CO129-603-8 Legal Department- reorganisation 17-3-1949 - 29-12-1949 — Page 16

53999/1/49

29th December, 1949.

169

Dear Griffin,

Thank you for your letters of the 3rd and 22nd August about the Legal Officers Bill. I am sorry that my reply has been so long delayed. I can only plead the enormous pressure of work on my Department.

2. I enclose a note of coments which our study of the draft has suggested.

3. There is also one question going beyond points of drafting which occurs to us. Is there a possibility that the provisions of Clause 3 might lead to a demand for the fusion of the two professions of barrister and solicitor in private practice? We should not wish to raise any objection to the proposal to permit barristers and solicitors to perform the same functions within the Government service, and, indeed, the Secretary of State has already accepted that proposition by his despatch No. 331 of the 19th October, 1948. Nor do I think objection would be raised here to

But fusion in private practice if that were desired in Hong Kong. I feel I should invite you to consider whether this clause might lead to a demand for fusion and whether it would be embarrassing if such a demand were made. In this connection I see that Hong Kong solicitors can obtain a purely local qualification under the Legal Practitioners Ordinance (No. 7 of 1948), and it may be that it would not be thought desirable for all those so admitted to have the unrestricted right to practise as barristers,

Yours sincerely,

The Honourable J.B. Griffin.

K.0. Roberts-Wray.

ᎨᎰ.