We spoke to expat Davyd Wong, Chair of the Hong Kong Conference Local Organising Committee and in-house counsel at the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, about pro bono in Hong Kong and this year’s Asia Pro Bono Conference.
The focus of this conference continues to be on education and empowerment with a significant number of students attending particularly from the University of Malaya, but also students from Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane and the University of Newcastle. Staff and students from the law faculties of the Universities from the region and NGOs made up about 20-25 per cent of the audience. This, together with the many lawyers from less developed countries in the region and its participatory style gives this conference a unique informality and dynamism.
A new report prepared by DLA Piper and PILnet focuses on unmet legal need in Hong Kong, identifies legal services gaps across government, legal NGOs and pro bono legal service providers and recommends a way forward.
Upcoming conferences in 2017 include the NACLC conference (9-11 August, Canberra), the Sixth Asia Pro Bono Conference (30 September-2 October, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia), and the PILnet Global Pro Bono Forum (16-19 October, Budapest, Hungary).