Government prosecutors, under pressure to cope with increasing workloads, have warned that the quality of justice will be undermined if the Department of Justice reduces the number of briefing outs to lawyers in private practice.
One lawyer in the prosecution division of the department said some colleagues had reached breaking point and complained they did not have enough time to prepare cases.
There is also growing concern that morale will be further dampened if government lawyers' pay is cut but no final decision has been made.
It appears that heavier workloads are inevitable as a result of a significant reduction in the department's spending by 2006-7, announced by Secretary for Justice Elsie Leung Oi-see at the opening of the legal year.
Miss Leung warned that government lawyers will face heavier workloads.
Despite her pledge to try to maintain morale in the department and ensure professional services do not suffer, there is widespread concern among the lawyers that mounting pressure of work will undermine the quality of justice, and the public will suffer in the long-run.