Mayer Brown faces boycott calls

Mayer Brown faces boycott calls

Global law firm accused of bowing to international pressure over Tiananmen Square statue

Former chief executive Leung Chun-ying has called for a China-wide boycott of the US law firm Mayer Brown (MB). The announcement came after the latter declared it would no longer assist its longtime client, the University of Hong Kong (UHK), in efforts to remove a monument commemorating the Tiananmen Square massacre.

In a Facebook post, Chun-ying claimed the law firm had bowed to "American and European political pressure" after facing criticism over its original decision to take on the UHK's case.

"Hong Kong has a welcoming policy for foreign law firms. But no law firm, having taken on an instruction, should cease to act for its client because of foreign political pressure," Leung wrote. "From here on, no client in Hong Kong or Mainland China, particularly those with Chinese government connections, will find Mayer Brown dependable," he added.

Chung-ying served as Hong Kong's chief executive between 2012 and 2017 and currently works as the vice-chairman of Beijing's legislative consulting body.

The leader challenged MB to release a full account of its stand and details of the "foreign interventions leading to that decision." He asked the Hong Kong Law Society to launch an investigation into the matter.

On the other hand, the Law Society president C M Chan condemned any attempt to harass law firms or lawyers "because they happen to represent parties with different political views."

In a circular, Chan mentioned, "As a legal representative having accepted instructions from a client, the solicitor is under a duty to act in the best interest of the client and to provide a proper standard of service."

The controversy erupted early this month when a letter by MB, on behalf of its client, was made public. It called for the removal of the artwork. The firm had written to the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China (now disbanded), setting a deadline of 13 October, after which the statue would be deemed 'abandoned.'

News of MB's role in seeking the statue's removal sparked an open letter from dozens of NGOs across the world calling on the firm to withdraw its representation.

Classified as the 'Pillar of Shame', the 26-foot-high sculpture by Danish artist Jens Glaschiøt was erected in 1997. Known to be the only major memorial to the Tiananmen Square massacre remaining on Chinese soil, it stands in Pok Fu Lam, a residential area in Hong Kong Island.

Tony Williams, principal of Jomati Consultants, UK's leading legal management consultancy firm, said the controversy reflected the "very difficult position" faced by international law firms in Hong Kong. This was particularly so when choosing to take on cases relating to the protest movement or Beijing's national security law imposed on the city last summer.

"In these circumstances, it is hardly surprising that law firms are considering very carefully who they act for and what they act for," he stressed. "It clearly demonstrates the challenges the global organizations face when operating in a myriad of locations with different sensitivities, especially when social media can turn a difficult decision into a media storm within hours," he added.

In an unprecedented move, in March, China had imposed sanctions on London's Essex Court Chambers in retaliation for a legal opinion published by four of its tenants on the treatment of the Uighur Muslim minority group in Xinjiang.