According to Jamaica's General Legal Council's website, fifty-seven attorneys have been disbarred between 1978 and 2018. Below is a breakdown of the numbers: 1978 - 1 1988 - 1 1990 - 1999 - 8 2000-2010 - 27 2010-2017 - 18 2018 - 2 (to date) The majority of these attorneys were disbarred between 2000-2010; the period right after the passing of The Legal Profession (Accounts and Records) Regulations, 1999. The regulations, which are still in force, require attorneys to maintain separate accounts for client funds and provide the GLC with records of their management of client accounts. Between 2010-2017 there was a 33% decline in the number of attorneys disbarred and while will have to wait to see what the next 18 months will bring as the number of disbarred attorneys to date is upsetting, not just for the public but also for attorneys who practice law with integrity. One does not have to read the rulings published by the Disciplina...
You mean to say in this day and age, there are judges who ask men to remove their earrings? How utterly ridiculous!!
ReplyDeleteHilaire
On other thing, I think part of the problem of lack of information on the part of Jamaicans is that courts rarely if ever have any signs posted indicating or explaining court protocol. I remember testifying in a California Superior Court (as expert witness) in 1999, and I do recall seeing signs/information posted in simple language. This was certainly helpful for me, despite being a lawyer. Certainly there are rudimentary elements of court protocol that are common to courts regardless of jurisdiction, but as a non-US lawyer, the info was useful.
ReplyDeleteI think the time has come for courts to reinvent themselves - from being judge/official centred to people-centred. The current paradigm contributes significantly
to people being not only uninformed, but alienated from court proceedings. Certainly, having signs that explain court protocol would be a step in the right direction. Insisting that police on duty at courts treat people with respect and not shout at them or demean them would be another.
Hilaire