LEGAL PRACTITIONER – DUTY OF COUNSEL – Duty of Counsel as a minister in the temple of justice and an officer of the Court

Uncategorised

“The Appellant’s Counsel, Mr. Okoro, seems, in his bloated ego that he possesses omniscience, to have a rude and unethical alibi for this novelty. In paragraph 4.08 of the Appellant’s Brief, Counsel contumaciously argued that the reasoning of the trial Court was ridiculously affirmed by the Court of Appeal. He further argued that the “the lower Courts failed to appreciate the law that the burden of proving the voluntariness of extra judicial statement of a suspect lies on the prosecution squarely which must be proved beyond reasonable doubt.” Mr. Okoro of counsel for the Appellant has crossed the line. 31(1) of the Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal Practitioners, 2007 provides: A lawyer shall always treat the Court with respect, dignity and honour. It is unethical, professionally, for a lawyer or Counsel to use the occasion or an opportunity of an appeal to insult, denigrate or deride the integrity or intellectual ability or capacity of the Judges/Justices of the Courts below.” Per EKO, J.S.C. in BEMDOO MINDI v. THE STATE (2020- LCER-39169-SC) at p. 52 – p. 53

Add to LawKit (0)
Close