Bar says amendment means no regulation and no oversight

Eamon Courtenay

And putting aside the criticisms, founded or unfounded, and removing the government perception of a politically skewed Association, Courtenay says the move just doesn’t make much sense, period. If the amendment is passed as proposed, attorneys would be able to practice free of association with any legal body, which translates to no regulation and no oversight.

Eamon Courtenay, President, Bar Association

“If we have persons performing legal services and they are not going to be regulated by an association, by an independent body, it is not going to be beneficial to Belize; it is not going to be beneficial to clients; it is not going to be beneficial to the judiciary. So we do not support opting out; we do not support persons operating on their own. We must all join the association; we must all subject ourselves to regulation; we must all subject ourselves to the same disciplinary methods that are available and set out transparently in the law.”