LSZ to tighten practising screws

lawDaniel Nemukuyu Senior Reporter
Law Society of Zimbabwe President Mr Lloyd Mhishi has said the legal practitioners’ body was working on tightening its regulatory framework as a way of curbing the fast increasing cases of fraud, theft of trust funds and other malpractices by lawyers.
Mr Mhishi said most reports were attributed to new law firms hence the reforms might include tightening qualifications for individuals to start their own law firms. LSZ has so far received over 300 complaints against its membership from their clients this year, an indication that the figure might multiply by the end of the year.

Mr Mhishi said some lawyers’ conduct tarnished the image of the profession and that tough measures needed to be put in place to control them while protecting unsuspecting clients.

“We are coming out hard on those legal practitioners who are bent on defrauding members of the public. We are mooting certain changes in our regulatory framework to tighten our screws.”

“We have discovered that most complaints of fraud and malpractices are coming from new law firms and we are working on tightening the qualifications for one to open a law firm.

“We are stepping up our efforts in regulating the profession because of the increased incidents of indiscipline and malpractices,” said Mr Mhishi.
The development came at a time a Harare lawyer who is on the run voluntarily surrendered his law firm to the LSZ advising the authorities to place it under curatorship. The organisation has so far received complaints from several of the fugitive lawyer’s clients who allege they lost over US$70 000 in their dealings with the lawyer. Mr Mhishi said the society was investigating several complaints related to the fugitive lawyer.

“We are carrying out investigations into his practice. It is time for us to step up the protection of the public from unscrupulous members of the profession,” he said.
At least 63 members of the LSZ were not registered to practice this year for various reasons, said Mr Mhishi, adding that the public should be wary of them.

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