Lawyers enjoined to avoid conflict of interest

Over 400 of them were sworn in at the Mfoundi High Court on Wednesday January 21, 2015.

It is a new dawn for some 443 young pupil lawyers, both of the Anglophone Common Law and Francophone Civil Law legal sub-systems. They were sworn in by the Mfoundi High Court in downtown Yaounde on Wednesday, January 21, 2015, by the authorities of the court in a ceremony that was attended by hundreds of relatives of the new barristers.

The event was overseen by the President of the Mfoundi High Court, Justice Nke Joseph-Marie and the Senior State Counsel of the said court, Justice Ndanga Dogoua Christian Fleury. Also present was the representative of the President of the Cameroon Bar Council.

Addressing the new would-be attorneys, Justice Ndanga Dogoua Christian Fleury urged them to avoid situations that could create conflict of interest in carrying out their work, noting that they were joining a difficult and challenging profession. He enjoined them to behave themselves in court, defend clients to the best of their ability and avoid any compromising contacts with judges handling matters in which they have interest.

The Senior State Counsel pointed out that in order to succeed, the new pupil barristers-at-law must avoid rumour, regularly read their books to keep abreast with the evolution of the profession and strive for excellence, given their number.

Accepting to handle a matter is a serious affair, Justice Ndanga Dogoua noted, warning the lawyers that any grave misconduct on their part would incur the wrath of the Bar Council as well as legal action. Similarly, they were warned to steer clear of breaching ethics like divulging professional secrets. He however promised the support of the Legal Department to enable the young lawyers succeed.

After the Chief Registrar of the Mfoundi High Court read out the names of the candidates for swearing in, they stepped out one after the other to take their attorney oath.

The new barristers’ success in the Bar Council examination was confirmed by an order of Laurent Esso, the Minister of State, Minister of Justice and Keeper of the Seals, which was signed on October 27, 2014.