AND INTEGRITY" CHECK IS PROVIDED ARE PERMITTED TO PRACTISE HERE, THAT AN EFFECTIVE ON BOTH THE QUALITY AND THE NUMBER OF FOREIGN LAW FIRMS ALLOWED INTO HONG KONG.
"AND THAT THE LAW SOCIETY IS INVOLVED IN THIS PROCESS WITH
OVER THE ADEQUATE POWERS TO EXERCISE EFFECTIVE CONTROL
FOREIGN LAW FIRMS," HE SAID.
ITS
IT HAS ALSO BEEN SUGGESTED THAT THE PROPOSAL INTERFERES WITH THE LAW SOCIETY'S ROLE IN REGULATING THE CONDUCT OF
HE MEMBERS,
SAID.
STRENGTHEN THIS AS, FOR THE
LAID DOWN
POWERS
OF
CLEARLY
FACT "IT DOES NOT. IT WILL IN FIRST TIME, THE LAW SOCIETY WILL HAVE DISCIPLINE OVER FOREIGN LAWYERS," THE ATTORNEY GENERAL SAID.
MR MATHEWS SAID HE TAUGHT NOT JUST THE WHICH
TURNING TO THE TOPIC OF CIVIC EDUCATION, SHARES THE CONCERN THAT YOUNG PEOPLE SHOULD BE "3RS" BUT ALSO SOMETHING OF THE LEGAL STRUCTURES AND PRINCIPLES UNDERPIN THE SOCIETY IN WHICH WE LIVE.
MR MATHEWS SAID IT IS IMPORTANT TO AWARENESS OF THE RULE OF LAW.
INSTIL
IN THE PUBLIC AN
SOCIETY
"THE BAR, THE LAW
AND THE GOVERNMENT ARE ACTIVELY CONSIDERING HOW LEGAL EDUCATION IN SCHOOLS CAN BE ENHANCED.
"WE ARE ALSO LOOKING AT WAYS IN WHICH GREATER GENERAL CIVIC AWARENESS OF THE LAW CAN BE ACHIEVED," HE SAID.
THOUGHTS IN THIS AREA
WILL NEED
ΤΟ BE DEVELOPED WITH WITH THE COMMITTEE ON
THE
THE
SECRETARY OF EDUCATION AND MANPOWER AND PROMOTION OF CIVIC AWARENESS, MR MATHEWS SAID.
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