Word is there's a spot of resentment in the Department of Justice over the impending appointment of an administrator to lessen the burden on Secretary for Justice Elsie Leung Oi-sie.
The idea has been around since the days of attorney-general Jeremy Mathews and enjoys Ms Leung's full support.
But not, apparently, the approval of departmental staff.
It isn't the expected appointment of Stephen Lam Sui-lung that is causing waves, but the nature of the job itself. Should it take an administrative officer to explain policy decisions, when that is what lawyers are trained to do? Furthermore, say malcontents, President Bill Clinton, former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher and Mahatma Gandhi were lawyers as well as politicians, and they had no difficulty in coping.
The logic of this is easier to follow if you overlook a few realities. Gandhi had the backing of the majority of Indians for his campaign. Ms Leung has no chance of blanket approval for the legal changes she will oversee.
Mrs Thatcher relied on press secretary Bernard Ingham to ram home her policies in a bully-boy fashion that often made matters worse. As for Mr Clinton, he has spent most of his time since being re-elected last November in trouble with the law.
