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The following is issued on behalf of the Judiciary:

The Chief Justice, Mr Andrew Kwok-nang Li, today (June 24) appointed the chairman and members to the Working Party on Solicitors' Rights of Audience (the Working Party).

The appointments are as follows:

Chairman

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The Hon Mr Justice Bokhary, Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal

Members

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The Hon Mr Justice Ma, Chief Judge of the High Court

The Hon Mr Justice Pang, Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court

The Hon Mr Justice Andrew Cheung, Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court

The Hon Mr Justice Tang, Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court

Mr Benjamin Yu, S.C. (Barrister)

Mr Joseph Tse (Barrister)

Mr Denis Brock (Solicitor)

Mr Peter Barnes (Solicitor)

Mr Robert Allcock, BBS, JP (Member of the Department of Justice)

Ms Eleanor Ling, SBS, OBE, JP (Lay Member not connected with the practice of law)

Secretary

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Mr Stuart Stoker (Department of Justice)

The appointments are made in consultation with the Secretary for Justice (Member of Department of Justice), the Chairman of the Bar Council (the two barristers) and the President of the Law Society (the two solicitors)

The terms of reference of the Working Party are to consider whether solicitors' existing rights of audience should be extended and if so, the mechanism for dealing with the grant of extended rights of audience to solicitors.

The Chief Justice said: " The work of the Working Party is very important for the administration of justice."

He is confident that under the leadership of the Hon Mr Justice Bokhary, and with the contribution of the Members, the Working Party's work will command public respect and confidence.

Ends/Thursday, June 24, 2004

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