By Mariama Marong
The General Legal Council on Friday, July 29th 2022, enrolled 46 lawyers to the legal profession at its tenth enrolment ceremony held at the Supreme Court Complex in Banjul.
The chairperson of the aforesaid legal council and Gambia’s Chief Justice Hassan B. Jallow, called on the new lawyers to continue the hard work of reading the laws and studying cases assigned to them.
Chief Justice Jallow said the legal profession is dedicated to justice which is key and necessary in the legal profession, as he informed the enrolled lawyers that they have a greater role to play in impacting the community.
“As professionals, you have the duty to your community because they contribute best to your achievement,” he told them.
Salieu Taal, President of The Gambia Bar Association told the new lawyers, that it has not been an easy road for them and assured that their journey is just beginning.
Taal said the new legal practitioners have signed up for a noble profession, a profession that comes with a lot of privileges and responsibilities; duties and expectations beyond their clients or employers as the case may be.
President Taal noted that the profession is called noble because they are expected to conduct themselves with nobility, dignity, decorum and honour at all times. He further said that this is a tradition that must be nurtured and fostered in the profession.
“As lawyers, you have signed up for a life of eternal learning, but hopefully you will find this lifelong journey rewarding and fulfilling,” he noted. He emphasised that ethics is the cornerstone of the profession, and thus urged the new lawyers to be conversant with the Code of Conduct for Legal Practitioners in spirit and in substance, and advised them to pay particular attention to
Speaking further, President Taal noted that professional ethics is the foundation of legal practice and in its absence, the entire profession is brought to disrepute.
“Additionally, we must embrace change and adapt to our fast changing environment. The core values of the profession must be jealously guarded,” he said. He said the new lawyers are first and foremost officers of the court and therefore duty bound to promote justice and uphold the rule of law.
He finally advised them to take keen interest in understanding how the three arms of Government work and be familiar with the constitution regardless of what area of law they may find themselves practising.
Hussein Tomasi, deputizing for the minister of justice, said the legal profession is a noble one which calls for professionalism, dignity, morality and respect for the rule of law.
Senior lawyer Tomasi urged the new lawyers to do all what it takes to uphold the ethics of the legal profession and urged them to maintain decorum at all times and be responsible for administering justice for the interest of the society.
