DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
CONSTITUTIONAL AND POLICY AFFAIRS DIVISION
(NON-CIVIL SERVICE VACANCIES)

Temporary Government Counsel
(Salary: HK$72,225 per month)

Entry requirements :
Candidates should—
(a) (i) be solicitors admitted in Hong Kong or any one of the recognised jurisdictions as stipulated under Section 2A and Schedule 2 of the Legal Officers Ordinance (Cap. 87) (Note : Candidates who will be admitted as solicitors on or before 31 December 2022 may also apply. Their appointment, however, will be subject to their admission as solicitors on or before that date.) or (ii) be barristers with at least one year’s professional experience since attaining the right to full practice in Hong Kong or any one of the recognised jurisdictions as stipulated under Section 2A and Schedule 2 of the Legal Officers Ordinance (Cap. 87). Barristers with the right to full practice but do not possess one year’s professional experience since attaining the right to full practice may also apply. If selected, they will be offered a salary at an appropriate level lower than HK$72,225 per month. (Note: Candidates who will complete their pupillage and be admitted as barristers on or before 31 December 2022 may also apply. Their appointment, however, will be subject to their admission as barristers with satisfactory completion of pupillage); and
(b) have attained Level 2 or above in English Language and Chinese Language in the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination (HKCEE) or the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination (HKDSEE) or equivalent (Note: For non-civil service appointment purpose, ‘Grade E’ in English Language (Syllabus B) and Chinese Language in the HKCEE before 2007 are accepted administratively as comparable to ‘Level 2’ in English Language and Chinese Language in the 2007 HKCEE or henceforth).

Notes : Higher salary may be granted to successful candidates with recognised additional work experience.

Duties : The successful candidate will be deployed in the Constitutional and Policy Affairs Division of the Department of Justice, or in other offices of the Department to undertake any other legal work. Subject to the Department’s operational needs, the postholder is expected to engage in the following areas of work –
(a) provide legal advice and support on –
(i) legal proceedings (or potential legal proceedings) on non-refoulement matters referred by the Torture Claims Appeal Board / Non-refoulement Petition Office;
(ii) petitions from prisoners seeking remission of sentences or referral of their cases to the Court of Appeal or Court of First Instance;
(iii) petitions to the Chief Executive under Articles 48(12) and 48(13) of the Basic Law;
(iv) statutory appeals to the Chief Executive or the Chief Executive in Council made by members of the public;
(v) statutory appeals or representations from civil servants;
(vi) the Chief Executive’s decisions on whether to order the surrender of fugitives pursuant to the requests of other jurisdictions;
(vii) applications for statutory or ex gratia compensation due to miscarriage of justice; and
(b) undertake any other duties that may be assigned from time to time.

Terms of Appointment : The successful candidate will be appointed on non-civil service contract terms for around one year. Renewal of contract will be subject to the service need of the Department of Justice and the candidate’s performance.

Gratuity : Upon satisfactory completion of the contract, the appointee will be eligible for an end-of-contract gratuity which, when added together with the Government’s contribution to the Mandatory Provident Fund Scheme, will be equal to 15% of the total basic salary drawn during the contract period.

Fringe Benefits : Include an annual leave of 14 days per year of service; full pay sick leave in accordance with the provisions of the contract; and maternity/paternity leave, where appropriate.

How To Apply : Candidates should apply in writing with a completed application form [G.F. 340 (Rev.3/2013)], which is obtainable from any Home Affairs Enquiry 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 (https://www.csb.gov.hk). Completed form together with a full curriculum vitae should reach the Administration Unit, Constitutional and Policy Affairs Division, Department of Justice, 5/F, East Wing, Justice Place, 18 Lower Albert Road, Central, Hong Kong (Enquiries: cpad@doj.gov.hk) by 11 August 2022. The curriculum vitae should include (a) gradings of the subjects taken in public examinations from secondary education onwards (with exact dates of scoring the results); (b) results of LLB, PCLL or other legal professional examinations, listing the gradings of the subjects taken (with copies of transcripts and certificates); (c) exact date and place of admission/call (for trainee solicitors and pupils, please give the date of completion of training or pupillage); and (d) employment records with detailed description of duties. Applications with incomplete or unclear information will not be considered. To avoid delayed or unsuccessful delivery of applications by post, please ensure that the correct address is clearly printed or written on the envelope and sufficient postage has been affixed before posting. Mail items bearing insufficient postage will not be delivered to this Department and will be returned to the sender or disposed of by the Hongkong Post, where appropriate. Applicants will bear any consequences arising from paying insufficient postage. Applications submitted by fax or email will not be accepted. As invitations or notifications will be sent to candidates by email, candidates should provide an accurate email address in their application. Candidates are responsible for checking their emails to ensure that invitation(s) or notification(s) will be duly received. Candidates who are selected for interview will normally receive an invitation about two to four weeks after the closing date for application. Those who are not invited for interview may assume that their applications are unsuccessful.

Closing Date for Application : 11 August 2022
(determined by the date of the stamp chop)

General Notes : (a) Candidates must be permanent residents of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region at the time of appointment unless specified otherwise. (b) As an Equal Opportunities Employer, the Government is committed to eliminating discrimination in employment. The vacancy advertised is open to all applicants meeting the basic entry requirements irrespective of their disability, sex, marital status, pregnancy, age, family status, sexual orientation and race. (c) Non-civil service vacancies are not posts on the civil service establishment. The candidate appointed is not on civil service terms of appointment and conditions of service. The candidate appointed is not civil servants and will not be eligible for posting, promotion or transfer to any posts in the Civil Service. (d) The remuneration, 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. (e) 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. (f) 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 any further shortlisting criteria. Applicants who have declared disabilities found suitable for appointment may be given an appropriate degree of preference over other applicants whose suitability for appointment is considered comparable to that of the former. The Government policy and other related measures on employment of persons with disabilities are set out in the booklet “Employ People Based on Their Abilities - Application for Government Jobs by Persons with Disabilities” which is available for reference on the Civil Service Bureau’s website at https://www.csb.gov.hk under “Administration of the Civil Service – Appointments”. (g) 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 contact address as appropriate.

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