Delinquent lawyers threatened with prosecution

The General Legal Council (GLC) has warned of prosecution for delinquent attorneys-at-law who have not renewed their practising certificates.

In a notice published in today's Sunday Gleaner the GLC reminded attorneys that those who have failed to renew their certificates do not have a right of audience before the courts.

Further, the GLC emphasised that it was a criminal offence, according to the Legal Profession Act, for any person to act as an attorney in any matter while not being duly qualified or entitled to act as an attorney-at-law.

The GLC said it was in the process of compiling a list of delinquent attorneys, which will be posted on its website and distributed to all courts across the island.

The warning comes as the council moves to increase renewal fees on May 1. It is urging attorneys to, therefore, move swiftly to renew their certificates if they wish to avoid paying the increased fees.