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Legal Services
 HOW TO APPLY — LEGAL SERVICES
Where Can You Get Legal Advice?
If you need advice on a legal problem, you should consult a solicitor in the private
sector or get assistance from the followings as the Legal Aid Department does not
provide advice service.
Free Legal Advice Scheme
The Scheme managed by the Duty Lawyer Service provides free legal advice service
to the public. The service is available in the evenings from Monday to Thursday at
the Legal Advice Centres of the following District Offices:
Monday
Central and Western District Office
Sha Tin District Office
Tuesday
Wan Chai District Office
Tsuen Wan District Office
Wednesday
Central and Western District Office
Wan Chai District Office
Kwun Tong District Office
Yau Tsim Mong District Office
Thursday
Wan Chai District Office
Islands District Office (Harbour Building, Central)
Eastern District Office (Chai Wan Sub-office)
Wong Tai Sin District Office
To see a lawyer, you can make an appointment at any District Office or with any of
the other referral agencies. For enquiries, please call the Central Telephone Enquiry
Centre of the Home Affairs Department during office hours on 2835 2500 or visit its
website www.dutylawyer.org.hk

Legal Advice Scheme for Unrepresented Litigants on Civil Procedures (Procedural

Advice Scheme)
The Procedural Advice Scheme provides free legal advice on civil procedural matters
for unrepresented litigants. It assists unrepresented litigants who –
(i) are parties to civil legal proceedings in the Lands Tribunal, the District
Court, the Family Court, the Court of First Instance or the Court of Appeal
of the High Court, or the Court of Final Appeal (including commencement
of proceedings);
(ii) have not been granted legal aid and have not engaged lawyers; and
(iii) satisfy the Procedural Advice Scheme’s income eligibility limit of not
exceeding a monthly income of $50,000 or an annual income of $600,000.
 Further details are available on the Procedural Advice Scheme’s website at
www.hab.gov.hk/PASO. For enquiries, you may contact the Procedural Advice
Scheme Office on 2259 5017 or paso@hab.gov.hk

Free Legal Consultation

This is provided by law firms, which are listed in the Free Legal Consultation section
on the Law Society’s website. They have volunteered to provide not exceeding 45
minutes initial free consultation to the public in different areas of practice. For more
information, you may visit www.choosehklawyer.org
Free Legal Helpline
The Law Society has set up the Free Legal Helpline to offer up to 45 minutes of free
consultation to the public on three areas of law namely, (1) Personal Injuries, (2)
Matrimonial Law, and (3) Criminal Law. The number to call is 8200 8002.

Tel-Law Scheme
The Duty Lawyer Service also runs a taped legal information service called Tel-Law
which provides a brief introduction on particular legal topic over the phone. It is a
24-hour automatic answering service. You may call 2521 3333 or 2522 8018 for the
required legal information.

How Do You Get Legal Assistance?

Legal Aid Department
If you need legal assistance for court proceedings in Hong Kong, you can apply for
legal aid under the Legal Aid Schemes. Please see the appropriate leaflet in this series
for further details, or visit the Legal Aid Department’s website at www.lad.gov.hk.
You may also approach the Legal Aid Department directly via its 24-hour Enquiry
Hotline on 2537 7677 or email ladinfo@lad.gov.hk

The Duty Lawyer Scheme

If you have been charged with an offence in the Magistrates’ Courts, you should
contact the Court Liaison Office of the Duty Lawyer Service where you appear.
Legal representation will be provided to eligible defendants under this Scheme.
Defendants held in custody are automatically contacted by the staff of the Court
Liaison Office offering the service on the day of their first court appearance.

Bar Free Legal Service Scheme

The Scheme provides free legal advice and representation in cases where legal aid is
not available or where the applicant is unable to afford legal assistance. You can
contact the Scheme by letter or email bflss@hkba.org
How Can You Find A Lawyer?
You can contact the Law Society on 2846 0500 or email sg@hklawsoc.org.hk. The
Law Society also publishes the Lawlist and Directory of Hong Kong Law Firms
which allow you to look for lawyers and the areas of work they specialize in. You
can also try finding a lawyer through:
• the website www.choosehklawyer.org managed by the Law Society of Hong
Kong to assist the public to find a solicitor / law firm
• the Community Legal Information Centre website at www.clic.org.hk
• the business telephone directory
It is not advisable to use a middleman to find a lawyer or to get legal advice. You
should go to a lawyer directly for advice.

Assistance for Unrepresented Litigants

The Resource Centre for Unrepresented Litigants is run by the Judiciary and
provides assistance to unrepresented litigants who are parties to or about to
commence civil proceedings in the High Court or the District Court except where
those proceedings relate to matrimonial, lands, employees’ compensation and
probate matters. The assistance provided at the Centre is confined to procedural
matters only. The staff will not give legal advice or make any comments on the
merits of the case. You may call 2825 0586 or email inquiryrc@judiciary.gov.hk

Help with Mediation

The Mediation Information Office which is situated on LG 104 High Court
Building, Admiralty, Hong Kong assists parties / litigants in court proceedings to
seek mediation from accredited mediators. The Office answers enquiries and
provides information on court-related mediation. However, the staff will not give
any legal advice or offer any comment or assistance on the conduct of specific court
cases and proceedings. You may contact them by phone on 2825 0470 or email
mediation@judiciary.gov.hk

Other Leaflets In This Series:

• Legal Aid in Civil Cases
• Legal Aid in Criminal Cases
• Supplementary Legal Aid Scheme
This leaflet is for information only and should not be regarded as an authoritative
statement of the law.

Published by the Legal Aid Department

Printed by the Government Logistics Department
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government
Website : http://www.lad.gov.hk
09/2016