tawandamusarurwa
Nyore Madzianike
NEARLY 700 lawyers are currently under investigation for various malpractices.
The Law Society of Zimbabwe (LSZ) — which has the mandate to register lawyers and regulate how they operate in the country — has already deregistered 63 across the country, since the beginning of the year.
Between 2017 and 2022, 60 lawyers were deregistered by the LSZ for bringing the profession into disrepute through their misconduct.
Some of the lawyers were disqualified from practising after they were found guilty of misappropriating trust funds.
Others were found guilty of failing to render legal services after clients had paid their fees.
Investigations by The Sunday Mail revealed that 231 complaints were lodged against legal practitioners between January and August this year, bringing the cumulative total to 698 grievances, dating back to 2016.
Out of these, 467 cases are already being dealt with.
Said LSZ corporate communications manager Mr Richard Chidza: “At the beginning of this year, the Law Society of Zimbabwe had 467 complaint cases that were at various levels of being dealt with, from the Secretariat, Council, through to the Disciplinary and Ethics Committee, and the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal.
“Since the beginning of the year, the LSZ has received 231 new complaints, bringing the total to 698.
“Cumulatively, the Law Society of Zimbabwe has decisively dealt with 197 cases within the last eight months.
“The total number of legal practitioners who have been deregistered stands at 63.”
Mr Chidza said there were some instances where some members, who were found guilty, were suspended for a certain period or fined.
“We have not classified these cases according to complaints’ categories, but most of them include clients alleging having paid for a service they have not received from our members.
“There are also cases of charging beyond the prescribed rates and abuse of trust funds,” he said.
Mr Chidza attributed the increase in the number of complaints against lawyers to the work being done by the regulator.
“This has, in turn, resulted in greater public confidence in the LSZ as a regulator, as ordinary people find it easier to report complaints against legal practitioners, since they would have had their cases dealt with effectively and efficiently to their satisfaction,” he said.
Although the LSZ said it is expediting processes, it is still handling a matter that was reported in 2016.
Mr Chidza said he was not at liberty to divulge circumstances surrounding the issue, only saying it was “a security case”.
Some lawyers, who spoke on condition of anonymity, however, expressed dissatisfaction with the manner in which the regulatory body is handling complaints.
The lawyers accused LSZ of favouritism.
Last year, The Sunday Mail did a story on a spike in the number of bogus lawyers who were representing unsuspecting clients without the requisite qualifications or proper registration.
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter