Lawyers offering advice for free say 'clients' broaden their horizons
Volunteers devote time and expertise to help those who cannot afford to pay
Once every three months, Chow Chun-man hurries away from his solicitor's firm in Mong Kok early in the evening.
The lawyer must be at the government district office in Tsuen Wan by 7pm, a routine he has followed since 2001. Every time he is there, he will see five clients - but he doesn't charge them.
Chow is among 900 lawyers - solicitors and barristers alike - who are on the list of the Home Affairs Department's free legal advice scheme.
More often than not he stays at the district office for at least three hours, almost double the official 100-minute session, before he can complete the five consultations.
The department advises lawyers to spend 20 minutes with each person, but Chow says this is "not enough, of course".
"Most of them have a sad story to tell me," Chow says.
"I need to adjust my mentality before entering the room; I keep telling myself I'm not a social worker."