Law Society Head Rejects Charges Over Poll Email

Law Society president Melissa Pang has dismissed suggestions that she acted improperly ahead of the body's ruling council election by showing support for five of the 10 candidates after solicitors considered to be liberal entered the contest.

This came after some local media outlets published a leaked email from Pang calling on society members to support some of the candidates.

None of the names featured in Pang's list included any of the five lawyers who provided pro-bono legal assistance to protesters arrested during the city's social unrest.

Some of them had been critical about the society's stance over the past year, saying it hasn't been vocal enough about rule of law issues and only issued statements condemning anti-government protesters.

In the leaked email to members, Pang said: "Please support the Law Society to be apolitical. We need you to support and voice out for the rule of law. Hong Kong is at its most difficult time. Let us elect able and dedicated lawyers to council."

She then recommended five of the candidates for solicitors to vote for.

During a press conference on Thursday to "clarify misunderstandings and correct inaccuracies" in reports, Pang said she never intended her email to be publicly available and it was sent on a personal basis.

“It is from my own office computer,” she said. “It is for my friends. It was never intended to be on a public purpose. How it got leaked and how they got hold of it I have no idea.”

She then stressed that in the leaked email she made it clear that it was written in a personal capacity as opposed to in her role as the president of the society, which represents solicitors in Hong Kong.

At the briefing, vice president Amirali Nasir said that the society would not endorse any candidates, and that it was "not set up to advance political beliefs and the incumbent council members have no political affiliations".

But he said members, including the president, are entitled to express a personal preference on candidates and exercise discretion when casting their votes.

CM Chan, another vice president of the society, said people need to distinguish between members' views – in their official capacity as Law Society council members – and members' personal views.

The council election will take place on Tuesday during the society's Annual General Meeting.

Given the current Covid-19 situation and a restriction on group gatherings to no more than 50 people, the society is encouraging members to avoid physical attendance and instead cast their vote by post or proxy.