‘Lock Out Foreign Lawyers’
Sep 11, 2002
Ugandan lawyers have opposed allowing their foreign counterparts, including those from the East African Community member states, to provide legal services in the country.
By John Kakande
Ugandan lawyers have opposed allowing their foreign counterparts, including those from the East African Community member states, to provide legal services in the country.
Lawyers sitting on the parliamentary committee on legal affairs, leaders of the Law Council, the Uganda Law Society (ULS) and the Law Development Centre (LDC) unanimously stated that foreign lawyers be locked out of the country’s lucrative legal services market.
The lawyers said there was no country in the world which had opened up their legal practice to non-citizens.
John Mary Mugisha from the Law Council said former president Godfrey Binaisa sat examinations before he was allowed to practice law in New York.
Wagonda Muguli (Buikwe North) had challenged his colleagues to give reasons for locking out foreign lawyers.
The committee chaired by Adolf Mwesige (Bunyangabu) was scrutinising the Advocates (Amendment) Bill 2001, which seeks to liberalise the legal profession by allowing Ugandans who study law abroad to practice here.
Ends
Ugandan lawyers have opposed allowing their foreign counterparts, including those from the East African Community member states, to provide legal services in the country.
Lawyers sitting on the parliamentary committee on legal affairs, leaders of the Law Council, the Uganda Law Society (ULS) and the Law Development Centre (LDC) unanimously stated that foreign lawyers be locked out of the country’s lucrative legal services market.
The lawyers said there was no country in the world which had opened up their legal practice to non-citizens.
John Mary Mugisha from the Law Council said former president Godfrey Binaisa sat examinations before he was allowed to practice law in New York.
Wagonda Muguli (Buikwe North) had challenged his colleagues to give reasons for locking out foreign lawyers.
The committee chaired by Adolf Mwesige (Bunyangabu) was scrutinising the Advocates (Amendment) Bill 2001, which seeks to liberalise the legal profession by allowing Ugandans who study law abroad to practice here.
Ends