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LSK launches a campaign to arrest quacks on prowl

Thursday, May 18th, 2023 04:00 | By
LSK President Eric Theuri. Photo/Courtesy

The Law Society of Kenya has launched a countrywide crackdown on quacks and masqueraders who pretend to be advocates of the High Court.

Speaking at the Supreme Court yesterday, the society president Eric Theuri said three people have been arrested and are expected to be arraigned in court any time soon.

He say LSK will oppose the release of the three on bond, pending the determination of the case. “We will oppose their release on bond or bail terms because they are harming the law profession,” he said.

Received complaints

He said LSK launched the crackdown after receiving several complaints from the public. “We’ve received several complaints from members of the public about people masquerading as advocates. This is a campaign that will be carried out countrywide,” Theuri said.

He said the society was working closely with the National Police Service and DPP to ensure proper action is carried out against those who masquerade as lawyers or practice without renewing their certificate.

“Any advocate who might have a certificate which is not renewed will be regarded as a quack. Some advocates do not renew certificates and in this crackdown those whose certificates are not renewed and appear in court will be regarded as quacks and will be dealt with accordingly,” he said.

LSK singled out lawyer Cliff Ombeta, whom it accused of practicing without renewing his certificate indicating that it has already sent a warning letter to him.

“We have wrote to Cliff Ombeta for practicing without a certificate. He has been appearing in court without a practicing certificate,” Theuri said.

Damaging reputation

The LSK President noted that a qualified advocate must have a certificate of merit from LSK and be acknowledged by the lawyer’s body before representing a client in court.

“Without the members of the public being aware, they hire the advocates to represent them in their matters in court believing to get the best legal advice and representation services where they end up frustrated after spending their money with non-professionals,” he noted.

He advised the public to always check the status of the lawyers they intend to hire on the LSK website to confirm if they are registered and acknowledged before hiring them to represent them in any legal matter.

The trainees who are intending to become legal professionals were also warned from practicing before getting their certificates.

On her part, Linda Kilome, an LSK convener on the Practice Standards and Ethics Committee of the society indicated that the society was reinforcing its mandate to end the malpractices which are leading to exploitation of the advocates and damaging their reputation.

She said the masqueraders open law firms and use names of renown lawyers impersonating them and this leads to irreversible damages since they are incompetent. “This will be a continuous process.”

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