The Supreme Court of Liberia over the weekend barred three lawyers for dishonesty and fraudulent behavior.
Delivering the opinion on behalf of her colleagues, Associate Justice, Jamesetta Howard-Wolokollie said the decision was based on the lawyers’ behavior to file fake documents.
The three lawyers’ documents proffered claimed that they have met the five years legal requirements for admission to the Supreme Court Bar.
Justice Wolokollie said the barred lawyers will not sit bar examines until October 2027. She warned that the Supreme Court will not entertain lawyers with tainted characters coming before it.
The lawyers were among 63 other attorneys at-law, who filed their petition before the High Court to be admitted as counselors at-law.
The three lawyers who dishonestly and fraudulently fake their documents to be admitted as counselor’s at-law include G. Alphonso W. Woiwor and Alexander V. S. Saylee are barred from petitioning the Court for admission as counsellors of the Supreme Court Bar for a period of two years (2024-2026); that is, the Clerk of Court will only accept petitions regarding these attorneys for admission to the Bar as of October 15, 2027; while Patterson S. Blamo who passed in the exams, is also disqualified.
“We hope that by this, those seeking admission to the Supreme Court Bar will seek to be upright, and that these attorneys will work to improve their character as this Court has no place for dishonest lawyers appearing before it. The Court will now thank the examination Board for its work done in such a short notice, and congratulate those who made a successful pass and are about to be admitted as Counsellors of the Supreme Court Bar,” the Associate Justice said
She stated that the court has been battling with lawyers’ failure to adhere to the requirement of a candidate presenting his/her birth certificate to substantiate the candidate’s date of birth and nationality, emphasizing that the Court cannot adequately express its frustration of the fact that lawyers have refused to read the Court’s Opinions.
“This Court is weary by the lackadaisical attitude of lawyers in their practice of law. Just recently, in the court’s opinion, Intestate Estate of Zoe-gar vs. Intestate Estate of R.T.Gardiner, delivered in its March Term, A.D. 2023, the Court in umpteen times has advised members of the Supreme Court Bar to be conversant with the Opinions emanating from the Supreme Court,
and accordingly be guided by these Opinions in their representation of clients before the Court; that members of the Supreme Court Bar must always endeavor to update themselves with the decisions of the Court before filing cases before it, as the Court will not hesitate to use the full sanction of the law in punishing lawyers who deliberately file cases involving issues that have been clearly settled by the Court,” she mentioned.
Associate Justice Wolokollie indicated that the court has reiterated that lawyers who filed papers before it should ensure that said papers are representative of a counselor of the Supreme Court Bar, and that papers filed before the court be based on assertions well researched.
“Papers filed by lawyers of this court in many instances are so despicable that at times the Court has required that these papers be re-done and refilled,” she observed.
According to her, the Supreme Court must now begin to take stringent measures to curb the careless and negligent behavior of lawyers appearing before it.
