How to check someone is a lawyer
Who may practise law in Sierra Leone, and what to ask for before you pay anyone for legal help.
Posted By lanbuk.com
The law on lawyers is the Legal Practitioners Act, 2000 (No. 15 of 2000), amended in 2004, 2005 and 2015. The quotations below are its sections as the Court of Appeal quoted them in Milicent L. Ojumu v General Legal Council & Anor [2017] SLCA 1143. Check the Act's page for any later change.
1. Only an enrolled legal practitioner may practise law
To practise law in Sierra Leone a person must be admitted and enrolled as a legal practitioner, a barrister and solicitor.
subject to this Act no body shall engage in the practice of law in Sierra Leone unless he has been admitted and enrolled as a legal practitioner under this Act (s 9, quoted in Milicent L. Ojumu v General Legal Council & Anor [2017] SLCA 1143)
legal practitioner means “any person admitted and enrolled to practice law in Sierra Leone as Barrister and solicitor” (s 1 (definitions))
2. The Roll of Court
A lawyer's name is entered in the Roll of Court. Subject to section 19, that is what entitles them to practise in the courts, to recover their fees, and makes them an officer of the court.
Every person whose name is entered in the ROLL OF COURT under section 16 shall a) Subject to section 19 and to any law precluding him from appearing in any court, tribunal or proceedings be entitled to practise in any court of law … b) Subject to section 19, be entitled to sue and recover his fees … and c) Have status as an officer of the court (s 18)
3. The practising certificate
The right to practise is subject to section 19. In State v Francis Gabbidon [2009] SLSC 1, an objection was raised before the Supreme Court that a lawyer could not act unless he proved he held “the requisite practicing certificate from the General Legal Council in accordance with section 19”.
4. Pretending to be a lawyer is an offence
Someone who is not enrolled commits an offence if they act as a lawyer, or falsely use a title or description suggesting they are qualified.
An unqualified person who a) Practices and acts as a legal practitioner: or b) Wilfully and falsely pretends to be or takes or uses any name, title, addition, or description implying that he is duly qualified to practice or act as a legal practitioner, or that he is recognised by law as so qualified, commits an offence … (s 21)
unqualified person … “A person not enrolled under Section 16 of the LPA” (s 1 (definitions))
What to ask before you instruct someone
- Ask whether they are enrolled as a legal practitioner (barrister and solicitor), and when.
- Ask to see their current practising certificate.
- Lanbuk did not find an official online register of lawyers, and could not verify the General Legal Council's contact details, so none are given here.
How lawyers must behave
The Legal Practitioners (Code of Conduct) Rules, 2010 have parts on, among others, the duty of legal practitioners to clients, fees, advertising, touting and publicity, and disciplinary proceedings.
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Cite this page
Lanbuk. (2026, November 7). How to check someone is a lawyer. Retrieved November 9, 2026, from https://www.lanbuk.com/check-a-lawyer