The General Legal Council (GLC), the statutory body responsible for regulating the conduct of lawyers in Sierra Leone, has issued a strong condemnation of the behavior exhibited by some legal practitioners during the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Sierra Leone Bar Association (SLBA) held on May 17-18, 2024, in Kenema.
In a press statement released following an emergency meeting on May 24, the GLC expressed its “massive disappointment” at the actions of certain lawyers during the Bar elections on May 18.
According to the statement, “Council regrets to have seen firsthand at those elections in Kenema the mayhem that ensued, and the ugly optics that went viral on social media of legal practitioners storming the stage and violently throwing tables, chairs, and voting materials.”
The Council emphasized that such conduct is unworthy of the legal profession.
“The General Legal Council therefore strongly and wholly condemns this violent and dishonourable conduct of legal practitioners at that AGM and notes that, such conduct does not represent the noble profession of lawyers,” the statement read.
The GLC clarified that while the conduct of the elections falls outside its jurisdiction and is the responsibility of the courts, the “indiscipline, unprofessional, dishonourable and unworthy conduct” displayed by some lawyers is a matter for the Council to address.
Adding to their disappointment, the GLC noted that the chaos prevented them from addressing the AGM on professional ethics.
“Council is also regrettably disappointed that as a result of the mayhem that swamped the occasion, it was not given the opportunity to address lawyers on the code and ethics of the profession during the AGM,” the statement continued.
In response to the incident, the GLC has formed a five-member investigation committee tasked with probing the violent conduct and recommending disciplinary measures.
The committee, chaired by Justice Tonia Barnette, includes Ibrahim Sorie Yillah Esq, Chukwu Emeka Taylor Esq, Musa Mewa Esq, and Kadija Zainab Bangura, who will also serve as secretary. The committee has been given two weeks to report back to the Council.
The Council’s statement concluded with a reminder to all legal practitioners about the importance of maintaining professional conduct at all times, quoting Section 2 of the Legal Practitioners (Code of Conduct) Rules, 2010: “Every legal practitioner, whether in practice or not, shall uphold at all times the standards, dignity and high standing of the legal profession.”
The press statement was signed by Sulaiman Banja Tejan-Sie Esq., Chairman of the General Legal Council, and dated May 24, 2024.
