He comes from a family of village leaders and is vice-president of the Law Society. Now Junius Ho Kwan-yiu is preparing to head his home village in a rural part of Tuen Mun.
The solicitor was among the 943 uncontested candidates declared elected unopposed on December 10 as village representatives. As the representative of indigenous inhabitants of Leung Tin Tsuen, Ho has vowed to bring modern management to the traditional village.
'I specialise in civil litigation and I also deal with a lot of incorporated owners. My experience as a practising lawyer is a lot of use in running rural affairs,' said Ho, 48, who grew up on the old site of Leung Tin Tsuen, which was moved in the 1980s to make way for town development.
'I see running a village as similar to running a residential housing block. Incorporated owners in urban areas have been administering their buildings efficiently ... They hold meetings under the Buildings Management Ordinance and they prepare financial statements in accordance with the law. Village management can also be done in this way.'
Having seen his grandfather work as the village leader in the 1960s and 1970s, and having just received the baton from his elder brother Casey Ho Kwan-chu, the younger Ho said his decision to stand in the election was inspired by the history of his family's service for its clansmen.
The villagers went through a lengthy fight for compensation when the British colonial government wanted to clear their settlement to build public housing, he said.