The Bar Association has warned that a proposal to simplify the legal system could jeopardise the principle of justice.
Ronnie Tong Ka-wah, SC, former chairman of the barristers' body, also said a proposed mandatory mediation process for civil cases would affect people's fundamental rights and lead to higher legal costs.
In November, a working party appointed by the Chief Justice issued an interim report on reforming the High Court system of handling civil cases.
It recommended that legal procedures be simplified, courts be made more accessible to the public and litigation costs reduced.
Speaking at a meeting of the Legco panel on the administration of justice and legal services, Mr Tong said that although the Bar supported fine-tuning the system in general, any drastic change could affect the principle of justice.
'Expediency must not be achieved at the expense of justice and there can be no compromise of a litigant's right to have a fair hearing,' he said.
'Any shortcuts could both be good and bad and we need a suitable balance.
