Lawyer fails to overturn ban for posing nude

Naked shots may spur Legco bid

High-profile lawyer Paul Tse Wai-chun has failed to convince the city's highest court that a disciplinary tribunal was wrong to ban him from practising law for a year after he appeared nude in two magazines.

The Court of Final Appeal yesterday rejected Mr Tse's argument and ordered him to pay 50 per cent of the costs incurred by the tribunal during the hearings that led to the decision.

The ruling means the 12-month suspension of his right to practise imposed by the disciplinary tribunal will begin immediately. The lawyer said he would use the time to consider whether or not to run for the Legislative Council in elections this year.

In 1999, the Law Society brought eight charges against Mr Tse in relation to him posing nude for features that appeared in two Chinese- language magazines, and for allowing his practice to be publicised and promoted in the face of a ban on such behaviour.

In September 2004, the Solicitors' Disciplinary Tribunal found that all eight charges were proved and fined Mr Tse, suspending him from practising for 21 months and placing other restrictions on him.

The Court of Appeal reduced the suspension to 12 months, but it referred the case to the Court of Final Appeal because of doubts over the correct standard of proof in professional disciplinary tribunals.