Hong Kong Bar Association re-elects Victor Dawes as chairman for third term
- Senior counsel re-elected uncontested alongside vice-chairman Jose Antonio Maurellet and Derek Chan at annual general meeting
- Group says it will offer government advice balancing safeguarding national security and protecting human rights in an ‘independent manner’
Senior Counsel Victor Dawes has been re-elected to lead the Hong Kong Bar Association, the sole body regulating 1,600 barristers in the city, for a third term, the Post has learned.
The Hong Kong-born and raised barrister with Temple Chambers took the helm in 2022. He was re-elected uncontested alongside vice-chairman Jose Antonio Maurellet and Derek Chan Ching-lung at the group’s annual general meeting on Thursday night, sources said.
Dawes told the Post that “2024 will be an important year for Hong Kong and the new Bar Council will do our very best in discharging our duties in contributing to important rule of law issues”.
He also thanked the association’s members for their support over the past two years.
Also re-elected for another year were secretary and treasurer Eugene Yim Wing-tsang, deputy secretary Martin Wong Wing-hoi and five other council members including Isaac Chan Chi-kong and Kim Rooney. Another six members will continue to serve their terms for the second year.
It is expected that a major challenge ahead for the group’s leadership is to strike a balancing act between safeguarding national security and protecting rights in advising the government on the legislation of a home-grown security law, dubbed Article 23 of the Basic Law, in the coming months.