The Requirement of Being a "Fit and Proper" Person for the Legal Profession
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17159/1727-3781/2011/v14i4a2588Keywords:
Admission lawyers, , Law Societies, Struck from the roll, Good moral character, Unprofessional conduct, Double briefing, Adversarial system, Lawlessness, Professionals, Continuous Professional development.Abstract
An important requirement for admission as an attorney or advocate is to be a "fit and proper" person. Lawyers are also struck from the respective rolls of advocates or attorneys if they cease to be "fit and proper". This requirement of being a "fit and proper" person is not defined or described in legislation. It is left to the subjective interpretation of and application by seniors in the profession and ultimately the court. In the apartheid years this requirement was applied arbitrarily but today the question may be asked why some lawyers who have been found to be "fit and proper" do not act as such. The pre-admission character screening of lawyers seems not to be effective any more. Post- admission moral development is imperative.
Downloads
References
Bibliography
Asmal
Asmal K, Helen Joseph Memorial Lecture: Law, ethics, morality in public life in South Africa, University of Johannesburg 28 October 2008
Botha
Botha E "Lawyer ‘borrowed’ RAF payout" 2003 Daily Dispatch 27 September 1
Carter
Carter M "Increased professionalism: An experience from the United States" 1998 Journal of Leisureability (25)(2) 20-25
Coetzee
Coetzee F "Advokaat dalk van rol af geskors" 2005 Volksblad 17 May 4
De Lange
De Lange I "’defective’ attorney faces axe" 2006 Citizen 2 February 4
Du Plessis
Du Plessis C "Regters raas oor ‘uitsteltegniek’" 2005 Burger 31 October 6
Du Plessis
Du Plessis L M "The ideal legal practitioner (from an academic angle) 1981 De Rebus 424-427
Eshete
Eshete A "Does lawyer’s characters matter?" in Luban D (ed) The Good Lawyer: Lawyers’ Roles and Lawyers’ Ethics (Rowman and Allanheld 1984) 270-285
Gandhi
Gandhi M An Autobiography; or the story my experiments with truth translated by Desai M (Ghandi Book Centre, Bombay 1972)
Govender
Govender K Chairperson of the Ethics Committee in the Ethics Committee Report, Law Society of South Africa, Annual Report 2010/11
Jika
Jika T "Law fraternity move to tackle touting advocates" 2006 Daily Dispatch 26 January 9
Kronman
Kronman A T "Living the Law" 1987 University of Chicago Law Review 835-876
Larson
Larson M S The Rise of Professionalism: A Sociological Analysis (Berkeley, California: University of California Press 1977)
Le Roux
Le Roux W "Conscience against the law: Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela and Bram Fischer as practising lawyers during the struggle" 2001 Codicillus 20-35
Mahomed
Mahomed I former Chief Justice. Speech at a dinner by the Johannesburg Bar 27 June 1997
Markovits
Markovits D "Legal ethics from a lawyer’s point of view" 2003 Yale Journal of Law & the Humanities 209-293
McDowell
McDowell B "The usefulness of ‘good moral character’" 1993 Washburn Law Journal 323-336
Oliver
Oliver L "Law Society urged to pay victims" 2001 Weekend Argus 22 July 5
Pityana
Pityana N B, former Principal and Vice Chancellor: University of South Africa "Black lawyers and the legal system: on morality, integrity and human rights" Address to mark the 30th Anniversary of the Black Lawyers Association held at Emperor’s Palace Kempton Park, Gauteng, Friday 9 November 2007.
Rawoot
Rawoot I "Road fund: advocates face charges" 2010 Mail and Guardian 15 February 5
Research Report on Mandatory Continuing Professional Development, commissioned by the Law Society of South Africa, 2010
Rhode
Rhode D "Expanding the role of ethics in legal education and the legal profession" http://www.scu.edu/ethics/publications/submitted/rhode/legaled.htm [date of use 11 Aug 2010]
Rossouw
Rossouw GJ "Why professional ethics in the legal profession" 1998 (1) TSAR 53-62
Schroeder
Schroeder F "Clampdown on illegal practices by advocates" 2007 Cape Times 28 December 5
Schroeder F "Lawyers’ conduct ‘amazing, shocking’" 2007 Cape Times 9 May 1
Van Zyl
Van Zyl S "Hoe om te maak as jy voel jou prokureur lewer nie goeie diens nie" 2010 Tshwane-Beeld 13 October 7
Venter
Venter Z "Unfit attorney is struck from the roll" 2002 Pretoria News 28 November 4
Vos
Vos U "Lawyers are ‘abusing’ Road Accident Fund" 2009 Citizen 22 October 6
Waldner
Waldner M "Lawyers pocket R7bn from RAF" 2009 City Press 29 November 2
Wildenboer
Wildenboer L "The origins of the division of the legal profession in South Africa: A brief overview" 2010 Fundamina (16)(2) 199-225
List of cases
Botha and Another v Law Society, Northern Provinces 2009 (3) SA 329 (SCA)
Ex parte Krause 1905 TS 221
Ex Parte Moseneke 1979 (4) SA 884 (T)
General Council of the Bar v Van der Spuy 1991 (1) SA 718
Incorporated Law Society, Transvaal v Mandela 1954 (3) SA 102 (T)
Incorporated Law Society, Natal v Hassim 1976 (4) SA 332
Incorporated Law Society v Wookey 1912 AD 623
In re Ngwenya v Society of Advocates, Pretoria and another 2006 (2) SA 87 (W)
In re Gandhi 1894 NLR 263
Jasat v Natal Law Society 2000(2) All SA 310 (SCA)
Law Society Transvaal v Behrman 1981 All SA 470 (A)
Law Society of Transvaal v Machaka 1998 (4) SA 413 (T)
Malan and another v The Law Society, Northern Provinces 2009(1) All SA 133 (SCA)
Matthews v Cape Law Society 1956 (1) SA 807 (C)
Natal Law Society v Maqubela 1986 (3) SA 849 (N)
Naylor and another v Jansen 2007 (1) SA 16 (SCA)
Prince v President of the Law Society, Cape of Good Hope 1998 (8) BCLR 976 (C)
Prince v President, Cape Law Society 2000 (3) SA 845 (SCA)
Prince v President, Cape Law Society and Others 2002 (2) SA 794 (CC)
Prokureursorde van Transvaal v Kleynhans 1995 (1) SA 839 (T)
Society of Advocates of Natal v De Freitas 1998 (4) SA 1134
Society of Advocates of SA (Witwatersrand Division) v Fischer 1966 (1) SA 133 (T)
Swartzberg v Law Society, Northern Provinces 2008 All SA 438 (SCA)
The Law Society of the Cape of Good Hope v Berrange 2005 (5) SA 160 (C)
Vassen v Law Society of the Cape 1998 (4) SA 532 (SCA)
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2017 Magda Slabbert
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
.png){kind=spacer}