"We cannot continue to have colleagues who, in collusion with magistrates, other lawyers, court officials or police officers, promote illicit practices that have seriously harmed the lives of many Angolans, the rule of law and the credibility of our profession. This is unacceptable," said José Luís Domingos this Friday.
Without specifying the "illicit practices," the president said that all lawyers "have a duty to vigorously combat these harmful practices within the profession," pointing to the need to restructure the OAA's ethics committees nationwide so that they can be "more active and efficient".
José Luís Domingos, who was speaking at the opening of the "Ethics and Professional Deontology Conference," commemorating the 28th anniversary of the OAA, which is being celebrated this Friday, considered it essential to implement an independent ethics council.
An independent ethics council made up of lawyers dedicated to dealing with ethical and deontological issues, free from the influence of their leaders, namely the presidents of the provincial councils, the delegates and even the president, he noted.
In his speech, he also argued that the implementation of an ethics council, independent and autonomous, and without interference from its leaders, is an essential step towards ensuring greater impartiality and legitimacy in decisions involving ethics and deontology in the profession.
The president of the OAA noted that the country currently has around 12,000 lawyers, of which only 5 percent have access to profitable advice, advocating an urgent change in the current situation, with technicality, ongoing training and, above all, respect for ethics and deontology.
Lawyers "must act with complete independence, defending the interests of their clients with loyalty, but without compromising their integrity, that of their colleagues and that of other legal professionals (...). Compliance with ethical rules strengthens society's trust in the legal profession", he stressed.
Luís Domingos also stated that the time has come for lawyers in Angola to act and unite around an agenda that prioritizes ethics, transparency and responsibility in the legal profession.
"Together we must be agents of change, committing ourselves to raising the ethical standards that govern our profession", he concluded.
The coordinator of the OAA Ethics Committee, Ildefonso Manico, regretted that the body he heads does not have the power to sanction complaints against lawyers, noting that there are conflicts between lawyers, between lawyers and constituents and between lawyers and individuals.
Public discussion of cases, violation of the duty of civility, violation of the principle of discipline and punctuality, conflicts over the ownership of clients, over the sharing of fees, charging exorbitant hours, defective compliance with the mandate, failure to provide maintenance and domestic violence are some of the complaints about lawyers that are reported to the OAA.
"Ethics and Deontology in the Legal Profession as a Prerequisite for Dignifying the Class and Strengthening the Rule of Law" is the motto of the colloquium that is taking place at the Palace of Justice, in Luanda.
