Barristers cleared of misconduct over protest fund
Thirty-eight barristers accused of wrongly accepting payments from a now-defunct fund that supported people arrested over the 2019 protests have been cleared of wrongdoing following an investigation, Bar Association chairman Victor Dawes said on Friday.  However, four barristers were found to have breached the Bar's Code of Conduct by not keeping certain documentation. Speaking at the association's annual general meeting, Dawes said he has sent a letter of advice to the four members. "Regarding barristers who provide legal services in cases relating to the 2019 social incidents, if we look back, we can see that those cases were unprecedented in terms of their nature, the volume, and the way barristers were instructed. It was also unprecedented due to the urgency in which barristers were instructed to act and to render advice, and the record of management required," he said. "Members of the public of course may not fully understand the professional rules regarding fees and keeping of proper documents and record, and it is not difficult to understand why questions were raised about barristers' conduct."   Dawes said the association received complaints in May 2022 accusing the 38 barristers of committing professional misconduct by accepting payments from the 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund. He was speaking to reporters a day after being elected chairman of the association for a third time, with Jose-Antonio Maurellet and Derek Chan staying on as vice-chairmen.