Call for big law firms to accept sector code

JUSTICE and Constitutional Development Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi has urged major law firms to reconsider their legal challenge against the Legal Sector Code aimed at transforming the legal profession.

- MAYIBONGWE MAQHINA

Responding to oral questions in the National Council of Provinces, Kubayi expressed her disappointment over the ongoing court challenge by Norton Rose Fulbright, AfriForum and others.

"What we have here is an embarrassment-30 years down the line, we are still talking about making sure that we can be able to bring those who were previously disadvantaged to the fore to participate," she said.

Kubayi was asked whether any government-wide capacity and systems existed to monitor briefing patterns of attorneys or advocates by state organs on litigations against the State, she replied: "The department monitors the outsourcing and briefing patterns of cases outsourced to private practitioners through the Office of the State Attorneys (OSA) on behalf of the national and provincial spheres of government."

Kubayi said that municipalities and state-owned enterprises had their own systems of outsourcing legal work.