| Native Name: | 潮爆大狀 |
| Genre: | Legal drama |
| Runtime: | 45 minutes (approx.) |
| Producer: | Terry Tong |
| Screenplay: | Yip Sai-hong |
| Starring: | Adam Cheng Louisa So Leila Tong Sammul Chan Anne Heung |
| Opentheme: | "身外物" by Adam Cheng |
| Country: | Hong Kong |
| Language: | Cantonese |
| Company: | TVB |
| Network: | TVB Jade |
| Num Episodes: | 20 |
Bar Bender (Chinese: t=潮爆大狀) is a Hong Kong legal drama series produced by TVB and aired on its channel, Jade, from 3 to 26 April 2006.
The series revolves around a fictional Hong Kong senior counsel named Tony Tseung (Adam Cheng). Senior Counsel Tseung is well known for winning 31 legal cases in a row, but is also notorious in legal circles for his unsavory (but ethical) tactics. He is also notorious for being retained as counsel by unscrupulous businessman Richard Ngai (Bill Chan). His focus on his legal career has also alienated family member and anyone romantically involved. His daughter, Stephanie Tseung (Leila Tong), particularly hates him for not only his modus operandi in legal battles (strike a victory on procedural errors, and not on evidence), 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 (Power Chan), 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 (Anne Heung), 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 (Louisa So) who showed him there is more to life...
Case Type: Criminal
Case Name: Government of Hong Kong v Richard Ngai
Charges: Violation of Road Traffic Ordinance #374 (reckless driving, hit and run, failure to report accident after its occurrence)
Verdict: Case Dismissed
The series began with Richard Ngai on a night out with a (fictional) 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.
Case Type: Civil
Case Name: Richard Ngai, Estate Executor of Ngai Fat, v Mary Yu, Fong Gim-lam, Shum Wing-lui, and Kin Mei-guk
Plaintiff Counsel: Senior Counsel Tony Tseung
Defendant Counsel: Barrister Ching Ji-kit (contracted by the Hong Kong Legal Aid Department)
Verdict: For the Plaintiff
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" (term used by Tony to avoid libel charges) 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.
Case Type: Criminal
Prosecution: Government of Hong Kong v Lam Ka-shun
Charges: Hong Kong Ordinance Cap 212 s 36 (assault with intent to commit offence, or on police officer, etc.)
Plea: Not Guilty on all charges
Prosecution Counsel: Unknown
Defendant Counsel: Lam Ka-shun (defending self)
Verdict- Guilty, Lam Ka-shun appeals, and released on HKD10,000 bail.
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.
Barrister Stephanie Tseung argued that the defendant, with a Form 5 (US equivalent: High School Junior) 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.
Case Type: Criminal
Case Name: Government of Hong Kong v Richard Ngai
Charges: Hong Kong Ordinance Cap 212 s 19 (wounding or inflicting grievous bodily harm)
Plea: Innocent
Prosecution Counsel: Barrister Yuen Ding-fong of the Department of Justice
Defendant Counsel: Senior Counsel Tony Tseung
Verdict: Case dismissed due to lack of evidence.
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.
| Week | Episode | Average Points | Peaking Points | References | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 3–7, 2006 | 1 — 5 | [1] | ||||
| April 10–14, 2006 | 6 — 10 | [2] | ||||
| April 17–21, 2006 | 11 — 15 | [3] | ||||
| April 24–28, 2006 | 16 — 20 | [4] |