XN000022-1988-11-09 — Page 32

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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 1988

"FOREIGN LAWYERS WILL NOT BE PERMITTED UNDER TO PRACTISE HONG KONG LAW. THERE IS IN THIS CASE NO

MR MARTIN STRESSED. PRESENT POSITION,

"IT HAS BEEN

SUGGESTED

FLOODGATES TO FOREIGN LAWYERS.

THESE PROPOSALS CHANGE. FROM

THE

THAT

THE

WILL PROPOSAL

OPEN THE

ARE HERE ALREADY.

LESSENED, IN

"THAT IS NOT THE PROPOSAL, FOREIGN LAWYERS THE CRITERIA THEY PRESENTLY HAVE TO SATISFY WILL NOT BE

HE NOTED. FACT THEY WILL BE FORMALISED AND TIGHTENED,

IT HAS BEEN SUGGESTED THAT THE LAW SOCIETY'S RIGHT OF SELF-REGULATION.

पा

PROPOSAL INTERFERES

WITH

THE

AS,

HAVE

OVER

DEFINED POWERS HONG

"THAT IS NOT THE PROPOSAL, IT WILL IN FACT STRENGTHEN THIS FOR THE FIRST TIME, THE LAW SOCIETY WILL HAVE CLEARLY OF DISCIPLINE OVER FOREIGN LAWYERS AS THEY PRESENTLY KONG SOLICITORS, MR MARTIN SAID.

"I

THE

то BOWED HAS "IT HAS BEEN SUGGESTED THAT THE GOVERNMENT

IT HAS PRESSURE OF TRADE SANCTIONS. WE REPEAT THAT THIS IS NOT TRUE.

HE SAID. PLAYED NO PART WHATSOEVER IN OUR DELIBERATIONS,

"

THE DEPUTY SOLICITOR GENERAL ALSO REFUTED SUGGESTIONS THAT PROPOSALS ARE RADICAL.

ΤΟ

FOREIGN RIGHT'S

WILL EXTEND "THEY ARE NOT. THEY

SIMILAR CRITERIA ENTRY THE MULTI-JURISDICTIONAL LAW THAT ARE CURRENTLY ENJOYED

SATISFY

LARGER FIRMS OF HONG KONG SOLICITORS,

SAID MR MARTIN

THE

FIRMS LAW то

WHO PRACTISE

BY SOME OF THE

..

HE SAID.

THERE HAD

ALSO BEEN

THE LOWER

ETHICAL

SUGGESTIONS

THAT THE

STANDARDS

OF THE

PROPOSALS WOULD, IN SOME DAY,

PROFESSION IN HONG KONG.

AND I MUST STRESS WILL NEED ΤΟ THE

-

"FAR FROM BEING THE CASE, FOREIGN LAWYERS THAT WE ARE NOT TALKING ONLY ABOUT AMERICAN LAWYERS FOLLOW HONG KONG ETHICAL STANDARDS WHICH WILL BE ENFORCED THROUGH LAW SOCIETY'S POWERS OF DISCIPLINE,

HE SAID.

MR MARTIN SAID IT WAS GOVERNMENT'S PROPOSALS AS SIMPLY WIDER ISSUES WERE INVOLVED.

EASY TO

THE REGARD ONE BETWEEN

LAWYERS

DEBATE OVER THE BUT IN FACT

HONG INTEREST, PUBLIC "WE MUST NOT LOSE SIGHT OF THE. POSITION AS A MAJOR AND INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL AND COMMERCIAL AND THE DEVELOPING INTERNATIONALISATION OF HONG KONG.

KONG'S CENTRE

..

'LAWYERS IN HONG KONG HAVE A VERY IMPORTANT THIS BUT IT IS THE ROLE OF PROFESSIONAL INDUSTRY," HE SAID.

ADVISER.

ROLE TO LAW

[S A

PLAY

SERVICE

IN

THE MAIN