adminLeonard Ncube in Victoria Falls
THE Law Society of Zimbabwe (LSZ) is pushing for a speedy amendment of the Legal Practitioners Act with a view of making it compulsory for graduates to undergo pre-admission training before they can practice as lawyers as part of efforts to weed out corruption and general malpractice in the profession.
About 100 lawyers meeting for the LSZ Winter School which started on Thursday in Victoria Falls called for compulsory pupillage training where law graduates would undergo articles training before they can be admitted for practice. The issue of compulsory pupillage, amendment of the LPA, cost of legal profession services and e-justice among others were topical in the discussion by participants.
In an interview on the sidelines of the conference, LSZ vice president Mr Thandaza Masiye Moyo said in the meantime the council was making efforts to deal with malpractice in the legal profession, where a number of individuals have been found on the wrong side of the law.
“The LPA was last revisited in 1991 and now there is an opportunity through the new Constitution to try and align some provisions that appear old and no longer useful. Debate has been around composition of the LSZ council which members feel lacks proper representation. There is also the issue of Compulsory Pupillage Training (CPT) where we are saying do we introduce pre-admission training where those who have just finished college can undergo an articles training until such a time they are deemed fully baked to be released to the public,” said Mr Moyo.
He said compulsory pupillage was done in other countries unlike in Zimbabwe where graduates from the law school can go straight into practice once admitted by the High Court. Mr Moyo said the legal profession had not been spared by the harsh economic conditions hence some have become corrupt; a practice he said was tainting the image of the profession.
“These are part of means being put in place to try and improve the quality of a lawyer. Efforts are being put in place by the council of LSZ and the problem is that the legal profession has ballooned in terms of numbers hence stiffening competition in a shrinking market,” said Mr Moyo.
There are more than 1 500 lawyers in the country compared to 230 who were there when the LPA was enacted. Mr Moyo said the LSZ had been busy in the past two years raising awareness to members of the public to raise alarm when duped by lawyers as well as to understand their rights when dealing with members of the legal profession.
In terms of e-justice, Mr Moyo said members were of the view of the need to file papers online as this will make the justice delivery system swift and save time and costs, but added that there was debate as some feel the process would distance the justice system from ordinary citizens with no access to the Internet.
LSZ Winter School is an annual event which brings together lawyers in the country to discuss issues affecting the profession. The aim is to keep the profession relevant and play its role in the justice delivery system in a technologically changing world. The conference ends today under the theme:
“Staying ahead of the pack: Remaining relevant in the face of multi-faceted competition.”
@ncubeleon
Bongani Ndlovu