[Gov] Temporary Government Counsel

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.

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.).

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.

(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.

Candidates should apply online through the Civil Service Bureau’s website (https://www.csb.gov.hk) by 5 November 2026 at 6:00 p.m. Hong Kong Time. They should submit their C.V. and copies of the required supporting documents by email (email address: receipt1-pd@doj.gov.hk) (Enquiries: 3902 8041) within one week after close of application period. The C.V. should at least include –
(a) gradings of the subjects taken in public examinations from secondary education onwards (with exact dates of scoring the results);
(b) results of LLB, JD, CPE and PCLL or corresponding examinations, listing the gradings of the subjects taken (with copies of transcripts and certificates);
(c) exact date and place of admission/call (for trainee solicitors and pupils, please give the date of completion of training or pupillage); and
(d) employment records with detailed description of duties.

Candidates who wish to apply for both posts of Temporary Senior Government Counsel and Temporary Government Counsel should submit separate applications.

If candidates fail to provide the documents as required, their applications will not be considered. The online application number should be quoted in the email and on every page of the copies of the supporting documents. Applications which are incomplete, unclear, late or submitted by post, fax or email will not be accepted.

As invitations or notifications will be sent to candidates by email, candidates should provide an accurate email address in their applications. Candidates are responsible for checking their emails to ensure that invitation(s) or notification(s) will be duly received.

Candidates who are selected for interview will normally receive an invitation by email about 4 to 6 weeks after the closing date for application. Those who are not invited for interview may assume that their applications are unsuccessful.

(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.