About 20 legal practitioners in the Eastern Cape have been in the crosshairs of the Legal Practice Council (LPC) for unscrupulous transgressions since the beginning of the year.

A Daily Dispatch report says some of the transgressions include cheating material in exam rooms, failure to account for money and misappropriation of funds, failing to maintain ethical standards recognised by the profession and practising despite not being in possession of a valid Fidelity Fund Certificate.

After disciplinary hearings, fines meted out to the practitioners ranged between R2 000 and R10 000, while others were ordered to pay money owed to their clients and some were either suspended or struck off the roll.

Eastern Cape provincial LPC director Alred Hona said, in some cases, they found that complaints were lodged with the council against people who were not lawyers or were lawyers but were not registered as lawyers with the council as required in terms of the Legal Practice Act.

Hona said complaints involving legal practitioners were lodged with the provincial offices on a daily basis.

‘Any decision made by the disciplinary committees for a court-imposed sanction such as suspension from practising and/or striking application has to be sanctioned by the council,’ he said.

Black Lawyers Association president Nkosana Mvundlela said they supported the LPC in its job to root out any unethical conduct.

‘It is also in the best interest of the profession itself that in upholding the rule of law we make sure members of the public are protected. We cannot uphold the rule of law with lawyers who are acting unethically,’ Mvundlela said.

According to the Daily Dispatch report, National Democratic Association of Lawyers president Mvuzo Notyesi said it is the duty of every lawyer to act ethically and to maintain a high degree of integrity.

‘It is disheartening to see that there are some lawyers who either deliberately steal from the members of the public or breach the code of conduct by cheating,’ Notyesi said. 

‘We applaud the LPC for quick reaction on these matters and we are happy that they are dealt with decisively, while remaining concerned at the huge number. It means a scourge will engulf the profession so it must be nipped from the bud.’

Full Daily Dispatch report