Quotas skew the ratios

In their letter the co-chairs of the Law Society of SA defended the decision to have the council members of the new Legal Practice Council elected on a racial quota system that bears no resemblance to the demographics of the legal profession (Quotas are temporary, October 4).

When the law society was founded in 1996 after an agreement between the statutory provincial law societies, the Black Lawyers Association and the National Association of Democratic Lawyers, it was agreed there should be a 50-50 sharing of council seats. The then justice minister, the late Dullah Omar, said at the inauguration of the society that the 50- 50 composition would be temporary. As the demographics of the legal profession was rapidly changing, the need for this would be phased out.

The current quota system not only continues the unequal composition of the council of the new body, but even further skews the ratios despite the fact that the demographics have changed dramatically over the past 22 years. This has resulted in many members of the legal profession completely ignoring the election, as it is regarded as unjust and will result in a council that is in control, and not representative, of the profession.

For the co-chairs to state that the less-thanideal procedure (by their own admission) will be adjusted and corrected in future is an admission of a failed process. It appears that matters went horribly wrong at the national forum on the legal profession at which the quota system was decided upon.

Andries Landman

Constantia