m
(c)
(a)
(e)
The impression I have from contacts with practising members of the profession is that Hong Kong lacks sufficient experienced practitioners in some highly specialised fields. This explains in part the present need for overseas lawyers in both the private and public sectors in Hong Kong. A further result is that a substantial amount of heavy work is referred to legal specialists in London in the interests of both
expertise and speed.
If it is true that there is a shortage of practising lawyers in Hong Kong, it necessarily follows that legal services will not be as widely or readily available here as people might wish. That the shortage of local practising lawyers has led to the influx of a large
number of overseas lawyers cannot be doubted. Whether
a shortage of practising lawyers has also led to the
cost of legal services being higher than it otherwise
would be is less certain. Increased competition
between a greater number of practising lawyers might
well lead to a reduction in such cost.
The best solution to the shortage of lawyers practising
enable in Hong Kong is to ensure that more talented, bilingual
Hong Kong students to take up the law as a career. As Hong Kong develops, I foresee the need to foster wider
access to professional legal assistance, to maintain a
strong and independent bar and, in particular,
to encourage local lawyers to enter government
service. I regret that it has not been possible to
increase the throughput for the Hong Kong University Bachelor of Laws course beyond 115. It is hoped to increase this figure to 150 by 1988-89. Expansion of
the University's postgraduate course for the holders of
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