Justice delayed, it is often said, is justice denied. But this well-known pearl of legal wisdom does not always apply. The ongoing court battle over the Link Reit shows why it is also important to guard against undue haste.
Since the moment the challenge to the Housing Authority's privatisation plans was launched, the government has breathlessly sought to speed it through the courts in record time.
The latest legal skirmish last week shows that even after a thinly veiled warning from the chief justice in his speech at the opening of the new legal year, these efforts are continuing. It also shed some interesting light on the authority's tactics.
Public housing tenant Lo Siu-lan on Monday was allowed additional time to appeal against a decision to refuse her legal aid. The 67-year-old needs to know whether she will be granted public funding before deciding whether to take her challenge to the Court of Final Appeal.
The government opposed her bid for extra time, arguing that there was an urgent need to get this case before the Court of Final Appeal. But Mr Justice Geoffrey Ma, chief judge of the High Court, said Ms Lo should not be deprived of her right to pursue a bid for legal aid in accordance with established procedures.
He was partly swayed by the fact that she has obtained five legal opinions supporting her claim for public funding. They include a favourable opinion from Robin Allen, a prominent Queen's Counsel in London.