Q1. What is the purpose of the electronic services?
A1. The purpose of the E-portal is to allow counsel and solicitors to submit Legal Aid Panel application forms electronically, and to provide an electronic platform for the Legal Aid Department to communicate with counsel and solicitors on panel matters.
Q2. What types of services are offered by the electronic services?
A2. Counsel and solicitors may submit their applications to join the Legal Aid Panel and update their information on the Panel (e.g. change of firm or removal from the Panel).
Q3. Who can use the electronic services?
A3. Counsel and solicitors holding valid e-certificates may use the Entry Form on the E-Portal to join the Legal Aid Panel. Counsel and solicitors on the Panel will be provided with user IDs and passwords to login to the system to submit the Data Update Form or Panel Removal Form.
Q4. Can I use other methods to submit my application or information to the Legal Aid Department?
A4. Yes, you can still adopt the existing methods to submit information such as by hand or by post to the Department. For more details, please refer to the section "Legal Aid Panel" on the LAD homepage at http://www.lad.gov.hk.
Q5. Are there any benefits in using the electronic services?
A5. The LAESP provides a fast and convenient way to transact business. Besides, you can download and save your partially completed e-forms for future completion. Through the LAESP the transmission of data is instant and you will receive an on-screen acknowledgement when your e-form has been received.
Q6. Why is an e-certificate required to use the electronic services?
A6. An e-certificate issued by a recognized certificates authority is required to ensure that any document received via the system is from an authenticated source.
Q7. How do I register or apply for a user ID and/or password?
A7. A user ID and password will be provided by the Legal Aid Department and sent to you by post after you have joined the Legal Aid Panel.
Q8. What should I do if I forget my user ID and/or password?
A8. You may request the Legal Aid Department to re-generate a user ID and/or password by using the "Forgot Password" function in the E-Portal.
Q9. What should I do if I want to change my user ID and/or password?
A9. You may change your user ID and/or password by using the "Change Your User ID and/or Password" function in the E-Portal.
Q10. When I update my information using the Data Update Form (LAP2 / LAP4), will some data be pre-filled to help me complete the form?
A10. Yes, some basic personal information will be pre-filled in the Data Update Form based on the latest information you have submitted to the Legal Aid Department. For the field "Employment History and Work Experience" in Part I of the Form, only the information you last submitted via E-Portal in the past 3 years will be retrieved and pre-filled in the Form.
Q11. How do I know whether the Legal Aid Department has received the e-form I have submitted via the electronic services system?
A11. Immediately after you have submitted the e-form, you will see an on-screen acknowledgement showing the date and time of the submission and our acknowledgement reference number. We recommend you to print a hardcopy of the acknowledgment page for reference. If you submit an Entry Form, you will receive a letter by post confirming that your name has been included on the Panel. If you submit a Data Update Form, you will receive a letter from the Legal Aid Department confirming the update of the information.
Q12. After submitting the Entry Form or Data Update Form via the electronic services system, I find that some information in the e-Form is missing or incorrect. What should I do to rectify the mistakes?
A12. If you wish to add, delete or amend any information provided in an Entry Form or Data Update Form, please complete a Data Update Form to notify us of the changes as soon as possible.
Q13. Who will have access to the information I have submitted electronically?
A13. The personal data you provide on an Entry Form or Data Update Form will be used by the staff in the Legal Aid Department for the purpose as stipulated in S.4 of the Legal Aid Ordinance, Cap. 91.
