subject: A Very Brief Guide For Persons Needing A Barrister In Hong Kong [print this page] When you are in China visiting on vacation - or there on business - where do you go to find a good barrister in Hong Kong, if you suddenly need one? And, why would you need one to begin with? Well, you might require his services for any number of reasons, but here are just a couple of them as examples - along with a few suggestions on how to find one if you do:
Business legalities - If you have never done business in Hong Kong before, you probably haven't been educated on the do's and don'ts of the Chinese business practice protocol. And, depending upon what it is you do for a living, a misunderstanding on your part while over there could lead to dire consequences for everyone on your end.
An excellent barrister is the one who knows the laws of China and keeps up with the legalities and penalties that are ever-changing. And, if you work for a corporation who has ties in Hong Kong, they already know this, and probably already have a Chinese attorney on retainer so they can run their operations smoothly and not get into any trouble.
However, if you are a one-man operation - or a business owner with employees who will be working in that country at some point - and you haven't already thought of it, you may want to be prepared and retain one, yourself. The odds are you may require legal help at some point, especially if you plan on doing business there a lot. And, if you are someone who is already in a bind because of something that happened due to a misunderstanding, then you will want to get a hold of a Chinese attorney as soon as possible.
Criminal charges - Even if you didn't mean to do it, you might accidentally break some law in Hong Kong that isn't a criminal law in your country. It could be something as minor as a fender bender because you thought someone else's green light was yours, or you mispronounced something in Chinese and insulted someone in authority. In either of these cases, you may need to pursue legal counsel as quickly as possible.
So, you will then need to find a criminal defense attorney who is extremely familiar with the laws of his land. One who might be able to convince a court that the situation happened due to an honest misunderstanding on your part - and one who will be patient in educating you on the country's protocols and laws. But above all, you will want a lawyer who is famous for his ability to get "visiting" persons out of their unintentional predicaments - with as little fallout as possible.
As you most likely know, the above mentioned examples were just a couple of the potential legal problems you could run into in Hong Kong - rest assured that there are also lawyers who specialize in the situations that weren't mentioned, as well. With that, here are some tips on how to go about locating a good attorney in Hong Kong - if the need should arise in the future:
Read the law journals - Go online and scour the law journals of that country, and note the firms that are named on the journal's "top ten" list. Find a few firms that specialize in what you need and make a list of them. Then research a bit further to get an overall feel of the extent of their knowledge on cases like yours. If you find one that looks promising, call and make a consultation appointment.
Friends and acquaintances - What better way to find a service you need, than by asking for input from friends and acquaintances in the country you're visiting? Tell someone you are comfortable in speaking with, some very brief information about what you are looking for, and ask for their input on which way you should go. If they aren't sure, then ask them to put the word out to their friends and acquaintances - the odds are that someone they talk to will eventually know of a person whose been in a similar situation, and be able to recommend a good firm that handles what you require.
Look for public reviews - As far as criminal defense attorneys go, look online for things like former client reviews of a firm. Find the ones that pertain to your situation, and pay attention to "like" situations - what the person's charges were, and how it turned out for him. But also remember that in criminal cases, you many times will see negative reviews on a decent attorney, given by clients who still insist they did nothing wrong - and therefore, were angry about the outcome of the court case. You should be able to get a feel for knowing when you are reading a negative review by such as person, versus a statement made by someone else who is willing to admit he made some mistakes.
When you do attend a consultation with a firm, remember to ask questions such as the number of cases like yours their barristers handle a year, and the general percentage of their success rate in winning those cases. The last thing you want is to retain a firm that doesn't know how to handle a situation like yours - with the end result being big and costly problems for you in the future.
So if you're ever in China and need the services of a good Hong Kong barrister, just remember to search around, ask people who live there, and choose the one who will give you the best advice, or the best defense - so you can concentrate on more important things, like attending your business or just goofing off on vacation!
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A Very Brief Guide For Persons Needing A Barrister In Hong Kong
