1.1 The Administrator of the Duty Lawyer Service, Ms. Grace Wong retired on 16 September 2024. She had served faithfully and diligently as Administrator for 31.5 years and had been instrumental in the vast expansion of the Service throughout the years. Another member of the Bar, Mr. Henry Fung was appointed as the new Administrator in September 2024.

1.2 During the year under review, the Duty Lawyer Scheme had represented 22,463 defendants charged with criminal offences in the Magistrates’ Courts, representing an increase of 7.17% over the previous year. The number of subjects the Care or Protection Scheme represented in Care or Protection Proceedings in the Juvenile Courts was 109, representing a decrease of 14.17%. The Legal Assistance Scheme for Non-refoulement Claimants had handled 2,569 claims, representing an increase of 69.46% over the previous year. The Free Legal Advice Scheme had the pro bono service of 773 volunteer lawyers at nine evening centers advising 7,118 persons, representing a decrease of 1.94% over the previous year. The Tel Law Scheme had recorded a total of 6,298 calls, representing a decrease of 7.26% over the previous year. The Tel Law website had recorded 407,043 hits, representing an increase of 4.78% over the previous year. The Duty Lawyer Service’s website’s Visitor Sessions had recorded 300,557 hits, representing an increase of 2.71% over the previous year.