HoA removes Legal Profession Act 2012 from Order Paper
It was during the Tenth Sitting of the Third Session of the Second House of Assembly. The Legal Profession Act 2012 was an amendment of the Legal Profession Act 2007 for which a number of concerns had been raised prompting the 2012 amendment.
Some of the provisions of the Act speak to the power of the General Legal Council; the criteria and qualifications for admission to practice and issue of practice certificates, funding of Legal Aid, the criteria for temporary admission of Foreign Counsel, the mechanics of pupilage or post qualification training and the Code of Ethics.
“We appreciate the importance of this Act Madam Speaker because it would have an impact on how the legal profession is practiced in this country. It will also impact the economy of this country and businesses such as the financial services and other businesses that people engage in,” the Premier said in putting forward the motion to have the Bill withdrawn.
“Because of the fact that it is so important to get it right, while I agree it is not possible to get it completely right I think it is our duty to get it as right as possible and take care of all the things that we need to take care of in the particular Act,” he said.
According to the Premier, the Territory is not alone in having to deal with issues in its legal profession legislation. “At least one other Territory had the same thing and just three years ago they brought it and then withdrew it because they were still receiving comments about the Act which needed to be taken into account,” he said.
He said that since the first reading of the Act the Government has received a large number of comments from various people in the legal field and others. He said that the number and the quality of the comments received meant that they must be taken into consideration. “And for that reason I would like to move that the Bill entitled Legal Profession Act 2012 be withdrawn from the Order Paper,” said Premier Smith.
9 Responses to “HoA removes Legal Profession Act 2012 from Order Paper”
The BVI bar association is non representative of local lawyers. Too many solicitors in the BVI practicing at the bar. Local barristers trained in England are governed by their inns, who governs the solicitors and the caribbean lawyers? They will not disbar themselves but local barristers can be disbarred any day by their English inn.
Gather the local input then HOA can talk business.