Legal Practitioners Act, 2000
The principal Act governing the legal profession in Sierra Leone — admission, practice and discipline of legal practitioners.
Summary
The Legal Practitioners Act, 2000 is the principal statute governing the legal profession in Sierra Leone. It regulates admission to practise law, the keeping of the roll of legal practitioners, and the professional regulation and discipline of lawyers.
The Act provides for the qualifications and requirements for enrolment as a legal practitioner, rights of audience and practice, the role of the General Legal Council and the Bar, and the disciplinary framework for professional misconduct, including investigation and sanctions. It is the foundation of the regulation of the Bar and is supplemented by the Code of Conduct Rules.
It has been amended on several occasions (2004, 2005 and 2015).
Main provisions
- Regulates admission to and enrolment in the legal profession.
- Provides for the roll of legal practitioners and rights of practice.
- Provides for the General Legal Council and professional regulation.
- Establishes a disciplinary framework for professional misconduct.
- Supplemented by the Legal Practitioners (Code of Conduct) Rules, 2010.