MONDAY, JANUARY 9, 1989
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"AT PRESENT, SUCH BRIEFING OUT IS LIMITED TO THOSE cases WHERE MANPOWER IS SHORT AND WHERE OTHERWISE THE CASE DEMONSTRATES A NERD FOR OUTSIDE SERVICES," HE SAID.
IN 1987, 833 CASES WERE UNDERTAKEN BY THE BAR, RISING TO LAST YEAR.
1,248
IN ADDITION, COUNSEL WERE BRIEFED ON A DAILY BASIS IN THE MAGISTRACIES FOR 1,900 DAYS IN 1987 AND 3,703 LAST YEAR.
"THERE MAY BE JUSTIFICATION FOR GOING
申中
STRICT NEED, MR MATHEWS SAID.
BEYOND THE LIMITS OF
"IT IS BY NO MEANS NECESSARY NOR DESIRABLE THAT PROSECUTION OF CRIME AND THE PROTECTION OF THE PUBLIC INTEREST ALWAYS BE IN THE HANDS OF LAWYERS IN GOVERNMENT SERVICE.
THE SHOULD
"I BELIEVE THAT A CASE CAN BE MADE, IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST, FOR SOME CASES TO BE BRIEFED OUT BEYOND THE BOUNDARY OF STRICT NEED."
HOWEVER, HE SAID, THIS MUST BE BALANCED AGAINST THE NEED TO MAINTAIN PROSECUTING SKILLS WITHIN CHAMBERS.
ALSO, THERE WERE MANY TASKS THAT GOVERNMENT LAWYERS PERFORMED FOR WHICH THERE WAS LITTLE OR NO EQUIVALENT IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR AND THERE WERE MATTERS WHICH COULD NOT BE BRIEFED OUT.
MOREOVER, WORK AT ALL LEVELS MUST BE DONE IN-HOUSE TO PROVIDE EXPERIENCE FOR NEWLY QUALIFIED LAWYERS JOINING THE CHAMBERS.
ON MANPOWER, MR MATHEWS SAID CONCERN HAD BEEN EXPRESSED THAT THERE WAS A NEED FOR MORE LAWYERS IN HONG KONG.
HE SAID THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON LEGAL EDUCATION, OF THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS CONDUCTING A SURVEY OF THE PROFESSION AS A WHOLE.
HELP
WITH THE
DEPARTMENT, WAS CURRENTLY
IT WAS HOPED THE SURVEY COULD BE COMPLETED IN APRIL. "THIS WILL ASSIST GREATLY IN DETERMINING THE SIZE AND STRUCTURE OF FUTURE LEGAL EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS AT BOTH GRADUATE AND POST-GRADUATE LEVEL, HE SAID.
H
TURNING TO THE AREA OF CRIMINAL PROCEDURE, MR MATHEWS SAID HONG KONG HAD NOT MOVED WITH THE TIMES AND THERE MUST BE CHANGE.
FORMS, PRACTICES AND PROCEDURES LAID DOWN ENGLAND WERE STILL BEING RELIED ON ALTHOUGH SOME OF WERE OBSCURE AND OTHERS WERE QUITE IRRELEVANT TO SAID.
IN 19TH CENTURY THESE PROVISIONS MODERN NEEDS, HE
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