LEGAL AID DEPARTMENT

Legal Aid Counsel

Salary : Master Pay Scale Point 32 (HK$46,490 per month) to Master Pay Scale Point 44 (HK$74,675 per month) [See Note (3)]

Entry Requirements : Candidates should be (a)(i) solicitors admitted in a recognised jurisdiction as stipulated under Section 2A and Schedule 2 of the Legal Officers Ordinance; or (ii) barristers with one year’s professional experience since attaining the right to full practice in a recognised jurisdiction as stipulated under Section 2A and Schedule 2 of the Legal Officers Ordinance; (b) have attained Level 2 result in the Use of English paper, Level 1 result in the Use of Chinese paper and a pass result in the Aptitude Test paper in the Common Recruitment Examination (CRE); and (c) fluent in Cantonese.

Note :	(1)	Barristers with right to full practice but who do not possess one year’s professional experience since attaining the right to full practice may also apply. If selected, they will enter at an appropriate point below the minimum of the Legal Aid Counsel pay scale.
	(2)	Experience in civil and/or criminal litigation will be an advantage. Applicants should set out in detail the nature of litigation experience they possess on a separate sheet of paper to be attached to the application form.
	(3)	Subject to the prevailing situation, candidates with additional experience may be granted increments for previous relevant experience in legal field in excess of the stipulated minimum.
	(4)	The results of the Use of Chinese (UC) and Use of English (UE) papers in the CRE are classified as Level 2, Level 1 or Fail, with Level 2 being the highest. Grade C or above and Grade D in Use of English of the Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination (HKALE), or equivalent, are accepted as equivalent to Level 2 and Level 1 results respectively in the UE paper in the CRE. Grade C or above and Grade D in Chinese Language and Culture or Chinese Language and Literature of the HKALE are accepted as equivalent to Level 2 and Level 1 results respectively in the UC paper in the CRE. Applicants without the requisite CRE results but who have met the other entry requirements may also apply. However, they will only be considered for appointment subject to their obtaining the requisite results in the relevant papers in the CRE held on 5.6.2010 or 12.6.2010. Applicants with an overall band of 6.5 or above with no subtest score below band 6 obtained in the same sitting in the Academic Module of the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) within the two-year validity period of the test result are accepted as equivalent to Level 2 result in the UE paper in the CRE. The IELTS test result must be valid on the starting day of the application period, i.e. 9.7.2010.
	(5)	For the purpose of heightening public awareness of the Basic Law (BL) and promoting a culture of learning of BL in the community, assessment of BL knowledge will be included in the recruitment for all civil service jobs. Results of the BL test for degree/professional grades will be one of the considerations to assess the suitability of a candidate but will not affect his/her eligibility for applying for civil service jobs. As a general principle, the main consideration for suitability for appointment remains a candidate’s qualification, experience and calibre.

Duties : Assist in the provision of legal aid services in civil and criminal cases; perform litigation duties as performed by solicitors and act as advocates in certain civil cases in the District Court. A Legal Aid Counsel may be required to undertake duties outside Hong Kong.

Terms of Appointment : A new recruit will normally be appointed on civil service probationary terms for three years. Upon passage of probation bar, he/she may be considered for appointment on the prevailing permanent terms.

Address and Enquiry Tel. No. : Personnel Registry, Legal Aid Department, Room 2715, 27th Floor, Queensway Government Offices, High Block, 66 Queensway, Hong Kong. (Tel : 2867 3033)

Closing Date for Application : 26.7.2010

Newspaper(s) advertised (with date) : South China Morning Post and Ming Pao on (9.7.2010)

GENERAL NOTES :

(a)	Candidates must be permanent residents of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region at the time of appointment unless specified otherwise.
(b)	Civil service vacancies are posts on the civil service establishment. Candidates selected for these vacancies will be appointed on civil service terms of appointment and conditions of service and will become civil servants on appointment.
(c)	The entry pay, terms of appointment and conditions of service to be offered are subject to the provisions prevailing at the time the offer of appointment is made.
(d)	The information on the maximum pay point is for reference only and may be subject to changes.
(e)	Fringe benefits include paid leave, medical and dental benefits, and where appropriate, assistance in housing.
(f)	Where a large number of candidates meet the specified entry requirements, the recruiting department may devise shortlisting criteria to select the better qualified candidates for further processing. In these circumstances, only shortlisted candidates will be invited to attend recruitment examination and/or interview.
(g)	It is Government policy to place people with a disability in appropriate jobs wherever possible. If a disabled candidate meets the entry requirements, he/she will be invited to attend the selection interview/written examination without being subject to further shortlisting.
(h)	Holders of academic qualifications other than those obtained from Hong Kong institutions/Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority may also apply but their qualifications will be subject to assessments on equivalence with the required entry qualifications. They should submit copies of their official transcripts and certificates by mail to the above enquiry address.
(i)	Civil Service vacancies information contained in this column is also available on the GovHK on the Internet at http://www.gov.hk and the Legal Aid Department’s website (http://www.lad.gov.hk).
(j)	Towards the application deadline, our on-line system would likely be overloaded due to large volume of applications. To ensure timely completion of your on-line application, it is advisable to submit the application as early as possible.

HOW TO APPLY : Application Forms (G.F.340 (Rev. 3/2008)) are obtainable from any Public Enquiry Service Centres of District Offices, Home Affairs Department or any Job Centres of the Employment Services Division, Labour Department. The said form can also be downloaded from the Civil Service Bureau's website (http://www.csb.gov.hk). Completed forms together with a full Curriculum Vitae should reach the Personnel Registry, Legal Aid Department, Room 2715, 27th Floor, Queensway Government Offices, High Block, 66 Queensway, Hong Kong not later than 26.7.2010. A full Curriculum Vitae should be attached with the application. The C.V. should at least include the following information –

	(a)	gradings of the subjects taken in public examinations from secondary education onwards (with copies of certificates);
	(b)	results in LLB, CPE, PCLL, Law Society Final and Bar Final examinations and other relevant qualifications, listing the gradings of the subjects taken (with copies of transcripts and certificates);
	(c)	exact date and place of admission/call (with copies of supporting documents);
	(d)	results of CRE papers on UC, UE and the Aptitude Test and BL test (if any)(with copies of supporting documents); and
	(e)	employment records with detailed description of duties.

On-line application can also be made through Civil Service Bureau’s website (http://www.csb.gov.hk). Candidates who apply on-line should submit their C.V. by post with sufficient postage to the Personnel Registry, Legal Aid Department, Room 2715, 27th Floor, Queensway Government Offices, High Block, 66 Queensway, Hong Kong within one week after close of application period, and the on-line application number should be quoted on the envelope and the C.V..

Candidates will be required to attend selection interviews and a written test and they will normally receive an invitation in about eight to ten weeks from the closing date for applications. Those who are not invited for interview or written test may assume that their applications are unsuccessful. For enquiries, please telephone 2867 3033.