XN000022-1995-06-28 — Page 56

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In this regard, a Standing Committee on Compliance has been specifically tasked to monitor the inspectorate system, he added.

Mr Mathews said the Law Society submitted quarterly reports on the progress and effectiveness of the inspectorate system to the Administration and the first progress report was submitted at the end of March 1995.

He noted that there were arrangements to assess whether the inspectorate system was effective in tackling the problem of touting and commission taking in both criminal defence work and conveyancing matters.

"The Working Party on Touting and Commission-taking in Criminal Defence Work reviews the effectiveness of the inspectorate system on a regular basis. I chair the Working Party which comprises representatives of the Law Society, the Bar Association, the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) and my Chambers," he said.

Mr Mathews added that at the suggestion of the Administration, the Law Society had recently set up a Working Party to consider the problem of touting and commission-taking in conveyancing matters.

"Representatives of the ICAC and my Chambers are invited to attend meetings of the Working Party and to participate in the discussion of measures to tackle the problem.

"It is envisaged that the Working Party would submit its report to the Law Society's Council for consideration before the end of this year," he said.

He also said the general public were encouraged by the Law Society as well as by the Administration (e.g. through the recently published Consultation Paper on Legal Services) to report cases of touting and commission-taking and any malpractices within the legal profession to the Law Society and the Administration.

He said: "In order to ensure the success of the inspectorate system we also need the co-operation of lawyers and consumers of legal services to come forward and report cases of touting and commission-taking and any other malpractices of lawyers and their employees."

Mr Mathews said the Administration had not excluded the option of criminalising touting and commission-taking if the legal profession failed to solve the problem by self-regulation.

"Public views on this issue have been sought in the Consultation Paper on Legal Services. The matter will be reviewed in early 1996, by which time the inspectorate system will have been in operation for a period of 12 months," he said.

End/Wednesday, June 28, 1995