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Provided always that the Chief Justice may, on special grounds and on such conditions as he may think proper, exempt any such person from complying with the formalities prescribed by this section, either absolutely or for any specified period ”.
7. The following new section is inserted between sec- Law Society tions 23 and 24 of the Principal Ordinance :—
to have right of audience.
"23A. The Hongkong Law Society shall subject to the approval of the Court first obtained have a right of audience by solicitor or counsel on the hearing of any application for admission as attorney, solicitor, writer or proctor under section 21 or section 23, or for exemption in the case of any attorney, solicitor, writer or proctor from complying with the formalities prescribed by section 22 or for striking the name of any solicitor or proctor off the rolls under section 52.”
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Objects and Reasons.
The object of this Bill is to introduce some small but desirable amendments into the conditions which govern the admission of solicitors to practise in the Courts of the Colony. In particular it gives in this connection recogni- tion to the Hongkong Law Society which was incorporated in 1907 and which represents the solicitors' profession in the Colony.
Section 1 of the Bill is formal.
Section 2 indicates what body is referred to under the name of the Hongkong Law Society.
Section 3 indicates precisely the degree of education necessary to enable a candidate, for admission under articles of clerkship, to dispense with the requisite preliminary examination.
Section 4 provides that one at least of the examiners appointed to conduct examinations under the provisions and for the purposes of the Ordinance shall be a solicitor practising in the Colony.
Section 5 prescribes that notice of a candidate's intention to apply for admission as a solicitor shall be given to the Secretary of the Hongkong Law Society..
Section 6 replaces section 22 of the Principal Ordinance (No. 1 of 1871) by a new section. It will be observed that the alterations do not apply to barristers at all. Under the provisions of the new section 22, a solicitor must give four months previous notice of his intention to apply for local admission to the Registrar of the Court and to the Secretary of the Hongkong Law Society; and must depo- sit with the Registrar his certificate of admission, a second certificate that such certificate of admission is still in force and valid and a third certificate of good character; he must also file an affidavit of his personal identity. Of these requirements the certificate that the original certificate of admission is still valid and the certificate of character are new but they are the same as those requirements which are demanded when application is made for admission in Great Britain.
A proviso is added to this section that on special grounds the Chief Justice may grant exemption from compliance with any of these formalities.
Section 7 gives a right of audience, subject to the approval of the Court, to the Hongkong Law Society on the hearing of any application for admission by a solicitor or for exemption from compliance with the formalities prescribed under section 22 or for striking the name of any solicitor off the rolls.
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JOHN A. BUCKNILL,
Attorney General.
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