Why we need Legal Practice Bill - Deputy Minister

Attributing this observation to constitutional law expert Professor Pierre de Vos, Justice and Constitutional Development Deputy Minister John Jeffery used it to illustrate why SA needs the Legal Practice Bill to 'bring about changes to the profession', writes Pam Saxby for Legalbrief Policy Watch. Speaking at the general meeting of the Gauteng Circle of the Law Society of the Northern Provinces, Jeffery expressed hope that, once in force, the Bill 'will address this problem by creating one council for lawyers and by removing barriers for people to gain entry into the profession'. On the issue of 'the high cost of legal services', Jeffery used High Court tariffs for civil matters to demonstrate that 'a mere 15 minutes of court time or in consultation' would currently cost the average domestic worker 'more than two days' wages'. 'It is clear that access to a lawyer is for affluent South Africans only,' he said. Commending 'some' large law firms for their commitment to 'mandatory pro bono work', he nevertheless referred to the 'hesitancy' of other law practitioners to embrace the concept. 'The Bill may be contentious, and there is some stringent opposition to it from certain sectors, but from the side of government we believe that this is what we need to be able to make legal services accessible to all our people, whilst at the same time strengthening the legal profession,' Jeffery concluded, dismissing complaints that its provisions seek to undermine the independence of the profession. Full Legalbrief Policy Watch report