Cape Bar pushes issue on silks status

According to a Cape Times report, the council decided to write a letter to the department formally requesting it to award the Bar's recommended candidates the status of senior counsel. This comes after a groundbreaking North Gauteng High Court judgment in which it was decided that President Jacob Zuma did not have the power, in terms of the Constitution, to confer the prestigious senior counsel status on practising advocates. The ruling has to be confirmed by the Constitutional Court. The Cape Bar submitted its three recommended candidates - named as William King, Louise Buikman and John Saner - last year. Chairman of the council, Alasdair Sholto-Douglas SC, said: 'This (process) will take a long time and I don't know how the Justice Department will approach this - whether they will stop awarding silk status or whether they will continue as they always have until it has been heard in the Constitutional Court.' The report notes General Council of the Bar of SA has sent a circular to the chairmen of the various councils saying that, as far as they were concerned, the Bars should continue to submit applications for the awarding of senior counsel status as usual. Full Cape Times report (subscription needed)