Mr. Huen Wong re-elected as the President of the Law Society of Hong Kong

27 May 2010

(for immediate release)

At the Annual General Meeting of the Law Society of Hong Kong held today, a new Council was elected. Mr. Huen Wong who has served as the President since 21 May 2009 was re-elected for the 2nd term leading the 20-member Council, the governing body of the Law Society of Hong Kong. Mr. Junius Ho and Mr. Dieter Yih were re-elected Vice Presidents.

The other members of the new Council of the Law Society of Hong Kong are: Mr. Lester HUANG, Mr. Peter LO, Mr. Michael LINTERN-SMITH, Mr. IP Shing Hing, Mr. Billy MA, Ms. Sylvia SIU, Ms. Cecilia WONG, Mr. Kenneth NG, Mr. Stephen HUNG, Mr. Ambrose LAM, Mr. Joseph LI, Ms. Melissa PANG, Mr. Amirali NASIR, Mr. Thomas SO, Ms. Angela LEE, Mr. Brian GILCHRIST, and Mr. Gavin NESBITT.

Since he took the helm at the Law Society, Mr. Huen Wong and fellow Council members have devoted full attention to the business of the Law Society and worked whole-heartedly in improving the well-being of member firms.

During his term, Mr. Wong and the Law Society's Working Party on Higher Rights of Audience saw the passage of the long-awaited Bill to enable solicitors experienced in advocacy work to gain higher rights of audience before the High Court and the Court of Final Appeal.

Under Mr. Wong's leadership, the Law Society has successfully organized the first 'Cross Strait Four Regions Lawyers Summit' in Hong Kong resulting in establishing the Law Society's leading position in the legal profession in the four regions.

Mr. Wong has also in the past year actively promoted the 'Solicitors Care and Share' Programme under which solicitors were encouraged to volunteer as mentors in the 'Path Builders' Mentorship Programme so as to contribute to the development of the local community as professionals. The effort was well-recognized by the Government and community groups resulting in the award of the 'Caring Organisation' logo to the Law Society.

For the coming year, Mr. Wong has mapped out a blue-print for his 2nd term as the President of the Law Society, namely:

(1) Members' benefit especially finding ways to help members saving costs and maximizing revenue will be his top priority;

(2) To expedite action in pursuing a change of the law to allow the implementation of limited liability partnerships ( LLPs ) in Hong Kong;

(3) To follow up closely on the appointment of solicitors-advocates by the Higher Rights Assessment Board;

(4) To further develop Hong Kong law firms' business in the Mainland particularly in the Pearl River Delta Region, and to work hand in hand with lawyers from the Mainland in assisting Mainland enterprises to 'reach out' and diversify their business in the international arena;

(5) To boost the Law Society's presence and status in the international legal communities capitalizing on Hong Kong's edge as a leading international financial centre so that firms may expand their global networks, grow and develop business and international referrals; and

(6) To encourage involvement by solicitors and their firms in the 'Pro Bono Scheme' launched by the Law Society in order to make access to legal services affordable by all sectors of the community including members of the Non-Government Organizations.

President Huen Wong also highlighted that the future development of the solicitor's branch of the legal profession in Hong Kong hinges on whether its members could seek a common ground despite having different opinions on issues and to speak in one voice. Mr. Wong will step up communications with members of the Law Society in the coming year, listen to the voices of young solicitors so that all can work closely together for the benefit of the profession as a whole.

Enquiry: Ms. Valerie Cheung
Tel : 2846-0520
Email : dcom@hklawsoc.org.hk