They're now all the king's men

Dozens of senior counsels in Hong Kong will have to change their queen's counsel title to king's counsel after the death of Queen Elizabeth II and accession of King Charles III.

About 100 senior counsels are practicing in Hong Kong and dozens of them were appointed before July 1, 1997, and called queen's counsel.

The Law Society in the UK says king's counsels or queen's counsels are barristers or solicitors who have been recognized for excellence in advocacy.

They are often seen as leaders in their area of law and generally take on more complex cases that require a higher level of legal expertise.

Grenville Cross, a former director of public prosecutions, said the change from QC to KC was inevitable but it "obviously has no relevance to Hong Kong barristers."

He added: "For historical reasons, some pre-1997 QC have continued to use that title [although not in court proceedings, where they appear as SC], but this practice is no longer tenable, as they cannot be the counsel of a deceased monarch."

There are, however, several barristers practicing in HK who were earlier appointed QC in the UK - Mark Strachan SC of Parkside Chambers and Victor Joffe SC of Temple Chambers - and they will now automatically become KC of the UK in addition to being SC of HK. When they appear in cases in HK it is as HK senior counsel and not as UK queen's counsel, Cross added. The wigs may be phased out from the traditional outfits worn by judges and barristers in Hong Kong while the rest of the uniform is retained, he said.

"After all, the CFA judges wear judicial robes but not wigs, and wigs have now lost much of their earlier symbolism," Cross said, adding that wigs could still be worn on ceremonial occasions, but there is no particular need to retain them for daily court cases.

The chairman of the Hong Kong Bar Association, senior counsel Victor Dawes, told Sing Tao Daily, The Standard's sister publication, the change would not have a direct effect on barristers, as they have been using the title SC for court proceedings since the handover.

"For some senior counsels who were appointed before 1997, they may still claim themselves as queen's counsels. They will have to change the titles themselves," Dawes said.

The change of initials came after UK Bar Council chairman Mark Fenhalls used KC initials in a statement issued after the queen's death on Thursday, when the Bar Council said the change was immediately in effect.

Since successors to the British throne are mostly male, king's counsels are expected to use the new title for more than a century.

King Charles III's eldest son, William, Prince of Wales, will become his heir apparent.

William's eldest son, Prince George of Wales, is second in line.

eunice.lam@singtaonewscorp.com