Dear Editor,
I’m writing to bring attention to what has become a growing trend within the legal profession in Guyana. I have been made aware of countless cases where attorneys have been retained by clients and have been properly compensated, but are not showing up for court. On court days, clients are left unrepresented by their attorneys, who either do not show up at all, or send someone less qualified to appear on their behalf. There have been two examples of this in my own family alone.
Now, it is only natural that when a client selects an attorney they want to represent them it is because they either come highly recommended, or the client feels they can trust that lawyer. Why are our attorneys taking this for granted? Have they no regard for the code of ethics? I’ve always considered and even equated the legal profession with the medical profession. When someone has been injured or suffered an injustice, they look to their legal representative to fix it, make it right, and give them some measure of satisfaction. It is a lawyer’s personal responsibility, his/her duty, to provide relief for their client and act like the noble professional that the job requires. I’m appealing to our legal practitioners to restore integrity, trust and respect to the legal profession.
Yours faithfully,
Susan Rodrigues
