Temporary Government Counsel

公務員事務局; Hong Kong; On-site; HKD 837,000 - 1,083,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

End-of-contract gratuity

MPF contribution

Paid annual leave 14 days

Job summary

Civil Service Bureau invites applications for a legal position to be deployed in the Prosecutions Division or other DOJ offices. Candidates must be admitted solicitors in Hong Kong or barristers with one year of post-qualification experience, and meet English/Chinese language level requirements.

The appointment is a non-civil service contract of about six to twelve months, with renewal possible based on service needs and performance.

Qualifications

• Be admitted as a solicitor in Hong Kong or be a barrister with one year’s professional experience since attaining the right to full practice in Hong Kong.
• Must have achieved Level 2 or above in English Language and Chinese Language in HKDSEE/HKCEE or equivalent.

Responsibilities

• Undertake legal advisory work, trial preparation, and advocacy duties as assigned in the Prosecutions Division or other DOJ offices.

Job description

Entry Requirements: Candidates should –
(a)(i) be solicitors admitted in Hong Kong; or (ii) be barristers with one year’s professional experience since attaining the right to full practice in Hong Kong; and
(b) have attained Level 2 or above in English Language and Chinese Language in the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination (HKDSEE) or the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination (HKCEE) or, equivalent.
(Note: For non-civil service appointment purpose, Grade E in English Language (Syllabus B) and Chinese Language in the HKCEE before 2007 are accepted administratively as comparable to Level 2 in English Language and Chinese Language in the 2007 HKCEE or henceforth.).

Note: (i) Candidates with experience in matters related to legal advisory, trial preparation and advocacy work will have an advantage;
(ii) Candidates who will be admitted as solicitors in Hong Kong on or before 30 November 2026 may also apply. Their appointment, however, will be subject to their admission as solicitors in Hong Kong on or before that date;
(iii) Barristers with the right to full practice in Hong Kong but do not possess one year’s professional experience since attaining the right to full practice may also apply. If selected, they will be offered a salary at an appropriate level lower than HK$79,410 per month. Candidates who will complete their pupillage and be admitted as barristers in Hong Kong on or before 30 November 2026 may also apply. Their appointment, however, will be subject to their admission as barristers in Hong Kong with satisfactory completion of pupillage on or before that date; and
(iv) Higher salary may be granted to successful candidates with additional recognised relevant post-qualification work experience.

Duties: To be deployed in the Prosecutions Division or other offices of the Department of Justice to undertake legal advisory, trial preparation, advocacy work and any other duties as may be assigned from time to time.

Terms of Appointment: Successful candidates will be appointed on non-civil service contract terms for around six months to one year. Renewal of contract will be subject to the service need of the Department of Justice and the candidate’s performance.

Fringe Benefits (a) An end-of-contract gratuity may be granted upon satisfactory completion of the contract with consistently high standard of performance and conduct. The amount of gratuity payable will be the sum which, when added to the Government’s contribution to a Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF) scheme as required by the MPF Schemes Ordinance (Cap. 485), equals 15% of the total basic salary drawn during the contract period.
(b) Rest days, statutory holidays (or substituted holidays), paid annual leave of 14 days per year of service, maternity leave/paternity leave and sickness allowance, where appropriate, will be granted in accordance with the provisions of the contract.

General Notes: (a) Candidates must be permanent residents of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region at the time of appointment unless specified otherwise.
(b) As an Equal Opportunities Employer, the Government is committed to eliminating discrimination in employment. The vacancies advertised are open to all applicants meeting the basic entry requirement irrespective of their disability, sex, marital status, pregnancy, age, family status, sexual orientation and race.
(c) Non-civil service vacancies are not posts on the civil service establishment. Candidates appointed are not on civil service terms of appointment and conditions of service. Candidates appointed are not civil servants and will not be eligible for posting, promotion or transfer to any posts in the Civil Service.
(d) The remuneration, terms of appointment and conditions of service to be offered are subject to the provisions prevailing at the time the offer of appointment is made.
(e) Where a large number of candidates meet the specified entry requirements, the recruiting department may devise shortlisting criteria to select the better qualified candidates for further processing. In these circumstances, only shortlisted candidates will be invited to attend recruitment examination and/or interview.
(f) It is Government policy to place people with a disability in appropriate jobs wherever possible. If a disabled candidate meets the entry requirements, he/she will be invited to attend the selection interview/written examination without being subject to any further shortlisting criteria. Applicants who have declared disabilities found suitable for appointment may be given an appropriate degree of preference over other applicants whose suitability for appointment is considered comparable to that of the former. The Government policy and other related measures on employment of persons with disabilities are set out in the booklet “Employ People Based on Their Abilities – Application for Government Jobs by Persons with Disabilities” which is available for reference on the Civil Service Bureau’s website at https://www.csb.gov.hk under “Administration of the Civil Service – Appointments”.
(g) Holders of academic qualifications other than those obtained from Hong Kong institutions/Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority may also apply but their qualifications will be subject to assessments on equivalence with the required entry qualifications. They should submit copies of their official transcripts and certificates by email to the email address below.
(h) Towards the application deadline, our online system would likely be overloaded due to large volume of applications. To ensure timely completion of your online application, it is advisable to submit the application as early as possible.

Contact Address: The Administration Unit, Prosecutions Division, Department of Justice, 12/F, West Wing, Justice Place, 18 Lower Albert Road, Central, Hong Kong