Malawi Law Society to follow up on illegal lawyers
The Malawi Law Society (MLS) says it will follow up on all unlicensed lawyers who are operating in the country illegally so that they renew their licences.
The society also plans to publish in local newspaper names of all the country’s licensed lawyers to protect the public from being exploited by the illegal lawyers who are a risk to people.
The development comes in the wake of reports that there are about 177 illegal lawyers in Malawi out of the 350 registered.
One of the lawyers who has not renewed his licence is former Director of Public Prosecutions
(DPP) Fahad Assani, hired recently by the state to prosecute 11 treason suspects.
MLS Executive Director, Paula Caetano, said the lawyers whose practicing licences are not renewed like Assani are operating illegally and pose a great danger to the public.
“If a lawyer does not renew licence, he or she cannot practice,” Caetano said adding that as at March 18, 2013, only 173 lawyers had renewed their practising licences.
A list of all licensed lawyers is gazetted and circulated to all judges and magistrates so that they do not grant right of audience to unlicensed lawyers.
Acting Registrar of the High Court of Malawi and Malawi Supreme Court of Appeal, Mike Tembo said they will soon be gazetting the names of licensed lawyers soon.
Follow and Subscribe Nyasa TV :
