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033434
MDLIAN 0643
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FM HONG KONG
TO PRIORITY FCO
TELNO 2022
OF 21101OZ JUNE 89
RESTRICTED
HKB 2434373/1
TOP COPY Q DIST ?
INFO PRIORITY BANGKOK, SEOUL, SINGAPORE, JAKARTA, MANILA
INFO PRIORITY KUALA LUMPUR
OUR TELNO 4221 OF 17 NOVEMBER 1988: FOREIGN LAWYERS
1. WE WOULD BE GRATEFUL FOR YOUR ASSISTANCE IN OBTAINING ANSWERS TO THE QUESTIONS IN PARA 4 BELOW CONCERNING TREATMENT OF FOREIGN LAWYERS IN THAILAND, KOREA, SINGAPORE, INDONESIA, MALAYSIA AND PHILIPPINES.
BACKGROUND
2. THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT PROPOSE TO INTRODUCE FORMAL CRITERIA, WHERE NONE NOW EXIST, TO PERMIT THE REGISTRATION THROUGH THE COURTS OF FOREIGN LAWYERS AND FOREIGN LAW FIRMS. UNDER THESE ARRANGEMENTS SUCH FOREIGN LAW FIRMS WILL, IF THEY WISH TO PRACTICE HONG KONG LAW, BE ABLE TO EMPLOY HONG KONG QUALIFIED SOLICITORS TO DO SO. THE ARRANGEMENT WILL ALSO ENABLE A FORMAL DISCIPLINARY REGIME TO BE IMPOSED ON SUCH FOREIGN LAW FIRMS, THROUGH THE HONG KONG LAW SOCIETY. THE PROPOSALS WILL NOT (NOT) PERMIT FOREIGN LAWYERS TO PRACTICE HONG KONG LAW UNLESS THEY ARE QUALIFIED TO DO SO: IN THIS CASE THE PRESENT POSITION WOULD REMAIN UNCHANGED.
3. IN TUR WE SOUGHT YOUR HELP IN OBTAINING INFORMATION ABOUT FOREIGN LAWYERS IN WESTERN COUNTRIES IN CONNECTION WITH OUR PROPOSALS. WE WERE GRATEFUL FOR YOUR ASSISTANCE. THE ISSUE IS STILL SUBJECT TO MUCH CONTROVERSY, AND WE NOW NEED SIMILAR INFORMATION ABOUT TREATMENT OF FOREIGN LAWYERS IN COUNTRIES NAMES IN PARA 1 ABOVE.
4. THE QUESTIONS TO WHICH ANSWERS ARE SOUGHT ARE :
(A) ARE FOREIGN LAWYERS WITH NO LOCAL QUALIFICATION PERMITTED TO PRACTISE THERE ?
(B) IF THE ANSWER TO (A) ABOVE IS IN THE AFFIRMATIVE, THEN ARE FOREIGN LAWYERS PREVENTED FROM ADVISING ON LOCAL LAW ?
(C) ARE FOREIGN LAWYERS PERMITTED TO
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