Lawbreakers in robes

THERE are few things more repugnant than wealthy lawyers living high on the hog on money filched from clients. We turn to lawyers to safeguard our interests. We place our trust in them because they are required to act in good faith and with integrity, and because they have the skills we need to navigate our way around the law.

This newspaper has previously reported on Zuko Nonxuba, a personal injury litigation lawyer who allegedly pocketed millions in Road Accident Fund claims paid out to victims he represented. His clients were poor and illiterate, and placed their faith in a man who promised to obtain compensation for their misfortune.

This week we report on Peter Cowling and Christiaan Janeke, two lawyers who were struck off the roll last month and who are facing criminal charges for allegedly stealing R64-million from their clients, including a pensioner who died waiting for her money.

Recent US research suggests that people with a lot of social power, including the wealthy, pay scant attention to those without it. How galling, then, when bottom-feeding lawyers, rich on the backs of clients they have fleeced, disregard the suffering they cause. It is a double injustice.

Lawyers — the vast number of whom serve their clients with integrity — are required to keep money held in trust for clients in accounts separate from their business accounts. This is to protect both their reputations and their clients’ money. The Law Society investigates breaches but investigations can take a long time, while the predatory behaviour continues.

We hope the Legal Practice Act, which will require law graduates to perform community service, will help to arm communities with the knowledge to protect themselves from the sharks.