The survey, which polled 259 solicitors and 166 law firms, also found that a massive 95 per cent of lawyers are dissatisfied with criminal legal aid fees. It’s not difficult to see why — according to the Post’s report, some senior lawyers who can earn HK$4,000 an hour ($580) have in some cases taken on cases for HK$50 ($7) to HK$100 ($15) an hour. In addition, under the current scheme, which has not been reviewed in over 15 years, lawyers receive no pay for pre-trial work.

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Though the government has now agreed to pay for pre-trial case work, proposing an hourly rate of HK$425 ($62) for High Court cases and HK$300 ($44) for District Court cases, lawyers are taking this with a grain of salt. According to the report, almost 80 per cent of the lawyers surveyed think that the proposed rates don’t properly reflect the amount of time spent on a case, with 65 per cent saying that they should receive market rates with a discount applied.