13 Aug 2017

The Vice President Mr Mokgweetsi Masisi says the legal profession is the foundation of social order, and lawyers should provide service with this primary goal in mind.

Officiating at the 18^th SADC Lawyers’ Association Conference and General Meeting in Gaborone on Thursday, Mr Masisi said a functioning democracy was a product of the efficiency and effectiveness of the three arms of the state and complementarity between them.

Lawyers, he said played a prominent role in bringing about social order and cohesion through their direct involvement in the running and operations of these arms of the state.

The Vice President further said a skilled and competent legal profession would only be a catalyst for a prosperous SADC if member states collaborated to develop a pool of experts, who were able to tackle the various challenges which might hinder the ability of the region to prosper.

“May I remind my learned counsels that it is your duty to safeguard social order within your societies and respective countries. 

Despite the fact that there is no one agreed definition of the qualities of a professional lawyer, we can all agree that there is a point of convergence,” he said.

In addition, Mr Masisi said skilled and competent legal profession could not exit in lacuna and thrive where ethics and good conduct were not exercised. 

He said, “it is for this reason that the conduct of a lawyer must embody and live the true meaning and virtues of justice, not just for the client but also for society as a whole.”

Furthermore the Vice President noted that the various law societies and bar associations acted as gate-keepers in their respective jurisdictions to ensure that the public was protected from misconduct by legal practitioners, including the misappropriation of client fees, fraud and negligence.

Furthermore, he said, law societies also played a vital role in the promotion of public legal education and provision of skills which develop the jurisprudence and promote economic growth.

The conference was held under the theme; A skilled and competent legal profession: The catalyst for a prosperous SADC.

The Vice President added that the objectives of the SADC Lawyers Association were aligned with the objectives of SADC.ENDS