Solicitor to fight suspension, fine

Suspended celebrity solicitor Paul Tse Wai-chun plans to appeal against the Law Society's penalty for 'disgraceful behaviour' and vows to keep his offices open.

He said yesterday he had 'held his ground against the Law Society for years' and didn't plan to stop.

Mr Tse, who depicts himself as Superman in advertisements and once posed near-nude on a magazine cover, was speaking two days after the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal decided to suspend his licence to practise for 21 months and fined him $50,000 for professional misconduct. Describing his conduct as 'disgraceful', it also ordered him to foot the bill for six years of hearings.

In a statement last night Mr Tse estimated the legal costs at more than $6 million. He said he 'upheld his vision of reforming' the legal profession but would not comment on the decision because he was in the process of lodging an appeal.

He said his three offices would continue to operate and his staff would continue to provide 'highly transparent, quality service' to the public.

The penalty resulted from eight complaints filed against Mr Tse between 1997 and 1999. He was accused of posing near-nude on the cover of Next magazine in 1999 and nodding as his spokeswoman and girlfriend, Pamela Pak Wan-kam, described lawyers as vampires and bloodsuckers in an interview.