Legal Tales | Time for solidarity and support after Hong Kong blaze as Bar relaunches pro bono scheme
The Bar has a long history of offering free services, but the new scheme leverages NGO partnerships to ensure there is wider access to justice
The heartbreaking fire in Tai Po last week has deeply affected everyone in Hong Kong. The Bar shares the grief of the community and stands with the city during this difficult time.
When the immediate aftermath is addressed and the affected residents’ safety and well-being are attended to, there will no doubt be questions of legal claims and liability.
The Bar is ready and willing to offer its litigation expertise to provide legal advice to those who may need help through its pro bono scheme.
Last week, the Bar stepped up its pro bono efforts by reinforcing its engagement with existing non-governmental organisation partners on cases relating to Tai Po. It is liaising with the Social Welfare Department to expand the reach of frontline referrals, and is calling on more of its members to join the pro bono roster to increase manpower for handling cases referred.
The Bar has a long history of providing pro bono legal services. For many years, the Bar operated the Bar Free Legal Service Scheme (BFLSS), which provided pro bono legal advice and representation. Although the BFLSS generally accepted applications relating to criminal, civil and public law matters, the pro bono work it performed over the years mainly focused on criminal appeals.
The programme was run administratively by the Bar, which meant that as well-intended as it was, there were limits on the number of cases that could be taken on.