Former Bar chair Lam tipped to be next Justice boss

The former Bar Association chairman, Paul Lam Ting-kwok, has been tipped to replace Teresa Cheng Yeuk-wah as the next secretary for justice for incoming Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu's government, sources say.

Lam is considered a front-runner for secretary for justice, says Sing Tao Daily, The Standard's sister paper, after Lee returned to Hong Kong from his Beijing visit where he discussed his proposed cabinet list with state leaders.

It is understood that Cheng will not stay on in the next administration after Lee's Beijing visit.

Cheng, who still has Bejing's trust, may not want to remain in the government due to personal reasons.

And this is why Lam's name is being floated as a frontrunner to replace her.

Word within the legal sector also has it that Lam has started declining new cases scheduled for hearing in July and August, fueling speculation that he is joining the government.

Lam, 54, declined to confirm or deny the Sing Tao report. "I am sorry but I do not have a comment," he said.

If appointed, he will be the second former Bar Association chairman to take the post as head of the Department of Justice, after Rimsky Yuen Kwok-keung.

Lam finished secondary school at the elite Wah Yan College in 1987 before graduating from the University of Hong Kong with a Bachelor of Laws in 1990, and a Master of Laws in international law from the University of Nottingham in 1992.

He was called to the Hong Kong Bar the same year and was appointed senior counsel in 2013. His practice focuses on general civil litigation, administrative and public law, commercial and company law, as well as land law.

Lam was vice chairman of the Hong Kong Bar Association from 2014 to 2016, and was elected chairman in 2017.

But he failed to keep his seat one year later, losing to his successor Philip Dykes.

Lam was appointed deputy judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court for short periods each year between 2015 and 2020.

Apart from his contributions in the legal sector, Lam has held a number of public offices in Hong Kong, including chairman of the Consumer Council in 2019 and the Administrative Appeals Board since 2016.

He was deputy chairman of the Town Planning Appeals Board Panel.

He was also a member of the Independent Commission Against Corruption's Operations Review Committee, Independent Police Complaints Council, Air Transport Licensing Authority and the Trade and Industry Advisory Board.

John Lee met state leaders in Beijing last week, and sources said the name list of his cabinet was one of the topics discussed in the closed-door meeting.

Lee's appointed top officials need Beijing's green light so they can be sworn in on July 1.

The announcement will also come after the Legislative Council passes his government restructure proposal on June 15.

Meanwhile, Executive Council convener Bernard Charnwut Chan said Eric Chan Kwok-ki, director of the Chief Executive's Office, "absolutely has the ability" to be the next chief secretary for administration.

His comment came after The Standard and Sing Tao Daily reported last week that Eric Chan is a "dark horse" as Lee's No 2 official.

"Apart from liaising with other parties outside of the government, the chief secretary also has to liaise between different policy bureaus and know current social issues," Bernard Chan said.

Eric Chan has been responsible for liaising between different parties as chief executive director, he said.

He also said it will be hard for Lee's government to find expertise outside of the civil service, as the new cabinet lacks experience and connections, so he is not surprised if existing officials are invited to stay on or former officials decide to return.

staff.reporter@singtaonewscorp.com