### Legal Practitioners Ordinance 《法律執業者條例》

8. Accountant’s reports
(1) Every solicitor and foreign lawyer shall once in each period of 12 months ending with 31 October or such other date as may be prescribed by the Council, unless he satisfies the Council that owing to the circumstances of his case it is unnecessary so to do, deliver by post or otherwise to the Council a report signed by an accountant (hereinafter referred to as an accountant’s report) and containing such information as may be prescribed by rules made by the Council under section 73(1)(b): 

Provided that an accountant’s report shall be delivered to the Council not more than 6 months (or such other period as any rules made under section 73(1)(b) may prescribe) after the end of the accounting period specified in that report. (Replaced 25 of 1968 s. 4) [cf. 1965 c. 31 s. 9 U.K.] 
(2) Subject as may be prescribed by the Council, the accounting period for the purposes of an accountant’s report shall—
(a) begin at the expiry of the last preceding accounting period for which an accountant’s report has been delivered; 
(b) cover not less than 12 months; 
(c) terminate not more than 6 months, or such lesser period as may be prescribed by the Council, before the date of the delivery of the report to the Council; and 
(d) where possible, consistently with paragraphs (a), (b) and (c), correspond to a period or consecutive periods for which the accounts of the solicitor, or foreign lawyer, or his firm, are ordinarily made up. (Amended 25 of 1968 s. 4) [cf. 1957 c. 27 s. 30 U.K.] 
(3) If a solicitor or foreign lawyer fails to comply with the provisions of this section or any requirements relating to accounts which may be prescribed by the Council any person may make a complaint in respect of that failure to the Council. 
(Amended 58 of 1976 s. 5; 52 of 1980 s. 2; 60 of 1994 s. 8)

### Legal Practitioners Ordinance 《法律執業者條例》

8AA. Appointment and powers of inspector
(1) The Council may appoint a person as an inspector to assist the Council—
(a) in verifying compliance by a solicitor, a foreign lawyer, a trainee solicitor or an employee of a solicitor or foreign lawyer with the provisions of this Ordinance or any practice direction issued by the Society; 
(b) in determining for the purpose of section 9A whether the conduct of any solicitor, foreign lawyer, trainee solicitor or employee of a solicitor or foreign lawyer should be inquired into or investigated; or 
(c) in relation to an inquiry or investigation under section 9B. 
(2) For the purposes of subsection (1), an inspector may—
(a) in relation to any person who acts or purports to act as an employee of a solicitor in the premises of any court or place of lawful detention—
(i) question there and then the person as to his name, identity card number, the identity of any client for whom he acts or purports to act on that occasion and the name of the firm of which he acts or purports to act as the employee; and 
(ii) require the person to produce for inspection there and then all documents in his possession that the inspector reasonably suspects to be relevant to any matter referred to in subsection (1)(a), (b) or (c) and copy or seize any of the documents; and 
(b) (i) subject to subsection (3), require a solicitor, a foreign lawyer or an employee of a solicitor or foreign lawyer to produce or deliver to him for inspection, at a time and place specified by him, all documents in the possession of the solicitor, foreign lawyer or employee of a solicitor or foreign lawyer that the inspector reasonably suspects to be relevant to any matter referred to in subsection (1)(a), (b) or (c) and specifies particularly or generally; and 
(ii) copy or seize any of the documents produced or delivered under subparagraph (i). 
(3) An inspector shall not exercise his power under subsection (2)(b)(i) except under a direction of the Council to do so. 
(4) No liability shall be incurred by any person in respect of anything done or omitted to be done by him in good faith in the exercise of any power under this section. 
(5) In this section, identity card (身分證) means an identity card issued under the Registration of Persons Ordinance (Cap. 177). 
(Added 60 of 1994 s. 10)

### Legal Practitioners Ordinance 《法律執業者條例》

8AAA. Additional powers of an inspector
(1) In this section inspector (調查員) means an inspector appointed under section 8AA.
(2) The Council may direct an inspector to assist it in gathering evidence in respect of a matter the Council is considering for the purpose of deciding whether or not it should be submitted to the Tribunal Convenor of the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal Panel.
(3) For the purposes of this section, an inspector may question—
(a) persons who are, or were at the material time, members or employees of any law firm; or
(b) where authorized by the Council, any other persons whom the inspector considers may be able to assist the Council.
(Added 42 of 2000 s. 3)

8B. Document production and privilege
(1) For the purpose of enforcing the production of documents required by the Council under section 8A, section 11 applies and references in section 11 to the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal and to the Chairman of the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal shall be deemed to be references respectively to the Council and to the President of the Society. 
(2) Documents required by the Council under section 8A or by an inspector under section 8AA shall be produced or delivered notwithstanding any claim of solicitor-client privilege but documents that are subject to a solicitor-client privilege may only be used for the purposes of an inquiry or investigation under this Ordinance. (Amended 60 of 1994 s. 11) 
(Added 61 of 1992 s. 4)

### Legal Practitioners Ordinance 《法律執業者條例》

9. Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal Panel
(1) The Chief Justice shall appoint a Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal Panel consisting of not more than 120 practising solicitors of at least 10 years’ standing, not more than 10 foreign lawyers and not more than 60 lay persons who are not, in the opinion of the Chief Justice, connected in any way with the practice of law. (Amended 60 of 1994 s. 12; 42 of 2000 s. 4) 
(2) A member of the Council is not eligible to be appointed to or remain on the Panel. 
(3) A person appointed to the Panel shall be appointed for a term specified by the Chief Justice not to exceed 5 years but may be reappointed for a further term or terms. 
(4) The Chief Justice shall appoint a solicitor as the Tribunal Convenor for a 3 year term and he may appoint one or more solicitors on the Panel and one or more foreign lawyers on the Panel as Deputy Tribunal Convenors for 3 year terms. (Amended 60 of 1994 s. 12; 23 of 2002 s. 102) 
(5) If the Tribunal Convenor is precluded by illness, absence from Hong Kong or any other cause from exercising his functions under this Ordinance, a Deputy Tribunal Convenor may act in his place. (Added 60 of 1994 s. 12)
(6) The Tribunal Convenor and a Deputy Tribunal Convenor who acts in the place of the Tribunal Convenor in circumstances mentioned in subsection (5) may be remunerated by the Society. (Added 23 of 2002 s. 102)
(Replaced 61 of 1992 s. 5)