The Bar Association was accused of putting 'jobs for the boys' above the public interest yesterday by attempting to block the hiring of a top British barrister for a complex court battle.
David Richards QC, a specialist in company law, was given the go-ahead by the Chief Judge to join two local counsel already working on the case.
But the decision was made in the face of objections from the Bar Association.
John Bleach SC, arguing that Mr Richards should be allowed in, said the British barrister was able to offer a combination of expertise and experience which could only be found in Hong Kong by obtaining the services of two further barristers.
If Mr Richards could not be used to complete the team, it would mean hiring a total of four local counsel for the case.
'This is the 'jobs for the boys' approach. Is it in the public interest that a person should be required to take on two more local people who do not, other than collectively, have the required experience and expertise when one person from England clearly does?' Mr Richards combined expertise in company law with experience of 'hotly contested trials', Mr Bleach said.