Body to hear complaints against lawyers functioning again

Dec 29, 2017 News

After almost two years without one, Guyana has reconstituted the Legal Practitioners Committee (LPC).
The committee is critical for persons who want to make complaints against lawyers who they believe would have breached regulations or acted in a manner that is unethical to the profession.
According to a statement of the Bar Association of Guyana, the appointments were made by Chancellor (ag.), Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards, of 12 attorneys-at-law as members.
The appointments came after consultations with the Bar Association, it was disclosed.
There have been a number of statements over the non-functioning of the LPC.
The twelve appointed members of the committee are Robin Stoby, S.C.; Rafiq Khan, S.C.; Emily Dodson; Andrew Pollard; Teni Housty; Tracy Gibson; Moenudin Mc Doom; Narendra Singh; Devindra Kissoon; Dionne McCammon; Mandisa Breedy and Faye Barker-Meredith.
The Attorney General, Basil Williams, and the Solicitor General, Kim Kyte-Thomas are ex officio members of the committee.
The members of the Committee will hold office for three years.
According to the Bar Association, the committee will sit in two divisions of seven members each. Division 1 will be chaired by Stoby, S.C. while Division 2 will be headed by Pollard.

The members of the LPC: From left (standing) -Emily Dodson, Robin Stoby, S.C., Dionne McCammon, Narendra Singh, Kim Kyte-Thomas, Ayana McCalman (representative of the Attorney General), Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards, Kamal Ramkarran, Andrew Pollard and Devindra Kissoon. From left (sitting) are Tracy Gibson, Faye Barker-Meredith and Mandisa Breedy.

The LPC is the body established under the Legal Practitioners Act, Chapter 4:01 which is charged with hearing and determining complaints against attorneys-at-law. The committee has disciplinary powers.
In brief comments to the committee yesterday at the Court of Appeal, attended also by Kamal Ramkarran, President of the Bar Association and Pauline Chase, Secretary of the Bar Association, Justice Cummings-Edwards encouraged the lawyers to make recommendations for the strengthening of disciplinary powers.
Persons who feel aggrieved against an attorney-at-law can lodge a complaint with the Secretary of the LPC, Jewel Campbell, at the Court of Appeal in Kingston, Georgetown.