Female lawyers rise 35pc

Fidelis Munyoro Chief Court Reporter
The proportion of women in the legal profession has almost trebled in the last three years, the Law Society of Zimbabwe (LSZ) has said.

LSZ executive secretary Mr Edward Mapara said the proportion grew rapidly from 13 percent in 2013 to 35 percent in 2016. He hailed the climb as a good development, as gifted men and women were being allowed equal access to pursue their ambition in the profession.

“It is an interesting development in the country that a number of women joining the profession is fast rising, although most of them have not been staying in the profession,” said Mr Mapara in a wide-ranging interview.

He said while the number of women lawyers was galloping over the past nine-years, the membership practicing law had risen from 700 in 2008 to 1 600 this year.

“This is a jump more than double,” he said. Mr Mapara said although the society was receiving complaints from lawyers’ clients, cases of abuse of trust funds were on the downward trajectory.

He attributed this to the rapidity at which the society was now dealing with errant lawyers and awareness campaign it runs to educate members of the public on the functions of the LSZ.

“Lawyers have been more careful because they know the consequences,” said Mr Marapa. “The most common retribution for abuse of trust funds is striking them off the registrar and prospects of rehabilitation and re-admission are slender.”

On disciplinary cases, Mr Mapara said the society had been saddled with cases that remained unprocessed for a long time. This, he said, was now a thing of the past because of the society’s increased capacity (at secretariat level) was able to clear the backlog of long outstanding cases.

Mr Mapara said the LSZ was obligated in terms of the law to promote the highest professional standards and the rule of law.