A Legal Journey

Redressing Injustices (1x1)

Exibido em:: Ago 15, 2019

To the general public, what is the law? Is it social rules resulting from the combination of redundant words? Is it complex provisions that are irrelevant and distant to them? The Clinical Legal Education Course (CLE) is part of the undergraduate programmes offered at the Faculty of Law of The University of Hong Kong (HKU). Under the guidance of professors, student volunteers assist duty lawyers in providing legal service to members of the public who are seeking legal advice. While gaining practising experience, students also learn how to listen to and respect the people in need. As for members of the public in need, not only do they enjoy free legal advice, but are also provided with the support throughout an exhausting litigation process. Since its launch in 2010, CLE has handled 1 545 cases up to 3 December 2018. Several months ago, Ben saw a recruitment advertisement on a job search website for the position of “Guesthouse Front Desk Trainee”. Hired after a formal interview, he hoped that the job would enable him to support his livelihood as well as pursue his further study in Japanese. One day, Ben checked a customer in as usual. Soon after the customer entered the room, three inspectors from the Office of Licensing Authority (OLA) rushed into the guesthouse, while the customer who went into the room also identified himself as an undercover agent of OLA. They took a statement from Ben on the site, charging him of allegedly “managing” an unlicensed guesthouse. However, the person-in-charge and manager of the guesthouse, who were in higher ranks than Ben, were not prosecuted. Managing an unlicensed guesthouse is a criminal offence that can lead to a fine and a criminal record upon conviction. Ben sought multiple legal advice, all of which suggested that he should plead guilty and pay an affordable fine (HKD 10,000) to prevent long judicial proceedings and high legal costs. Nevertheless, Ben understood that he would have a criminal recor