Panels of counsel and solicitors. 4. (1) The Director shall prepare and maintain panels of counsel and solicitors willing to investigate, report and give an opinion upon applications for the grant of legal aid and to act for aided persons.
(2) The Director shall prepare and maintain such separate panels—
- (a) for different purposes;
- (b) for different courts;
- (c) for counsel and solicitors willing to act only in a limited
number of cases for persons granted legal aid, as may be prescribed.
(3) Any counsel and solicitor shall be entitled to have his name included on the panels or any of them unless the Director is satisfied that there is good reason for excluding him by reason of his conduct when acting or assigned to act for persons receiving legal aid or of his professional conduct generally.
(4) The Director shall not include the name of a counsel or solicitor on any panel unless he is satisfied that such counsel or solicitor has a current practising certificate and shall remove from the panels the name of any counsel or solicitor who does not have a current practising certificate.
(5) Subject to the provisions of subsection (2) of section 25, any counsel or solicitor may at any time request the Director to remove his name from any panel and the Director shall comply with such request.
PART II.
Scope of legal aid.
Proceedings in respect of which legal aid can be granted.
Schedule.
5. (1) The proceedings in connexion with which legal aid may be granted are civil proceedings of the description mentioned in Part I of the Schedule, except proceedings mentioned in Part II of the Schedule.
(2) The Legislative Council may, by resolution, amend the Schedule.
Scope of legal aid. 6. Legal aid shall consist of representation, on the terms provided for by this Ordinance, by the Director or by a solicitor and, so far as necessary, by counsel including all such assistance as is usually given by solicitor or counsel in the steps preliminary or incidental to any proceedings or in arriving at or giving effect to a compromise to avoid or bring to an end any proceedings.
