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A total of 254 individual legal professionals and 31 law firms were commended today (December 13) for rendering voluntary service to the public under the first Recognition Scheme for Provision of Pro Bono Legal Services organised by the Home Affairs Bureau (HAB).
Officiating at the award presentation ceremony of the recognition scheme, the Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr Tsang Tak-sing, said the scheme aims to recognise and commend legal professionals who have provided pro bono legal services in Hong Kong, and to encourage more to volunteer providing such services.
Mr Tsang said that currently the Government provides subvention for the Duty Lawyer Service to run the Free Legal Advice Scheme. The objective is to provide free preliminary legal advice to members of the public who face genuine legal problems and would not normally be able to afford fees for professional legal advice. At present, there are over 900 lawyers participating in the scheme, handling about 6,600 cases per year.
Separately, the Hong Kong Bar Association runs the Bar Free Legal Service Scheme while the Law Society of Hong Kong operates the Free Legal Consultation Service and the Personal Injuries Hotline to provide pro bono services to the public. Various non-government organisations have also been engaging lawyers in providing different forms of free legal advice and consultation services, and conducting free activities to enhance the public's legal knowledge.
Mr Tsang expressed gratitude to the Hong Kong legal professionals for providing pro bono legal services over the years and hoped members of the legal profession would continue to serve the community and promote the spirit of volunteerism in Hong Kong.
He said the HAB will launch the Pilot Scheme to Provide Legal Advice for Litigants in Person early next year. The two-year pilot scheme aims to assist the litigants-in-person in the form of procedural advice relating to court proceedings.
A Steering Committee, under the chairmanship of Mr Justice Pang Kin-kee, has been set up to oversee and advise on the operation of the scheme. The HAB will be recruiting as many volunteer lawyers as possible to assist in the scheme.
The awardees commended today each provided at least 25 hours of pro bono legal services within the recognition period from July 1, 2011, to June 30, 2012.
For more details of the recognition scheme, please visit www.hab.gov.hk/en/policy_responsibilities/District_Community_and_Public_Relations/recognition.htm.
Ends/Thursday, December 13, 2012
Issued at HKT 19:01
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