Woman interdicted from passing as an attorney
A DURBAN businesswoman, who has been accused of passing herself off as an attorney, has been interdicted from continuing to do so after an application was brought against her by the KwaZulu-Natal Law Society in the Pietermaritzburg High Court.
But Claudette Sigamoney, a former board member at the Durban Chamber of Commerce and a legal adviser, said she had never referred to herself as a “labour lawyer”, adding that the error stemmed from a profile on herself published in a Sunday newspaper. The error, she said, had never been corrected.
Sigamoney, the managing director at Sigamoney and Partners, which specialises in the small, medium and micro enterprise sector and entrepreneurial development, said: “I’ve always said I’m a legal adviser. An article referred to me as a labour lawyer instead of a labour law specialist.
“I believe this is an orchestrated campaign by a person known to me, who has used the incorrect wording to try and tarnish my image.”
The president of the law society, Umesh Jivan, said they had received a complaint by someone enquiring if Sigamoney was a registered attorney.
After it was ascertained she was not registered, the society launched an application to the court in April to prevent Sigamoney passing herself off as an attorney.
The application, said Jivan, was finalised earlier this month.
Sigamoney is to pay the costs.
Jivan said the problem of people misrepresentating themselves was common.
“We have it infrequently. When it does happen, we follow similar protocol.” – Post Reporter