Free for all or fees for all? Hong Kong’s legal aid levels the scales

“Justice is open to all – like the Ritz” is a quote often attributed to Sir James Mathew, a 19th-century Irish judge. This is another way of saying that while in theory justice and the courts are open to everyone, in practice only those who can afford to pay the hefty fees can get their day in court. The adversarial system, which is the model adopted in common law jurisdictions, has proved extremely popular in many countries and regions. In particular, cross-examination, which has sometimes been...