Bar Bender
Bar Bender is a Hong Kong legal drama series produced by TVB and aired on its channel, Jade, from 3 to 26 April 2006.
Overview
The series revolves around a fictional Hong Kong senior counsel named Tony Tseung. Senior Counsel Tseung is well known for winning 31 legal cases in a row, but is also notorious in legal circles for his unsavory tactics. He is also notorious for being retained as counsel by unscrupulous businessman Richard Ngai. His focus on his legal career has also alienated family member and anyone romantically involved. His daughter, Stephanie Tseung, particularly hates him for not only his modus operandi in legal battles, but also on his neglect of family life.All this changed when Tony was dealt a career blow by Richard. In an assault case involving Richard, Richard asked Tony's apprentice, Darren Li, to conspire in a conspiracy to bribe a witness and have him lie in court by professing amnesia. When Tony protested, Richard fired Tony, and cut off much of the businesses that came to his law firm. In the process, Tony lost his girlfriend, Sophie So, to Richard. Tony drowned his sorrows in alcohol, and assaulted a foreigner at a bar. Tseung pleaded guilty to assault, and was sentenced to community service. That was where he began to rediscover the lost idealism and righteousness of his youth and met Chong Hiu-wai who showed him there is more to life...
List of court cases
Richard Ngai's Reckless Driving Case
The series began with Richard Ngai on a night out with a prominent local actress, Kelly Wong. To evade the intruding cameras of entertainment reporters, Ngai sped away from the hotel, and hit a motorcyclist in the process. In a lawsuit, Senior Counsel Tony Chiang faced off against his daughter, Stephanie Chiang. Tony defeated the prosecution based on procedural faults. This is the 31st victory in a row for Tony.Squatting Case
The case was originally thought to be leak-proof for the defendants, for local real estate laws stipulate that any person who lives in a residence for more than 12 years without the original property owner exercising ownership rights will, in effect, own the property in question. However, Tony Tseung found some devastating evidence that implicated a tacit, unwritten, and unknown agreement between the late Ngai Fat and Mary Yu, which proved that Ngai Fat exercised ownership rights and held an "unusual relationship" with Mary Yu. This effectively sank the defendant, and allowed Richard Ngai to evict the foursome. This also marked the 32nd-straight victory for Tony.Lam Ka-Shun's Police Assault Case
Lam Ka-shun, an uneducated courier without any legal education, defended himself in court, and was found guilty of assaulting a police officer. Lam Ka-shun proclaimed in court that he will appeal the ruling, and was released on $10,000 bail. Lam was also advised by the judge to retain a barrister during the appear phase.;Re-Appeal
Barrister Stephanie Tseung argued that the defendant, with a Form 5 education level, cannot handle the complex legal views of the trial, and that the judge did not take this into account. Also, Tseung argued that the officers were acting outside of legal bounds, and that whether or not Lam Ka-shun committed the assault or not, the assault cannot be considered as an assault on a police officer.
Richard Ngai's Assault Case
Richard Ngai was accused of assaulting a business partner with a golf club. The case was considered to be unwinnable for Tony Tseung, and Tony initially tried to argue that Trial by Media had unfairly influenced the legal proceeding. That argument was overruled. Tony also tried to use the insanity defence, but Richard refused, instead asking Tony's law pupil, Darren Lee, to bribe a witness to "induce amnesia" in court.Cast
Major characters
- Tony Tseung - A Senior Counsel whose unscrupulous tactics have drawn much criticism in the past, as well as alienating his family and lovers. However, he managed to rehabilitate his reputation, and reconcile with his family.
- Chong Hiu-wai - A law clerk at the Legal Aid Department, she is also a volunteer, and she helped Tony Tseung in his transformation into a better person.
- Stephanie Tseung - Daughter of Tony Tseung. She is a barrister who hated her father's unscrupulous tactics. She tried to get as far away from her father as she can at first, but eventually reconciled with her father after his transformation into a better and more ethical barrister.
- Lam Ka-shun - A truck driver who got to know Tony Tseung's daughter,
- Sophie So - A former lover of Tony Tseung, who eventually cheated on him, and dated Richard Ngai.
- Darren Lee - An apprentice of Tony Tseung. He later acquired Tony's unscrupulous ways, and became Richard Ngai's counsel after his fallout with Tseung.
- Richard Ngai - A wealthy businessman who hired Tony Tseung as his counsel in the past, but later fell out with him.
Minor characters
Appearances throughout
- Anna Sung - Ex-wife of Tony Tseung. She remained on good terms with her ex-husband, who frequents the new restaurant Sung and her new husband opens.
- Chui Yen Dong - He, along with his brother, Ko Wai-ting, are Richard Ngai's lawyers, although they typically handle less sophisticated or challenging cases than those handled by Tony Tseung.
- Ko Wai-ting - He and his brother, Ko Hoi-ting, are Richard Ngai's lawyers.
Legal Aid Department workers
- Rose Yu - A Senior Law Clerk, she has a secret crush on her supervisor, but she did not reveal it until a client went behind her back and told her supervisor.
- Yeung Ching (楊拯, portrayed by Ko Jun-man- The Assistant Department Head. He is the love interest of Rose Yu.
Beginning
- Mr Smith - A barrister who specialize in International Law. Stephanie Tseung wanted to be his pupil, but backed out after discovering that her father influenced Mr. Smith.
House acquisition case
- Ngai Fat - Father of Richard Ngai. The character has already died, and only appears in flashback during this arc.
- Mary Yu - One of four squatters of a flat in a soon to be demolished house. Her actions in the past caused the foursome to lose their flat.
- Fong Gim-lam - One of the foursome who lived in the residence in question.
- Shum Wing-mui - One of the foursome who lived in the residence in question.
- Chin Mei-guk - One of the foursome who lived in the residence in question.
Viewership ratings