### Legal Aid Ordinance 《法律援助條例》

4. Panels of counsel and solicitors
(1) The Director shall prepare and maintain separate panels of counsel and solicitors enrolled on the rolls of barristers or solicitors maintained in accordance with the provisions of the Legal Practitioners Ordinance (Cap. 159) who are willing to investigate, report and give an opinion upon applications for the grant of legal aid and to act for aided persons. (Amended 14 of 1982 s. 3)
(2) The Director shall enter in the panel any limitation as to the number per annum or as to the type of proceedings in which a counsel or solicitor is prepared to act for aided persons and shall give effect to such limitation. (Replaced 54 of 1984 s. 3)
(3) Any counsel and solicitor shall be entitled to have his name included on the panel 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 the 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 section 25(2), any counsel or solicitor may at any time request the Director to remove his name from the panel and the Director shall comply with such request.
(Amended 54 of 1984 s. 3)

### Legal Aid Ordinance 《法律援助條例》

5. Persons eligible for legal aid
(1) Legal aid to which this section applies shall, subject to and in accordance with this Ordinance, be available for any person whose financial resources do not exceed $440,800, for the civil proceedings mentioned in Part 1 of Schedule 2, except proceedings mentioned in Part 2 of that Schedule. (Replaced 54 of 1984 s. 4. Amended L.N. 5 of 1986; 27 of 1991 s. 4; 43 of 1995 s. 3; 8 of 1997 s. 2; L.N. 45 of 2004; L.N. 97 of 2006; L.N. 77 of 2007; L.N. 236 of 2007; L.N. 116 of 2009; L.N. 51 of 2011; L.N. 117 of 2013; L.N. 170 of 2015; L.N. 24 of 2018; L.N. 230 of 2018; L.N. 130 of 2020; L.N. 31 of 2023; L.N. 15 of 2024)
(2) Nothing in this Ordinance shall authorize the grant of legal aid to a person to whom a chose in action is assigned for any purpose connected with that chose in action by a body of persons corporate or unincorporate. (Added 40 of 1989 s. 2)
(Amended E.R. 1 of 2013)

5AA. Director may waive upper limit of means test
The Director may waive the limit of financial resources imposed under section 5(1) where the Director is satisfied that, having regard to the matters set out in section 10(3), a person would be granted a legal aid certificate in proceedings in which a breach of the Hong Kong Bill of Rights Ordinance (Cap. 383) or an inconsistency with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights as applied to Hong Kong is an issue.
(Added 43 of 1995 s. 4)

### Legal Aid Ordinance 《法律援助條例》

5A. Supplementary legal aid
Legal aid to which this section applies (being legal aid under the Supplementary Legal Aid Scheme) shall, subject to and in accordance with this Ordinance, be available for any person—
(a) to whom legal aid is not available under section 5 because his financial resources are in excess of the amount therein prescribed; and (Amended 27 of 1991 s. 5)
(b) whose financial resources exceed $440,800 but do not exceed $2,204,030, (Replaced 27 of 1991 s. 5. Amended 43 of 1995 s. 5; 8 of 1997 s. 3; L.N. 45 of 2004; L.N. 97 of 2006; L.N. 77 of 2007; L.N. 236 of 2007; L.N. 116 of 2009; L.N. 51 of 2011; L.N. 117 of 2013; L.N. 170 of 2015; L.N. 24 of 2018; L.N. 230 of 2018; L.N. 130 of 2020; L.N. 31 of 2023; L.N. 15 of 2024)
for the civil proceedings mentioned in Part 1 of Schedule 3, except proceedings mentioned in Part 2 of that Schedule.
(Added 54 of 1984 s. 4. Amended E.R. 1 of 2013)

6. Scope of legal aid
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 bring to an end any proceedings. 
(Amended 27 of 1991 s. 6)

### Legal Aid Ordinance 《法律援助條例》

7. Power of the Legislative Council to make amendments
The Legislative Council may, by resolution— (Amended E.R. 1 of 2019)
(a) amend the amounts of—
(i) financial resources specified in section 5; and
(ii) financial resources specified in section 5A; and (Amended 13 of 1995 s. 2; 26 of 2000 s. 3)
(b) amend Schedules 2 and 3.
(Replaced 54 of 1984 s. 5)

8. Application for legal aid
(1) Any person who, whether in his own right or in a representative or fiduciary capacity, wishes to be granted legal aid shall apply therefor to the Director. (Amended 54 of 1984 s. 6)
(2) Every application for legal aid shall be in such form and accompanied by such statutory declaration, verifying the facts stated in the application, as may be prescribed.
(3) If the person who wishes to be granted legal aid is an infant, the application under this section shall be made on behalf of the infant by his father, mother or guardian. (Amended 27 of 1991 s. 7)
(4) References in subsection (1) to a person who wishes to be granted legal aid in a representative capacity shall extend to a person who wishes to be granted legal aid for making application to a court or the Court of Final Appeal for an order enabling civil proceedings (being civil proceedings in respect of which legal aid may be granted under this Ordinance) to be conducted on behalf of a person who is mentally disordered. (Replaced 54 of 1984 s. 6. Amended 79 of 1995 s. 50)