The Law Society of Hong Kong ("the Society") takes all reasonably practicable precautions and exercises due diligence to comply with the requirements under the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance, Cap 486 ("PDPO"). The policy of the Society in handling personal data is stated in this Privacy Policy Statement which is publicly accessible on the Society's website at www.hklawsoc.org.hk and displayed at the reception area of the Society's premises.

 

The kinds of personal data held


Broadly speaking, the kinds of personal data held by the Society can be categorized into the following :

  1. Admission and practising records which include personal data in applications for admission and/or practising certificate as Hong Kong solicitors and their annexures; solicitor number assigned by the Society; qualifying examination records; trainee solicitor training records; applications, statements, returns, information, notifications and professional indemnity records provided by data subjects in relation to their legal practices;
  2. Membership records which include personal data in applications for membership (including student and associate membership) and annexures, membership cards issued, legal education and professional qualifications and related information, personal data in Society's co-brand credit card applications, participation records for Continuing Professional Development, Risk Management Education programmes and other training courses, seminars, workshops and other activities held by the Society;
  3. Registered foreign lawyers and overseas records which include personal data in applications to sit for the Overseas Lawyers Qualification Examination, registration as foreign lawyers in Hong Kong; certificates of registration as foreign lawyers, foreign lawyer numbers assigned by the Society, records relating to foreign law firms and associations, professional indemnity records and communications between the Society and persons and organisations from overseas;
  4. Complaints, investigations, disciplinary and regulatory actions records which include personal data collected in relation to complaints received by the Society, compliance checks, inspections, interventions, investigations, disciplinary tribunal hearings, enforcement actions and regulatory activities taken by the Society under the Legal Practitioners Ordinance and other applicable legislations, rules and regulations;
  5. The Society's own personnel records which include personal data in the resumes, recruitment data, employment particulars, details of salary, payments, benefits, performance appraisals, disciplinary matters, leave and sickness records, Mandatory Provident Fund scheme records, records of service of the Society's employees, agents and contractors, personal data of the employees' spouses and next of kins;
  6. Records collected on webservers and the Law Society App server which include email addresses, login ID and passwords collected from members for the provision of webmail service and online members' zone by the Society and the communications between the Society and the members through the Law Society App downloaded by members using their mobile phones and electronic communications devices. Information on the website traffic and access hits of the contents of the Law Society App are tracked without identifying any individual when providing these online services. In the process, no personal data is collected;
  7. Other miscellaneous records which include enquiries from the media and non-members and related communications; and personal data held in minutes and records of meetings personal data of members of the Society's Council, committees and working parties and panels and the practising solicitor members of the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal Panel including personal data in applications for co-option to those bodies; all of which is collected by the Society's Secretariat during the performance of its administrative and executive functions; and personal data collected by the Society when exercising its referral and approval functions.

 

Main purposes of using the personal data


Personal data held in :-

  1. Admission and practising records are kept for the purposes of enabling the Society to perform its functions in connection with admission and matters relating to members' legal practices under the Legal Practitioners Ordinance and other applicable legislations, rules and regulations;
  2. Membership records are kept for the purposes of enabling the Society to perform its functions and powers under its Memorandum and Articles of Association and the Legal Practitioners Ordinance and other applicable legislations, rules and regulations and to provide information to members of the public to facilitate the identification of solicitors and about the services these solicitors provide;
  3. Registered foreign lawyers and overseas records are kept for the purposes of processing the applications to sit for the Overseas Lawyers Qualification Examination, enabling the Society to perform its functions in connection with registration and matters relating to registered foreign lawyers under the Legal Practitioners Ordinance and other applicable legislations, rules and regulations; the keeping of a register of foreign lawyers and foreign law firms in Hong Kong and the management of all matters incidental thereto;
  4. Complaints, investigations, disciplinary and regulatory actions records are kept for the purposes of carrying out the Society's regulatory functions, of responding to and taking follow up-actions on complaints received by the Society against legal practitioners and related parties, carrying out investigation, enforcement, or other regulatory actions, where appropriate, against such persons and any co-option of members to participate in such work;
  5. The Society's own personnel records are kept for the purposes of the Society's human resource management which include the recruitments, appointments, payment of salaries and benefits, the processing of medical claims submitted by the employees, their spouses and next-of-kins, filing of tax returns, performance appraisals, disciplinary and termination records and the issuance of records of service of employment;
  6. Records collected on webservers and the Law Society App server are kept for the purposes of administering the web services and the Law Society App services provided by the Society;
  7. Other miscellaneous records are kept by the Society's Secretariat for the purposes of performing its administrative and executive functions and of giving support and assistance to the Council, committees, sub-committees and working parties of the Society and the carrying out of training, social, recreational and other programmes or activities organised or supported by the Society.
    Personal data access and correction requests

    A data subject has the right to request access to and to request the correction of his personal data. Any data access request should be made by completing the specified Data Access Request Form (OPS003) prescribed under the PDPO and sending it to the following person : -

    The Secretary General, the Law Society of Hong Kong, 3/F, Wing On House, 71 Des Voeux Road Central, Hong Kong

    A fee is chargeable by the Society for complying with a data access request.