BARRISTER Eddie Soh Chee-kong may have to argue his own case after being refused legal aid to fight his appeal against conviction for bribing former Government lawyer Warwick Reid. Mr Justice Power yesterday refused to hear a review of the Director of Legal Aid's refusal on Friday. Soh, 50, was also refused legal aid during his trial after he said he had run out of money. But the trial judge, Mr Justice Saied, ordered legal aid under the Bill of Rights. Yesterday, in a chambers hearing before Mr Justice Silke, counsel for his co-accused, solicitor Oscar Lai Ka-to, 57, and businessman Lee Hoi-kwong, 51, said preparation of their grounds of appeal would take about a month. All three were convicted after a nine-month trial and sentenced on June 3, 1991. The Crown will ask the court to increase the sentences of Soh and Lai, claiming they are inadequate and wrong in principle. All three men received seven-year jail terms, although Soh was convicted of seven counts of bribing Reid, Lai of five counts and Lee of only one offence. Seven years is the maximum sentence for offering an advantage, but the Crown is expected to argue that some of the sentences for the lawyers should be partially consecutive rather than concurrent. It is estimated the appeal will take about four weeks.