TNAG-0264-FCO40-300-Establishment-of-Inn-of-Court-in-Hong-Kong-1970 — Page 6

Foreign and Commonwealth Office London S.W.1

15

UNCLASSIFIED

SAVING DESPATCH

LG.3/393/1

From the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs

To the Governor, Hong Kong.

10 September, 1970.

No. 343

My Saving Despatch No. 315 of 20 August.

Establishment of an "Inn of Court" in

Hong Kong

The examination referred to in paragraph 4 of my Saving Despatch No. 315 of what has been done in other Commonwealth countries in recent years to provide for control over the admission and conduct of members of the Bar has now been completed. This has included the legislation in New Zealand, some of the states of Australia and Jamaica but no legislation has been found setting up a body in any way similar to the Inns of Court in the United Kingdom.

2. In all cases that have been considered, the admission of barristers to practise has been controlled either by the Court or by a Committee of a local Law Society or Bar Association and disciplinary control has been vested in a disciplinary Committee generally being a Committee of such a Society or Association; in one case the. Committee included judges of the Supreme Court.

3.

You will now doubtless wish to re-consider the matter in the light of the above and the points raised in my Saving Despatch No. 315.