Legal advice given on TV series is case-specific, says law society
A member of the law organisation that advises Justice for All has fended off recent criticism by saying that the law 'is not black or white' and that legal advice given on the television show is case-specific and not definitive.
'The law is not black or white. Whether a person is liable depends on many facts and circumstances, and a conclusion is drawn only on the circumstances given,' Stephen Hung Wan-shun, a council member of the Law Society of Hong Kong, said yesterday.
'Most of our lawyers who were guests on the series tried to emphasise that the advice is merely based on the facts as shown on a video clip, and nothing more.'
The comments came in the wake of controversy surrounding a legal adviser's advice in last Monday's show that 'playing war games in the wilderness where there is nobody else is perfectly legal'.
The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department said on its website that bringing firearms, air guns or any propelling device into country parks without permission is prohibited and will be prosecuted.
'In the clip, there was no mention whatsoever that the game was carried out in a wildlife park. That's the point we are trying to make,' Mr Hung said.
Actress Carol 'Dodo' Cheng Yu-ling, the host of the show, said: 'For the war game episode, the question was asked merely for that case, and it was not misleading at all. The department is concerned with something else.'
Cheng was speaking at a press conference for Law Week 2005, when solicitors will offer free legal consultations at Metroplaza, Kwai Chung from October 31 to November 6. The event also features free lectures at the Polytechnic University by legal experts.
This is the second time the show has caused controversy over its legal advice.
In May, a lawyer concluded that an employer who asked her domestic helper to take soup to her in-law's home and do household work there did not break the law.
The Immigration Department then announced that the law says the helper should perform domestic duties only in locations specified in the contract.
