How to complain to the Bar about a barrister in Hong Kong

To complain about a Hong Kong barrister’s conduct, you send a signed complaint form to the Bar Secretariat of the Hong Kong Bar Association. The Bar investigates whether the barrister breached the Code of Conduct, and serious cases go to the independent Barristers Disciplinary Tribunal. The Bar asks you to complain as soon as possible after the conduct you are unhappy with. The process cannot get you compensation or legal advice, so know what you want from it before you start.

What you can complain about

Every barrister, practising or not, must comply with the Bar’s Code of Conduct. The Bar’s guidance for the public says that if you feel a barrister has not acted professionally and ethically, you may lodge a complaint with the Association. Its professional discipline page says that if a barrister breaches the Code, the Bar Council may refer the matter to the Barristers Disciplinary Tribunal.

What the Bar cannot do

• It cannot provide legal advice or assistance.
• It cannot compensate your loss.
• It cannot help you with a claim for negligence.
• It does not regulate solicitors. For a solicitor, use the Law Society’s complaint process.

If you want to recover money, you need separate legal advice. See how to instruct a solicitor.

Before you complain

• Confirm the person is a barrister on the Bar List; see our Bar List guide. If they are a solicitor or solicitor advocate, the Law Society is the right body.
• Gather the documents that show what happened: correspondence, fee notes and anything given to you in writing, with dates.
• Write a short account in date order while it is fresh.

What to put in the complaint

• The barrister’s name and chambers, as they appear on the Bar List.
• The case or matter, the court or tribunal, and the dates that matter.
• What the barrister did or failed to do, in date order, and how you know.
• The solicitor who instructed the barrister, if there was one. If your concern is really about how the solicitor handled things, that part goes to the Law Society instead.
• Copies, not originals, of the documents you rely on.

Keep it factual and specific, and keep a copy of everything you send.

How to lodge the complaint

The steps below follow the Bar’s note, Lodging a Complaint against a Barrister.

1. Get the complaint form from the Bar Secretariat, or fill in your particulars on the Bar Association’s website so the form is sent to you by post or email.
2. Complete the form, naming the barrister and setting out what happened.
3. Sign the declaration on the last page.
4. Send the completed form, with copies of the relevant documents, to the Bar Secretariat.
5. Expect an acknowledgement within 10 days of receipt.

What happens next

Once the Bar receives a properly completed form, it refers the complaint to its Special Committee on Discipline for investigation. After investigating, the Committee reports to the Bar Council. The outcome depends on what it finds:

If the Bar Council does not submit your complaint to a Barristers Disciplinary Tribunal within six months, whether because it has not finished investigating or because it decides not to, the Bar says you may ask the Chief Judge of the High Court to convene a Tribunal.

The Barristers Disciplinary Tribunal

The Tribunal is an independent body whose members are appointed by the Chief Justice. If it finds a barrister guilty of a disciplinary offence, it can impose penalties including a fine, suspension and striking off. The Bar publishes recent decisions on its Barristers Disciplinary Tribunal page, which shows how past complaints have been decided.

ranked.hk is not the Bar Association and does not handle complaints. This page is general information, not legal advice. Our law directory lists chambers from each set’s own website; the Bar List is the official record. For how the two professions differ, see the Law Society and the Bar.