Chief Justice backs bid to transform SA’s legal practices
CHIEF Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng has thrown his weight behind a project aimed at rooting out discrimination and marginalisation of small, black-owned legal firms, especially by government enterprises.
That’s according to the Action Group on Briefing Patterns in the Legal Profession which is steering the project.
“The chief justice said government and state-owned enterprises seem to prefer to appoint white practitioners, especially at senior level,” said Action Group chairperson, Busani Mabunda.
Mogoeng was chairing a national efficiency enhancement committee meeting last week where he expressed his concerns.
“He sees the fact that black and women practitioners do not get the opportunity to develop their skills, as a huge problem. At the Constitutional Court, high level work did not appear to be going to black and women practitioners,” Mabunda added.
Mogoeng has always been vocal about transformation in the legal sector.
In 2013, he reportedly said black women were encouraged to study law but once qualified, many abandoned the profession because quality work was scarce.
Since March last year, the Action Group has embarked on a mission to stop discrimination in the legal sector.
Action Group said their research had revealed that lucrative work went mainly to a select pool of black male advocates while an identifiable pool of a few white male advocates get government cases.
The Action Group also found that a firm’s BBBEE status was integral in deciding whether they received government jobs or not.
Mabunda said: “The majority of law firms did not get work because they are not on the list of service providers or database of various government departments and state-owned entities.”
As the Action Group continues its efforts to transform the legal sector, it says some government departments and the business sector are unwilling to divulge where they get their legal services from. the bulk of