By Shadrach Aziz Kamara
The Parliament of Sierra Leone has committed the proposed Legal Practitioners Bill, 2025 to the Legislative Committee for further scrutiny and wider stakeholder consultations after an extensive second reading debate that highlighted the need to strengthen the country’s legal profession while addressing concerns raised by Members of Parliament.
Rounding up the debate, Acting Opposition Leader Hon. Daniel Koroma welcomed the objectives of the Bill but stressed that such an important piece of legislation required broad-based consultations before its passage. He noted that laws must evolve with changing realities, arguing that Parliament has a responsibility to amend or replace outdated legislation whenever existing laws can no longer adequately address emerging challenges.
Hon. Koroma called for a pre-legislative engagement to enable Members of Parliament and the Office of the Attorney General to fully explain the rationale behind the proposed law and identify shortcomings in the current Legal Practitioners Act that the new legislation seeks to remedy.
He also questioned several provisions relating to penalties, noting that offences vary in gravity and should not attract uniform fines. He urged Parliament to review penalty clauses to ensure they reflect the seriousness of individual offences while discouraging corruption associated with discretionary fines.
The Acting Opposition Leader further highlighted concerns over the regulation of legal practitioners, law firms and partnerships, renewal of practising certificates, screening procedures, disciplinary mechanisms and the need for greater accountability within the profession. He emphasized that reforms should restore public confidence in the legal profession while protecting citizens from professional misconduct.
Leading the Government’s response, Majority Leader and Leader of Government Business Hon. Matthew Sahr Nyuma thanked Members for their constructive contributions, describing the Bill as a major reform aimed at sanitizing and modernizing the legal profession.
Hon. Nyuma said the principal objective of the Bill is to consolidate and amend the laws governing the admission, enrolment, practice and discipline of legal practitioners, while introducing measures that better protect clients.
He particularly drew attention to provisions regulating legal fees, arguing that citizens often suffer from arbitrary charges due to limited public awareness of existing legal protections. He called for extensive public education once the law is enacted to ensure citizens understand their rights when engaging legal practitioners.
The Majority Leader also proposed several amendments for consideration during the committee stage, including provisions relating to the composition of the General Legal Council, gender representation, tenure of council members, renewal of practising certificates, regulation of law firms, publication of applications for admission to the Bar, screening procedures and disciplinary measures.
He maintained that while no legislation is perfect, the committee stage would provide Parliament with an opportunity to improve the Bill through amendments that promote professionalism, integrity and accountability within the legal sector.
Responding on behalf of the Government, Attorney General and Minister of Justice Alpha Sesay thanked Members of Parliament for their detailed scrutiny of the Bill and welcomed the numerous recommendations put forward during the debate.
He assured Parliament that the Government would carefully consider all concerns raised and work closely with the Legislative Committee, members of the legal profession and the wider public to refine the proposed legislation.
The Attorney General acknowledged the work already undertaken by the committee that drafted the Bill under the leadership of the former Chairperson of the General Legal Council and noted that members of that drafting committee would continue supporting Parliament throughout the review process.
He emphasized that the objective is to produce legislation that strengthens public confidence in the legal profession and improves the delivery of legal services in Sierra Leone.
Presiding over the sitting, Speaker of Parliament Hon. Ibrahim Tawa Conteh invoked Standing Order 49, explaining that the rules empower the Chair to suspend the second reading of a Bill at any stage and determine when it should resume.
The Speaker said, following consultations with parliamentary leaders, the second reading would be suspended to allow the Legislative Committee to receive position papers, recommendations and submissions from stakeholders before Parliament resumes consideration of the Bill.
Although the Attorney General had moved that the Bill be read a second time, the Speaker ruled that the process should remain open to facilitate broader public participation and ensure that the committee’s report and ensuing debate form part of the second reading before the Bill proceeds to the committee and third reading stages.
With the agreement of parliamentary leaders, the Legal Practitioners Bill, 2025 was subsequently committed to the Legislative Committee for further scrutiny, paving the way for additional consultations before Parliament continues its consideration of the landmark legal reform legislation.
