Legislation to block overseas lawyers from Hong Kong national security trials could be in force within 6 months, justice secretary says

Hong Kong’s justice minister promised on Tuesday to amend legislation to block overseas lawyers from involvement in national security trials within the first six months of the year.

But Secretary for Justice Paul Lam Ting-kwok said he planned to consult the legal profession and the public, adding he was prepared to listen to “constructive” viewpoints.

He was speaking only days after the Bar Association warned against a blanket ban on overseas lawyers taking on sensitive cases and insisted it would not be “conducive to the administration of justice and rule of law” in the city.

“I understand members of the public and the legal sector will have a lot of views over the matter. We hope to harness the collective wisdom and look into whether we can address the constructive opinions being made,” Lam told a radio programme.

The government earlier signalled its plan to amend the Legal Practitioners Ordinance in the wake of Beijing’s interpretation of the national security law to resolve the row over lawyers from outside the city appearing in sensitive cases.