Chairman of the Hong Kong Bar Association, Jose Antonio Maurellet, said on Wednesday that judicial independence and the rule of law in Hong Kong are “alive and strong”.

Responding to the guilty verdict in former media tycoon Jimmy Lai's national security trial, Maurellet said the case was decided without interference or pressure, and the trial was held in open court.

Speaking in Beijing where representatives from the Bar Association are meeting mainland officials, Maurellet noted that in many places, controversial judgements are common because societies are increasingly divided.

"Very often what people will look at is not the reasoning, and of course I don't even claim to have read every page of the judgement. I've mainly read the pages involving with the law. I doubt that many people who have said what they have stated have had the time to fully digest the entirety of the judgement," he said.

"But certainly, we believe that it's inevitable in this time and age that whenever (there are) judgements about certain people or certain topics, that will arise a lot of passion. And we as lawyers, what we can do is simply invite people, in particular the people in Hong Kong, to go back to look at what the law says, look at how it was applied, and to have trust and confidence as we have in the judicial process."

The Bar chief said the delegation met Shen Chunyao, head of the Basic Law Committee of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress.

Maurellet quoted the mainland official as saying Hong Kong’s legal sector has unique advantages, such as its common law system.

The Bar chairman added that Shen expressed concern over the deadly Tai Po fire.

Maurellet also said the association will offer pro bono help to those affected and support law reform to improve building safety.